Inclusion
Inclusion Policy
Aims of the Policy
Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School takes the issue of equality of opportunity very seriously. The school sees its prime duty to be to ensure that each pupil enjoys an equal access to the curriculum. In detail, the School aims:
§ to reflect equality of opportunity in our aims, objectives, curriculum and organisation;
§ to monitor pupils’ achievements and destinations after leaving School by gender, attainment, background and ethnicity to ensure fairness of treatment;
§ to ensure mutual respect for all pupils and staff, positive self-image and a positive attitude to the multi-cultural society within which the School exists;
§ to offer relevant role models to all pupils in the distribution of teachers and support staff in its management and staffing structures;
§ to develop in all pupils and staff an awareness of and a commitment against racism, sexism, and attitudes about disability and social class. The School will be seeking to develop positive action and strategies to support this;
§ to link the School’s curriculum to the experience of the pupil, relating his/her cultural experiences to those on offer in School;
§ to encourage amongst staff and pupils an awareness of all cultural diversities reflected in the School community, and to explore the impact that this has on staffing, staff development, policies, curriculum, records, relationships in and out of the classroom and educational standards achieved.
Strategies for Implementation
General
Stereotyping of any type in our School is totally unacceptable. Every endeavour will be made to not use materials which are racist, sexist or divisive in terms of social class and special educational needs/abilities.
The School will endeavour to reflect equal opportunity policies in its work and actions in the community. It will be made clear that every pupil, parent, member of staff and visitor is equally valued by the School.
Staffing and Staff Development
The School will comply with the relevant legislation (eg. Race Relations Act 1976, Sex Discrimination Act 1975, Children Act 1989) when appointing and managing staff. The school will seek to appoint the best candidate to any vacancy regardless of age, gender and race.
Special Educational Needs/Abilities
The School is very proud of its arrangements to support pupils with special educational needs and abilities. A comprehensive policy has been in place for some time and is kept under review by the Assistant Headteacher (Inclusions).
Race
Racism is a particularly virulent form of prejudice and needs a great deal of attention. The following action will take place:
§ Pupil’s names will be pronounced correctly at all times.
§ Nicknames will never be used.
§ Attention will be paid to the correct spelling of names.
§ Literature in School will include names from a variety of cultures wherever possible.
§ Racist language will be categorically rejected.
§ Racial stereotyping will be avoided. Those in literature will be made explicit and put into context.
§ Bi-lingualism will be viewed as an asset.
§ Lack of fluency in the English language will not be used as an indicator of academic potential.
§ Racism is not tolerated equally inside and outside the classroom.
§ All racist incidents will be recorded, monitored by AHT (Inclusion) and an annual report provided to the Governing Body.
Religion
The School has no denominational affiliation. It seeks to promote an awareness of Christianity together with other contemporary religions and philosophical beliefs to be found in Britain today. The Medway Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education is followed. The School rejects any form of discrimination by virtue of religious beliefs.
Gender
No pupil will be excluded on the basis of gender from receiving their entitlement to the school curriculum. No privileges will be reserved for any pupils on the basis of gender.
The use of homophobic language will not be tolerated and will be challenged.
Social Class
Assumptions will not be made about any pupil’s home circumstances or educational potential which are based on perceptions of social class. Direct speech in pupils’ work may reflect dialect. All pupils will be encouraged to use Standard English with precision and confidence.
Disability
The School pays full attention to the Disability Discrimination Act (1995). The School will not discriminate against any pupil or employee with disabilities of any sort. The School is adapted to accommodate mobility-impaired individuals and is accessible to wheelchairs. The School endeavours to integrate its pupils in wheelchairs into all its activities providing appropriate support and assistance wherever and whenever possible.
Disability is defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA):
“A person has a disability if he or she has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day to day activities.”
All disabled pupils are integrated into all activities and reasonable adjustments made to take a person’s disability into account, even if it involves treating the person more favourably.
We aim to ensure the School’s responsibilities are executed as fully as possible in accordance with the Disability Discrimination Act (2001) and Disability Equality Duty (2006). We aim to:
- Promote equality of opportunity between disabled people and others
- Eliminate discrimination and harassment related to a disability
- Promote positive attitudes towards disabled people
- Encourage participation by disabled people in public life
|
Governors’ Committee |
| |
|
Full Governing Body
|
13.10.08
|
This policy has been assessed with regards to its relevance to race and diversity equality. As a result of this assessment, it has been graded as having a high potential impact.