Public Sector Equality Duty

Principles

The Public Sector Equality Duty 2011 has the following 3 main aims:

1. Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimization and other conduct prohibited by the Act.
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.

These aims underpin all we do at Ashmole and details of how we comply with the public sector equality duty are outlined below:

• We believe that equality at Ashmole should permeate all aspects of school life and is the responsibility of every member of the school and wider community.
• Every member of the school community should feel safe, secure, valued and of equal worth.
• We want to provide an environment which is free from unlawful discrimination, harassment or victimization of any kind.
• We want to educate our pupils in an environment which recognizes, celebrates and draws upon the diversity of Lambeth and offers equal respect, appropriate support and fair rewards for all our pupils.

At Ashmole, equality is a key principle for treating all people the same.

The Equality Act defines eight ‘Protected Characteristics’:

1. Age
2. Disability
3. Gender reassignment
4. Pregnancy and maternity
5. Race
6. Religion and belief
7. Gender
8. Sexual orientation

We are committed to giving all our pupils every opportunity to achieve the highest of standards. Within this ethos of achievement, we do not tolerate bullying and harassment of any kind. We actively tackle discrimination against those with a disability, racial discrimination, sexual harassment and discrimination and we promote equal opportunities and good relations between and amongst all. We aim to ensure that the school promotes the individuality of all our pupils, irrespective of ethnicity, attainment, age, disability, gender or background. We are committed to ensuring that positive action is taken where necessary to redress the balance of inequality that may exist. We aim to reflect the diversity of our local community and society and ensure that the education we offer fosters positive attitudes to all people.

Our school admissions policy is equally open to pupils of all groups.

We believe that these commitments are as important in the context of our school as well as in a school with a more ethnically diverse population.