Equality and Diversity

Bourton Meadow Academy

At Bourton Meadow Academy we work hard to create an inclusive environment – a safe place without prejudice – where children have the opportunity to thrive and fulfil their whole potential.

Our six core values, together with the Fundamental British Values, underpin all aspects of school life and support our children in having the confidence to develop and use their core beliefs and positive influences to make the right choices.

We respect the unique contribution which every individual can make to our school community and we believe, through our broad and balanced curriculum, that children leave our school as responsible, respectful and active citizens that embrace and champion equality for all.

In order to promote diversity and equality within our school setting, we:

develop the content of our curriculum to create planned opportunities for children to learn about, and promote, diversity so that they value contributions from all members of society
develop an ethos that values and respects all people and ensures that everyone is treated fairly
foster good relations within our local community
ensure that all toys, games and curriculum resources reflect the diversity of our pupils and are free from stereotypes and unconscious bias
set clear rules regarding how we treat each other and ensure that these are consistently modelled by the adults, as well as the children
teach Spanish from Nursery to Year 6, increasing children’s awareness of the different Spanish-speaking countries and their cultures
encourage children to engage with appropriate items in the news, fostering healthy, age-appropriate discussions around diversity, equality and inclusion
create opportunities for children to develop an understanding of multicultural themes, preparing pupils for life in a diverse society
challenge negative attitudes and reject and respond to all forms of prejudice and discrimination
make sure that all children are given what they need to have equal access, participation and opportunities and that adults maintain high expectations for all pupils
deliver diversity and equality through our school policies, practice and procedures and review these regularly
set targets to enable us to continually evaluate and improve the impact of our work in this area

Equality Objectives 2022 – 2026

As an inclusive school we embrace the Equalities Act 2010 and have due regard for the need to:

Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct 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 between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it

Our Equality Objectives:

Priority 1:

By 2026 the gap between academic outcomes for disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged children in Key Stage 2 will reduce or close.
Priority 2:

By 2026 our whole school ethos and culture, including our school curriculum across all subjects, will support the elimination of discrimination, promote equality and inclusivity and celebrate diversity.
Priority 3:

By 2026 we will increase the percentage of children with SEND making expected progress in reading and writing in each academic year so that the difference between progress of SEND and non-SEND children is diminished to less than a 25% gap.