Equality Duty at Northern

At Northern it is our aim to meet our obligations under the public sector equality duty by having 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 – between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it

Northern Primary School is an inclusive school, working towards greater equality and equity in the whole school community. We use the curriculum and teaching to enhance the self-esteem of all those it serves and to provide a learning environment in which each individual is encouraged to fulfil her or his potential. As a Silver Rights Respecting School we are on a journey to embedding equity across all experiences and opportunities.

At Northern, we will ensure that at every level, in all our work and throughout all aspects of the school community and its life, everyone will be treated equally in line with the Equality Act 2010. For our school this means not simply treating everybody the same but understanding and tackling the different barriers which could lead to unequal outcomes for different groups of pupils in school, whilst celebrating and valuing the achievements and strengths of all members of the school community. At Northern, every member of the school community should feel safe, secure, valued and of equal worth to ensure that they have the opportunity to fulfil their potential.

Pupils have discussed through class and school council meetings about what equality means to them.
“We want to implement change to make our school even better.
We hope to create a safe and healthy learning environment.
We hope to give every pupil in our school a voice.
We will give full attention and support towards any pupils who have concerns of any kind.
We will work hard to ensure everyone is treated with the same respect and feels a valued member of the school community.
We constantly set new targets for ourselves and work hard to achieve them.
We ensure also that all children in school have their voice heard by holding regular class council meetings.”

September 2021

As a Rights Respecting school, Northern aims to foster good relations and equity 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. This includes teaching in RE, citizenship and personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, but also activities in other curriculum areas. For example, through the World Around Us learning across the school to promote understanding of British Values. The children are also encouraged to challenge any type of discriminatory and/or bullying behaviour.
    Holding assemblies dealing with relevant issues. Pupils will be encouraged to take a lead in such assemblies and we will also invite external speakers to contribute including leaders of faith groups
    Working with our local community. This includes organising school trips and activities based around the local community
    Encouraging and implementing initiatives to with different groups of pupils within the school. For example, our school council has representatives from different year groups and is formed of pupils from a range of backgrounds. All pupils are encouraged to participate in the school’s activities, such as sports clubs. We also work with parents to promote knowledge and understanding of different cultures
    We have developed links with people and groups who have specialist knowledge about particular characteristics, which helps inform and develop our approach
    To use the Articles of the UN Convention of the rights of a child to develop responsibility and care