Equality

At Hatfield Peverel and Infant School, we believe that everyone in our school is of equal value and should have equal opportunities in school, the community and in life. We believe we are welcoming, supportive and inclusive.

Many people in our society are discriminated against and treated as if they are worth less than others because of their race, religion or language; because of their gender or sexuality; because of their class or because of a disability. This will not be tolerated in our school.

People are individuals and therefore different. They have different protected characteristics and different contributions to make to the life of our school and of the community.

Equal opportunities is not about treating everybody the same. It is about meeting people’s individual needs and appreciating their individual strengths and gifts. We are all different and should all be equally valued.

Public Sector Equality Duty

At Hatfield Peverel Infant and Nursery School we are committed to ensuring the equality of education and opportunity for all pupils, staff, parents / carers, irrespective of race, gender, disability, faith, religion or socio-economic background. We aim to develop a culture of inclusion and diversity in which all those connected to the school feel proud of their identity and able to participate fully in school life.

The single Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) came into effect in April 2011 as a result of the Equality Act 2010 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents. It requires public bodies to promote equality and replaced three pre-existing duties relating to disability, race and gender equality.

The PSED applies to all maintained and independent schools, including academies, and maintained and non-maintained special schools.

Three Main Elements

Paragraph 5.1 of the document explains that the PSED has three main elements. In carrying out their functions, public bodies are required to have due regard to the need to:

Eliminate discrimination and other conduct that is prohibited by the Equality Act 2010

Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it

Foster good relations across all characteristics, and between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it

Protected Characteristics

The Department for Education (DfE) has published non-statutory advice https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/315587/Equality_Act_Advice_Final.pdf that sets out schools’ obligations under the PSED. The Public Sector Equality Duty requires public bodies to promote equality. Paragraph 5.1 explains that the PSED extends to the following protected characteristics:

age

disability

gender reassignment

marriage and civil partnership

pregnancy and maternity

race

religion or belief

sex

sexual orientation

Our approach to equality is based on the following 7 key principles.

1. All learners are of equal value. Whether or not they are disabled, whatever their ethnicity, culture, national origin or national status, whatever their gender and gender identity, whatever their religious or non-religious affiliation or faith background and whatever their sexual orientation.
2. We recognise, respect and value difference and understand that diversity is a strength. We take account of differences and strive to remove barriers and disadvantages which people may face, in relation to age, disability, race, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity. We believe that diversity is a strength, which should be respected and celebrated by all those who learn, teach and visit here.
3. We foster positive attitudes and relationships. We actively promote positive attitudes and mutual respect between groups and communities different from each other.
4. We foster a shared sense of cohesion and belonging. We want all members of our school community to feel a sense of belonging within the school and wider community and to feel that they are respected and able to participate fully in school life.
5. We observe good equalities practice for our staff. We ensure that policies and procedures benefit all employees and potential employees in all aspects of their work, including in recruitment and promotion, and in continuing professional development.
6. We have the highest expectations of all our children. We expect that all pupils can make good progress and achieve to their highest potential.
7. We work to raise standards for all pupils, but especially for the most vulnerable. We believe that improving the quality of education for the most vulnerable groups of pupils raises standards across the whole school.

The children at Hatfield Peverel Infant and Nursery School learn about the British Values and foster mutual respect for each other. Our children care and look after each other, our school and for those who share these protected characteristics. We do not tolerate any forms of discrimination and our children learn that we show tolerance for everyone and for all those who share the protected characteristics.

EQUALITY OBJECTIVES 2026 to 2030

• Embed the “No Outsiders” programme and diversity-rich texts across Nursery, Reception, and Key Stage 1 so children learn to respect difference and understand protected characteristics.
• Integrate diversity-focused literature by embedding at least one “No Outsiders” story or inclusive book into each termly text/topic planning matrix for all year groups.
• Deliver weekly learning sessions via short story-time activities and role-play that actively reinforce age-appropriate messages about kindness, respect, and celebrating differences.
• Monitor impact and pupil voice through termly learning walks, book looks, and age-appropriate pupil discussions to track a reduction in exclusionary language or behavior.

• Conduct termly data reviews across all year groups, filtering progress and attainment data by specific pupil groups (including SEND, Pupil Premium, and ethnicity/background).
• Hold targeted pupil progress meetings every term to identify any emerging learning or attendance gaps early, putting immediate, tailored intervention plans in place.
• Build strong community partnerships by maintaining proactive, positive communication lines with our traveller and disadvantaged families to support high attendance and home-learning engagement.
• Review extracurricular participation annually to ensure children from vulnerable backgrounds are actively represented in school trips, clubs, and nursery enrichment activities.

• Deliver comprehensive legal and bias training covering Equality Act basics, protected characteristics, eliminating discrimination, reasonable adjustments, and inclusive language.
• Provide ongoing professional development through practical coaching, peer-observation follow-ups, and short reflective CPD sessions built into the termly meeting calendar.
• Update onboarding procedures by creating a dedicated equality induction pack for all new starters and refreshing the staff handbook to reflect best practices.
• Measure training impact by gathering baseline and post-training staff confidence data via anonymous annual surveys to identify further support needs.

Annual Equalities Information Report (Academic Year 2026/2027)

• Gender: Our school population consists of 54% boys and 46% girls.
• Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND): 6.3% of our pupils are supported through SEND provisions, receiving tailored adjustments to access the full curriculum.
• English as an Additional Language (EAL): 10% of our pupils speak English as an additional language.
• Vulnerable & Disadvantaged Groups: 12% of our pupils are eligible for disadvantaged group support (including Pupil Premium funding).

How We Are Addressing the Equality Duty This Academic Year (2026/2027)

• Eliminating Discrimination: Rolling out our updated staff training schedule on the Equality Act 2010 and ensuring our induction packs are ready for any new starters joining the team.
• Advancing Opportunity: Launching our targeted termly data tracking system to monitor progress gaps, with a particular focus on the engagement and attendance of our disadvantaged and traveller community pupils.
• Fostering Good Relations: Successfully embedding the No Outsiders programme across Nursery, Reception, and Key Stage 1, while integrating diversity-rich texts into our termly topic planning.

• Date Adopted: September 2026
• Approving Body: Full Governing Board
• Next Annual Review (School Data & Document Compliance): September 2027
• Next 4-Year Review (School Equality Objectives): September 2030