We are very aware of the importance of our children understanding and respecting diversity and are conscious that our rural location can reduce the number of opportunities that children have to see a significant level of diversity in their day to day lives.
With this in mind, we are tailoring our curriculum to provide additional opportunities for our children. We celebrate Black History Month and we aim to use texts that include a diverse range of characters. We have recently had a visit from a Diversity Role Model, who talked to us about the challenges that she has faced in her life and how we can support people who are being picked on or bullied for being different.
We have an active link with a larger primary school in Newcastle, meaning that our pupils have the opportunity to make friends and work with pupils from a more diverse range of backgrounds. We also regularly discuss wider issues in the world.
The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) and Equality Objectives for Kielder Primary School and Nursery.
What is the PSED?
The Equality Act 2010 introduced a single, general duty for public bodies, including schools, and which extends to all "protected characteristics" - race, disability, sex, age, religion or belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity and gender reassignment.
There are three main elements within the act and in carrying out our functions, as a school, we must have regard to the need to:
1. Eliminate discrimination and the other conduct prohibited by the act.
2. Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.
3. Foster good relations across all characteristics - between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.
It should be noted that age is a relevant characteristic for schools when considering their duties as an employer but not in relation to pupils.
All schools must have 'due regard' to the three elements. Therefore, whenever significant decisions are being made, or policies being developed or reviewed, the school will consider carefully the Equalities implications.
For more information, please see our Equality Information and Objectives Statements and see our Equalities Plan for 2023/24 below.