EQUALITY AND DIVERISTY

Ilkley Grammar School and Moorlands Learning Trust is committed to promoting equality of opportunity and good race relations.  We value diversity and will strive for a positive school and Trust ethos and aim to ensure respect and inclusion for all. 

We aim to promote harmonious relationships across the Trust community, and seek to remove any barriers to curriculum access, participation, progression, attainment, and achievement.  We take our contributions towards community cohesion seriously and will actively promote respect, equality and diversity in our day-to-day school dynamic which will encompass our commitment to:

1. Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010.
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.

As required by the equality duty, each year we publish updated information to demonstrate how we are complying with these obligations.

We eliminate discrimination by:

• Delivering a comprehensive assembly curriculum that celebrates diversity and equality in relation to religion, race, sexuality and gender as well as an accessible curriculum that caters for students of all abilities including external organisations like MESMAC
• Creating displays around school that celebrate and promote the preservation of people’s right to choose and be themselves in terms of the protected characteristics
• Celebrate key points in the year that cover religious festivals nationally and locally via identifying these key points in the year so all students and staff feel free to be themselves. Use of key dates in the year to celebrate and enrich our students with opportunities to celebrate diversity and equality of the protected characteristics
• Offering a Personal Development curriculum that is shared in ‘Personal Best Time (PBT)’ every day and in extended PBT time on a Wednesday. Resources that are uploaded onto Showbie so that students can learn more and become more respectful and mindful of being kind and celebrate diversity and equality.
• Promoting our Values & Vision that actively endorse the qualities of kindness, respect, and pride.
• Promoting student iLeaders within school that play a lead role in promoting the qualities of Respect, Equality and Diversity to guide and promote all students and staff by leading and championing our assembly’s curriculum and PBT sessions.
• Systematically recording any incidents of hate, abuse and discrimination via CPOMS and holding focus groups with students from different social groups and backgrounds as well as those with protected characteristics to ensure we are doing our best for their development and stamp out any issues that arise.

We advance equality of opportunity by:

• Providing training for all staff on meeting the needs of all learners, being mindful of unconscious bias and giving careful consideration to the language they use.
• Systematically monitoring indicators such as student progress, attendance at school and behaviour by learner group, in order to identify any gaps and required interventions.
• Providing a broad, balanced curriculum which is open to all students (for example, students are given the opportunity to studying two MFLs in KS3 and make choices of their pathways in year 8 also.).
• Providing an enhanced transition programme for Year 7 students with additional needs or vulnerabilities via the use of iLeaders to help students adapt and allow for their smooth transition.
• Creating iLeader roles throughput all key stages who have the opportunity to lead on projects that involve protected characteristics as well as promote god citizenship (There are diversity iLeaders for: Anti-bullying, Diversity, LGBTQ+, Eco-green, recycling, PBT etc)
• Providing additional support for students with additional barriers to learning, including those with protected characteristics via the SRP and the support it offers more vulnerable students and ensuring that students with additional needs have a place in mainstream education and are seen as the norm not the exception.
• Looking to maximise participation in trips, visits and extra-curricular activities by all students. This includes strengthening systems to monitor rates of participation and actions to address any gaps between learner groups.
• Encouraging a diverse workforce including through the wording of recruitment adverts and through use of anonymous recruitment software.
• Engaging with leadership training programmes to support staff development for colleagues from under-represented groups.

We foster good relations by:

• Delivering an inclusive and diverse curriculum which celebrates diversity and promotes equality (for example, reading lessons based on a diverse range of texts in KS3 English).
• Engaging with award schemes and programmes which encourage an appreciation of diversity (for example, the Red Kite Alliance RED Award and the Stonewall School & College Champion Award and the International and World Schools award).
• Providing training for staff on gender identity, pronouns and non-binary students
• Providing a wide range of international visits for students, with at least ten overseas visits on offer each year (subject to Covid restrictions – not possible 2020-2022).
• Giving students opportunities to take part in international partnership projects with schools in other countries (for example, an MFL project with a school in Nicaragua and one in Madrid).
• Holding an annual Diversity Day each year in June with the participation of all 6 world religions, African drumming, the deaf community as well as workshops that reflect the protected characteristics so that staff and students are informed and enriched.
• Inviting ‘role models’ from diverse backgrounds to work with our students to counter misconceptions, raise awareness and build empathy (for example, MESMAC and our links with Ilkley Pride and Ilkley Youth to promote and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and help build the rainbow flag).
• Providing opportunities for students to engage with the wider community (for example, through community volunteering programmes: colour rush, litter picking, Ilkley Pride and local charities.)

Equality Objectives 2022-23

OBJECTIVE	ACTION
1. To ensure that our core systems, structures, policies and practices foster the emergence of a vibrant, accepting, cohesive and safe school community which celebrates kindness and actively promotes respect, equality and diversity (ADP 1.2) by clearly building on our core values of respect, courage, responsibility, kindness, resilience and pride (ADP 1.1)	Update our school systems, structures, policies & procedures to reflect the threads of Respect, Equality and Diversity and to ensure that this common language and ethos is embedded into these key documents and statements. Create an internal equality audit to monitor and evaluate changes and improvements over time. Analyse the information available to us on our Management Information System (SIMS) about the profile of our staff and student bodies as regards the protected characteristics to ensure we understand the groups which comprise our community and identify appropriate and thoughtful ways of engaging with them to ensure they are appropriately and effectively supported and represented. Ensure that key statutory policies undergo an equality impact assessment as part of their regular review Ensure this key strategic goal sits within the remit of a senior leader Use the RED Award audit to identify and drive improvements during the academic year 2022-23
2. To ensure that ALL students have access to a world class education and that the gaps in achievement between students in vulnerable groups (particularly students with SEND and disadvantaged students) continue to narrow (ADP 2.2 and 2.4)	Ensure that the learning needs of all students are met through the implementation of a truly inclusive and personalised curriculum and effective staff professional learning which focus on the development of evidence informed practice and a deep understanding of “how students learn”. Ensure effective QA processes are in place which verify that staff know all their students and know how to remove barriers to learning, respect their individual needs, ensuring that all students thrive. Further enhance the transition process with primary schools in terms of early information gathering about students identified as having additional needs
3. To promote students’ Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural (SMSC) development, including their knowledge, understanding and tolerance of those who are different from them, to help foster good relations and eliminate discrimination and bullying in relation to the protected characteristics (ADP 1.2- 1.5)	Ensure that the new Relationships Policy establishes clear and consistent systems and protocols across all year groups to deal with instances of bullying or harassment of all the protected characteristics Ensure that the new RHSCE programme establishes clear boundaries for behaviour in relation to the law and also as regards healthy relationships and that this is built upon and revisited year-on year. Continue to foster the development of the values of tolerance and respect and celebrate diversity through assemblies, drop-down days and displays around school To ensure that students in vulnerable groups are appropriately supported through initiatives such as the LGBTQI+ safe space