Equality Objectives Statement

Shirley Infant School adopts the Disability Equality Mission Statement of Hamwic Education Trust.

At Hamwic Education Trust we are committed to ensuring equality of opportunity for: 

  • Pupils with disabilities in relation to education and associated services.
  • Staff with disabilities in relation to employment rights, conditions and opportunities. 
  • Parents and members of the local community with disabilities in relation to additional services offered by or at our academy. 

We aim to develop a culture of inclusion and diversity in which people feel confident about disclosing their disabilities in the certain knowledge that they will receive a positive and supportive response which facilitates their full participation in the full range of activities offered by our academy. 

In particular, the achievement and participation of pupils and students with disabilities will be monitored, and we will use this data to raise standards and ensure inclusive teaching. 

We will make reasonable adjustments in relation to teaching and learning and wider aspects of academy life to make sure that the educational environment is as accessible as possible. 

We will use our accessibility planning duty to ensure that there is a rolling programme of improvements over the next three years in relation to access to the curriculum, access to information for both pupils and their parents and access to the academy buildings, its facilities and amenities for.

We will seek to foster a positive response to disability amongst all members of our academy community and to eliminate bullying, harassment or the less favourable treatment of people with disabilities wherever and whenever it is likely to occur. 

At Hamwic Education Trust we believe that diversity is a strength, which should be respected and celebrated by all those who learn in, work in, and visit our community.

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Commitment to Disability Equality

We are committed to carrying out the duties of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) in particular to; -

  • Promote equality of opportunity between disabled persons and other persons
  • Eliminate discrimination that is unlawful under the DDA
  • Eliminate harassment of disabled persons that is related to their disabilities
  • Promote positive attitudes towards disabled persons
  • Encourage participation by disabled persons in public life
  • Take steps to take account of disabled persons’ disabilities

According to the Equality Act 2010 the definition of a disability is: - a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day- to- day activities.

Our Accessibility plan aims to:

  • Promote access to curriculum activities and other learning opportunities for all children who have disabilities
  • Make available information to disabled persons in alternative formats
  • To take reasonable steps to adapt the environment to cater for the needs of disabled children and adults
  • Commitment to Race Equality

We are committed to carrying out the duties of the Race Relations legislation (Race Relations (Amendment Act 2000) in particular; -

  • To eliminate unlawful racial discrimination.
  • To promote equality of opportunity.
  • To promote good relations between people from different social groups.

Our aims are to:

  • Ensure that all pupils and staff are encouraged and able to achieve to their potential 
  • Respect and value differences between people and to prepare pupils for life in a diverse society 
  • Be proactive in promoting good race relations and to oppose all forms of racism, racial prejudice and racial harassment 
  • Make the school a place where everyone, irrespective of their race, colour, ethnic or national origin, feels welcomed and valued and to work with parents to promote racial equality 
  • Ensure that an inclusive ethos is established and maintained 
  • Be proactive in tackling and eliminating unlawful discrimination 
  • Ensure fairness in all recruitment and selection procedures.

In a recent review of the school the “physical, academic and emotional environment for learning” was identified as a key strength and praised by Standards Improvement Officers from HAMWIC.

Rights Respecting School

Shirley Infant School have adopted the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Our school values and ethos already encompass many of these principles, but we are now more explicit in making children, staff and our community aware of how we were using them to underpin all aspects of our practice. 

We have been awarded the Silver award.

These core principles are:

  • Non-discrimination or universality - the rights of the child are afforded to all children without exception.  All children have equal opportunities to develop their potential.
  • The best interests of the child are the highest priority in all decision making.
  • Right to life, survival and development - to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standards of health and living.
  • Respect for the views of the child.

We recognise the UNCRC at the heart of the school's planning, policies, practice and ethos. A Rights Respecting School not only teaches about children's rights but also models rights and respect in all relationships.

We have been working on incorporating these principles into all aspects of our school life in the following ways;-

  • Classes have created class charters which link rights and responsibilities that the class consider to be important.
  • Planning in PSHE has been adapted to introduce children to the rights of the child and gives children opportunities to talk about and learn the vocabulary of rights, respecting.  This planning has included ideas from the 'First steps to rights' publication.
  • Assembly themes incorporate some of the key rights.  For example, children have been introduced to the right of play and the responsibilities they have to try to ensure happy play for others.
  • We have re-worded our Home School Agreement using the Rights and Respecting vocabulary. This is available to read within the Policies section of this website.
  • We have formed a steering group to initiate ideas and monitor progress in embedding the key principles.  This group consists of our elected School Council members.

Further actions will be to develop an action plan which incorporates some of the children's ideas into school improvement planning.

Our aim

To develop as a school where children and adults use the values and language of the CRC to help them become rights-respecting global citizens.

Posters have been displayed around school showing key Rights from the convention that we would like children to be aware of.