Equality Information and Objective
Frassati Trust Equality Statement
Introduction
The Frassati Catholic Academy Trust Schools (FCAT) comprising five primary academies is committed to its duties under the Equality Act 2010. We believe that the Equality Act provides a framework to support the commitment of FCAT to valuing diversity, tackling discrimination, promoting equality and fostering good relationships between people. It also ensures that we continue to tackle issues of disadvantage and underachievement of different groups. FCAT is a Catholic community of academies and all those directly connected (staff, directors, governors, other volunteers, parents, families and pupils) have an essential role to play in improving children’s educational and well-being outcomes.
Roles and Responsibilities
The Trust Board has the ultimate responsibility for ensuring that the Trust and its academies promote equalities and meet the requirements of the Equality Act.
Each academy Local Governing Body (LGB), as a sub-committee of the Trust Board, is responsible for ensuring that:
the academy complies with legislation
the academy notes and publishes the KCSP Equality policy
its related policies and procedures are implemented effectively
every Committee of the LGB keeps the academy’s commitment to the Public Sector
Equality Duty under review for example in terms of standards, curriculum,
admissions, exclusions and personnel issues
there is an annual review of the work that the academy has undertaken including
progress against the Trust and Academy’s Equality Objectives in order to update the KCSP equality template published on its website.
The Headteacher and Senior Leadership team of each academy is responsible for:
Implementing this policy and its related policies and procedures
Ensuring that all staff and pupils are aware of their responsibilities and staff are given
appropriate training and support
Taking appropriate action in any cases of unlawful discrimination.
Teaching and support staff of each academy must:
Promote an inclusive and collaborative ethos in the classroom
Challenge prejudice and discrimination
Deal fairly and professionally with any prejudice-related incidents that may occur
Plan and deliver curricula and lessons that reflect the Trust and Academy’s principles, for example in providing materials that give positive images in terms of race, gender
and disability
Maintain the highest expectations of success for all pupils
Support different groups of pupils in their class through differentiated planning and
teaching, especially those who may (sometimes temporarily) find aspects of academic
learning difficult
Keep up to date with equalities legislation relevant to their work.
Publishing equality information
In order to meet our specific duties under the Equality Act 2010, the Trust will publish on its website:
Annual information relating to staff who share a protected characteristic that are affected by our policies and procedures.
Details and links to any relevant policies such as pay and recruitment policies
Prepare and publish one or more objectives, at least once every four years, which the Trust Board have identified that we need to achieve in order to deliver our
commitment to the Equality Act and Duty. Each Academy will:
Publish annual information on their website using the template supplied in the FCAT Equality Policy relating to the children in their academy who share a protected characteristic, as well as information about staff and governor/volunteer training. This could include:
Attainment data which shows how children and young people with different characteristics are performing and information about any steps taken in response to their analysis of the data
Information about how the academy monitors equality issues
Details and links to any relevant policies (for example their behaviour policy or anti-
bullying policy)
Evidence of staff and governor training on equality and diversity, this could also
include notes from governor or staff meetings where they are reminded of their
responsibilities under the Equality Act.
Information about any aspects of the curriculum which promote tolerance and
friendship
Details of any activities or initiatives that promote a shared understanding of a range
of religions, cultures or relevant issues.
Links to other policies and documentation
The Equality Act also applies to the Trust in our role as an employer, and the way we comply can be found in the Trust HR policies.
Equality Objectives 2019 to 2023
The Trust’s Equality Objectives for the period 2019-2023 to which the academy is contributing are:
To help all children and young people achieve fulfilment spiritually, academically, emotionally and psychologically by supporting them, and their families, and to ensure particular improvement in the lives of the most vulnerable
To narrow the gap in the attainment and progress of different groups of learners, with a particular focus on improving the achievement of pupils with Special Educational Needs and/or Disability (SEND), those in receipt of pupil premium funding and the “most able”.
In addition to the Trust’s objectives, the academy’s equality objectives for the same period are:
To increase staffs’ understanding of protected characteristics through annual (minimum) training events.
To increase governors understanding of protected characteristics through annual (minimum) training events.
To increase pupils’ understanding of protected characteristics and equality and diversity issues through a broad and balanced curriculum and in particular through our Personal Development and Well-being sessions.
To complete an annual audit evidencing how we cover equality and diversity issues in the school and use this to target areas for improvement.
To review the schools Accessibility and Equality Plan annually.
To continue to monitor incidences of bullying, including different types of bullying, such as racial, homophobic, transphobic and biphobic and ensure school wide work in this area ontinues to be robust and effective.
To narrow gaps between different groups of student in relation to academic performance, exclusions and attendance.
To ensure the school council and peer mentoring groups are a diverse selection of pupils.
Compliance with the General Duty
The academy has in place the following policies and procedures in order to comply with its general duty to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010, advance equality of opportunity between those who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not, and foster good relations between those who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not.
Publication of annual SEND Report
Publication of annual Pupil Premium report
Exclusion and analysis report to governors
An Accessibility and Equality Plan
Maintenance and regular review of academy policies: anti-bullying, safeguarding and child protection, pupil discipline and exclusions, attendance and staff appraisal and health and safety.
Monitoring of pupil progress (academic and behaviour and achievement) and attendance data by protected characteristics (where such data is held)
Compliance with the specific duty
The academy publishes the following information in compliance with its specific duty to publish information to demonstrate how the academy is complying with its public sector equality duty to:
· eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and other prohibited conduct
· advance equality of opportunity between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not
· foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not
The academy will update the information contained in this part at least annually and republish it at least once every four years.
· Annual reports to governors on staffing changes
· Annual SEND report to governors
· Annual Pupil Premium report to governors
· Annual student examination performance report to governors
· School Accessibility and Equality Plan
