Equalities
At Montem we are blessed with an incredibly diverse population of children, families and staff. Our aim is to be truly inclusive as an organisation. We want all our children to feel a sense of belonging and recognition, in their school and in the society they are growing up in. We want to equip our children to overcome the barriers that prejudice may present them with as they grow. We want our children to make the world a better, fairer place for all, when they are the adults.
We have a moral and legal responsibility to promote equality amongst pupils, staff and our wider community. This is both in terms of the Equalities Act, which requires us to set objectives for improving equality of opportunity and relations between different groups of people, and in terms of our curriculum, through which we are required to:
Prepare learners for life in modern Britain by: equipping them to be responsible, respectful, active citizens who contribute positively to society; developing their understanding of fundamental British values; developing their understanding and appreciation of diversity; celebrating what we have in common and promoting respect for the different protected characteristics as defined in law.
Diversity is one of the defining characteristics of Montem and we take our equalities duties very seriously. The school and Local Authority are committed to promoting teaching that challenges all forms of prejudice. Our key aims are to:
- Eliminate discrimination and other conduct that is prohibited by the Equality Act 2010.
- Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.
- Foster good relations across all characteristics - between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.
We have woven equalities teaching into our curriculum and we make a plan to improve our practice on an annual basis. This involves engaging with a range of external partners, so that we can challenge our own thinking and get feedback on our practice.
We take an active approach and are open to challenge and learning at all levels of our school. We seek to identify and gradually eliminate prejudice, changing systems, organisational structures, policies, practices and attitudes, for the benefit of all our children, families and staff.
