At the Altus School we are committed to providing equality of opportunity for all of our young people and staff. We welcome our responsibilities under the 2010 Equality Act that extends to the following protected characteristics:
- Age
- Sex
- Race
- Disability
- Religion or belief
- Sexual orientation
- Gender reassignment
- Pregnancy or maternity
- Marriage and civil partnership
We undertake our Public Sector Equality Duties in the following ways:
Eliminating discrimination
We aim to eliminate discrimination by:
- Implementing and monitoring key policies to ensure that all students and staff are treated fairly and have equity of opportunity
- Staff Code of Conduct outlining expected behaviours of staff in their conduct with each other, students and the wider community
- Monitoring and tracking of key information, such as attendance and exclusions, to identify any possible trends that require action to ensure particular groups are not discriminated against
Advancing equality of opportunity
As set out in the DfE guidance on the Equality Act, the school aims to advance equality of opportunity by:
- Removing or minimising disadvantages suffered by people which are connected to a particular characteristic they have (e.g. pupils with disabilities, or gay pupils who are being subjected to homophobic bullying)
- Encouraging students to participate fully in any activities (e.g. School Council)
- Using Personal Education Plans (PEPs) for children looked after to promote academic attainment and engagement in wider activities
Fostering good relations
The school aims to foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not share it by:
- Promoting tolerance, friendship and understanding of a range of religions and cultures through different aspects of our curriculum.
- Working with our local community, including inviting community groups to come and work with young people.
Our Equality Objectives are:
- To work with parents/carers and partner agencies to overcome any barriers that prevent students’ full engagement with school
- To develop a wide curriculum offer that looks to increase knowledge and understanding of life in modern Britain, promoting tolerance and mutual respect.
Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND)
The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 require schools to ensure that disabled pupils are not treated less favorably and that reasonable adjustments are made to provide them with equal access to education.
Our SEND Policy outlines our commitment to providing equal access to education for all students, including those with SEND.
The Altus school identifies and implements reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled pupils are not at a substantial disadvantage compared to their peers. This might involve providing additional support, modifications to teaching methods, or adjustments to physical facilities. More information can be found on this in the school's latest School information SEND Report.