Inclusion and Equality

This statement sets out our commitment to promoting equality and community cohesion and eliminating discrimination and harassment.

At Shaftesbury Park Primary School, we embrace diversity and continuously strive to ensure everyone is treated with respect and dignity. Each person in our school will be given fair and equal opportunities to develop their full potential regardless of their sex, gender identity, ethnicity, race, cultural and religious background, sexual orientation, disability or special educational needs, ability, socio-economic status, or any of these in relation to their family. Because this statement supports staff and families, we are also committed to avoiding discrimination regarding pregnancy, marriage or civil partnership. Further, we acknowledge that individuals can suffer discrimination because of their perceived membership or connection to a group, which may not reflect their self-identity.

We will work actively to promote equality and foster positive attitudes and commitment to an education for equality. We will do this by:

Treating all those within the school community (i.e. pupils, staff, governors, parents and the local community) as individuals with their own particular abilities, beliefs, challenges, attitudes, backgrounds and experiences.
Creating and maintaining a school ethos which promotes equality, develops understanding and challenges myths, stereotypes, misconceptions and prejudices.
Encouraging everyone in our school community to develop and maintain a positive self-image and high self-esteem.
Having high expectations of everyone involved with the whole school community.
Promoting mutual respect, valuing each other’s similarities and differences, and facing equality issues openly and honestly.
Identifying, challenging and removing discriminatory practices, procedures and customs and replacing them with practices that are fair to all.
Monitoring, evaluating and reviewing all the above to secure continuous improvement in all that we do.

In order to make our equality aims and values a reality, we aspire to embed a positive approach to diversity in all of our policies and practice.

Equality Objectives 2025–2028

Shaftesbury Park Primary School remains committed to advancing equality of opportunity, eliminating discrimination, and fostering good relations in accordance with the Equality Act 2010. We continue to recognise that some pupils, including those with protected characteristics, may face barriers that affect their experiences and outcomes. Our updated objectives aim to ensure that all children are given the best possible chance to succeed, feel included, and thrive in our diverse school community.

Promote greater balance in stream intake and increase access to the bilingual curriculum for underrepresented groups

There remains an imbalance between the intake of children into the English and bilingual (French-English) streams. We aim to improve equitable access to both streams by ensuring that all families, regardless of background, have clear and accessible information about both pathways. This includes:

· Clearly identifying benefits of dual language learning for pupils with additional needs.

· Ensuring brochures and advertising for both streams is clear and informative without over loading families.

Continue to close attainment gaps for pupils with SEND and other vulnerable groups in core subjects

Internal monitoring shows that pupils with SEND and other vulnerable groups (including those eligible for Pupil Premium and those with EAL) continue to face significant learning gaps, particularly in reading, writing, and maths. Our objective is to:

· Strengthen adaptive teaching strategies across all key stages

· Ensure timely, tailored interventions are implemented and reviewed for impact

· Ensure that there is support and release for teachers to deliver direct intervention.

Continue to Improve attendance and punctuality among pupils with SEND and other at-risk groups

Although attendance across the school is below national averages, persistent absence disproportionately affects pupils with SEND and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. To improve this, we will:

· Work closely with families and external agencies to remove attendance barriers

· Use data intelligently to track trends and respond proactively

Monitoring and Evaluation

Progress against these objectives will be monitored using a range of qualitative and quantitative data, including:

· Pupil progress and attainment (via Target Tracker, formative and summative assessment)

· Attendance and punctuality data (via REU and school systems)

· Surveys and feedback from pupils, staff, and parents/carers