Equalities

At Kielder Primary School and Nursery, we are committed to helping all children understand, respect and celebrate diversity. We believe that every child should feel valued, included and safe, and that learning about different people, cultures and experiences helps pupils to become kind, respectful and confident members of society.

As a small rural school, we are proactive in ensuring that our curriculum and wider experiences provide meaningful opportunities for children to learn about the diverse world in which they live.

How we promote diversity and inclusion

We actively promote diversity and equality through our curriculum and school life. This includes:

• celebrating Black History Month

• using high-quality texts that include a diverse range of characters, cultures and family experiences

• welcoming visitors who share real-life experiences and help pupils understand different perspectives

• teaching pupils how to challenge stereotypes and support others

• promoting kindness and standing up against bullying or discrimination

Recently, pupils took part in a visit from a Diversity Role Model, who spoke about her life experiences and helped children to understand how to support people who are treated unfairly or bullied for being different. This helped pupils to develop empathy, confidence and a strong sense of fairness.

Links to our TEK Framework

Our work on diversity and inclusion strongly supports our Thrive and Excel @ Kielder (TEK) Framework, particularly in the following domains:

• Communication: pupils learn to listen to others, discuss sensitive topics respectfully and express their views thoughtfully.

• Wellbeing: pupils help to create a safe, inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and supported.

• Service: pupils are encouraged to look out for others and to stand up for what is right.

• Metacognition: pupils reflect on their own attitudes and consider how their actions affect others.

• Academic: an inclusive curriculum helps all pupils to see themselves represented and to engage fully with learning.

Links to British Values

Our approach to diversity and inclusion actively promotes key British Values, including:

• Mutual Respect: treating everyone fairly and with kindness.

• Tolerance of Different Faiths and Beliefs: learning about and respecting people from different backgrounds.

• Individual Liberty: encouraging pupils to be themselves and to express their identity in a safe and supportive environment.

• Rule of Law: understanding that discrimination is wrong and that everyone is protected by law.

These values are reinforced through our curriculum, assemblies, behaviour expectations and daily interactions.

Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED)

Under the Equality Act 2010, schools have a legal duty to protect people from discrimination and to promote equality. This duty applies to all protected characteristics, including:

• race

• disability

• sex

• religion or belief

• sexual orientation

• pregnancy and maternity

• gender reassignment

There are three main elements of the Public Sector Equality Duty. As a school, we must have due regard to the need to:

1. Eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation.

2. Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.

3. Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.

(Please note: age is a relevant characteristic for schools in their role as an employer, but not in relation to pupils.)

All significant decisions, policies and practices are considered with equality and inclusion in mind, to ensure that our school remains fair, welcoming and supportive for all.

Further information

For more information, please see our Equality Information and Objectives Statement below.