Equalities

Moss Hall Schools the shared vision of learning together and making a difference.   We believe we all have a role and duty to use our knowledge and skills for the good of others and our community and our curriculum design and ways of working reflect this. 

We believe that the Equality Act provides a framework to support our commitment 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.  

We recognise that these duties reflect international human rights standards as expressed in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, and the Human Rights Act 1998. 

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 disability, ethnicity, gender, religion, belief or faith and sexual orientation. 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.    

Termly and annually, leaders and staff evaluate our effectiveness to ensure we are working within these principles and meeting our equality objectives that are reviewed and or restated annually.  We report our work to our Governing board and to external stakeholders through our pupil performance data reviews and governor annual reports.  

Our Equality Objectives for the coming year are: 

• We will strive to ensure that all pupils by the end of KS1 and KS2 make progress at least in line with the progress of pupils with similar starting points including pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Educational Health Care Plans (EHCPs)
• We will achieve a year on year (over three years) reduction in the attainment gap in English and Maths at the end of KS1 and KS2 between pupils within the school’s identified groups (for example, English as an Additional Language (EAL), Disadvantaged / Pupil Premium) and their peers