Equality Objectives

2024 -2028

At Holy Rood, we aim to be a community where all staff, children, parents, carers and the wider community are treated fairly and with respect. We strive for all pupils to reach their potential and recognise that for some pupils, extra support is needed to help them to achieve and be successful.

The Equality Act 2010 sets out the duty of public bodies, including schools to have due regard to the need to:

Eliminate discrimination and other conduct that is prohibited by the Act,

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.

As part of this, the school selects some objectives to achieve over a four-year period to show our commitment to the Equality Act 2010 and these objectives, which you may read about below, focus on areas where we wish to take action to improve equality and tackle discrimination. On a yearly basis, we will review the objectives as an SLT, Governing Body and with our Parent Diversity committee, possibly adding further objectives if needed, all as part of our aim to ensure success for every child in our school.

This should be read alongside our Equality Information and Objectives Policy as well as our other related policies:

Accessibility plan

Charging and Remissions

Health and Safety Policy

Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Policy

Supporting Pupils with Medical Needs Policy

Anti-bullying policy

Our Objectives:

Objective 1: To encourage and embed a culture of inclusion, tolerance and acceptance of all children and families in line with our Catholic belief that all children are made in the image and likeness of God.

Why?

In a mixed and multicultural area such as Watford, we strive to celebrate every member of our community. We acknowledge that the national curriculum allows schools to decide which significant people in history to highlight. However, this flexibility could inadvertently result in a 'whitewashed' curriculum. At Holy Rood, we are deeply committed to ensuring that this does not occur in our school. We value the input of our families in guaranteeing that our curriculum celebrates the achievements of all groups of people, while also ensuring that we do not inadvertently teach with bias, which could foster intolerance in any form.

To achieve this, we plan to…

Diversity committee utilised in school with regular meetings held
EDI lead to attend local and national BAME forums
EDI lead and wider school staff to attend Diocesan RJED (racial justice education) training sessions and share this knowledge with the wider school

Progress we have made this year...

Many staff have had anti – bias training
The curriculum has been reviewed and checked to ensure that it is diverse – subject leaders have had time to look at this from their subject’s perspective
The diversity committee has been able to share their views with the EDI lead and their comments have already begun being actioned – for example: having Windrush Day marked annually in school and marking cultural diversity day as a whole school activity
Whole school event of ‘Show Racism the red card’ allows us to donate to charities doing important work for Racial Justice

Objective 2: To embed the importance of good attendance within the culture of our vulnerable groups, and particularly for our pupils with SEND, to secure equality of opportunity for pupil engagement, attainment, and progress.

Why?

In recognising the significance of attendance, particularly for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), we emphasise the pivotal role it plays in their educational journey. Consistent attendance ensures students have uninterrupted access to tailored support and specialised resources essential for their learning and development. Regular attendance not only fosters academic progress but also promotes social integration, emotional well-being, and the acquisition of crucial life skills. Missing school days can disrupt the continuity of their learning, exacerbate educational gaps, and hinder their ability to reach their full potential. At Holy Rood, we prioritise creating an inclusive environment where every student, including those with SEND, feels supported and encouraged to attend regularly, ensuring they receive the individualised attention and accommodations necessary for their academic success and holistic growth. SEND attendance is lower than our whole school average, making this an important area to focus on.

To achieve this, we plan to…

Open communication with parents, particularly regarding the reasonable adjustments that can be made to ensure pupils can remain in school as much as possible
The school environment to be reviewed by school governors to ensure that the school is accessible
Attendance officer and family support worker to ensure that families are supported by specialists

Progress we have made this year...

Some pupils with medical needs have continued to have online work set for them to ensure that when absence is unavoidable, pupils do not fall further behind than is needed.
FSW and attendance officer’s have worked with a number of families across the school, which have led to families feeling more supported. Some pupils to have had individualised reward charts to incentivise pupils to be at school for more time
Headteacher spoke to all parents at the curriculum coffee mornings about the importance of attendance and how missing even small amounts of time each week in school, can add up to large amounts of time across the year.
Pupils who would ordinarily be unable to attend schools, are offered financial support from school to attend

Objective 3: To continue to close attainment gaps for children in receipt of pupil premium and those with SEND.

Why?

In the realm of education, it is imperative to provide robust support for pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) to enable them to meet their age-related goals in keeping with the SEN Code of Practice. SEN students may face unique challenges that may hinder their progress in attaining developmental milestones and academic benchmarks aligned with their peers. Empowering SEN students to reach their age-related goals not only enhances their academic success but also fosters a sense of self-efficacy, resilience, and inclusion.

For our pupils in receipt of pupil premium, the government guidance highlights the need to use evidence informed approaches to support pupils who come from families with lower incomes to thrive in the same way as their more affluent peers.

To achieve this, we plan to…

Foster an environment that prioritises individualised learning approaches, tailored interventions, and targeted support. By addressing the specific needs and abilities of each pupil, we aim to facilitate pupil engagement, participation, and achievement across various domains, including academic, social, and emotional.
Collaborative efforts involving teachers, support staff, parents, and external professionals play a pivotal role in devising effective strategies to scaffold learning, promote skill acquisition, and nurture independence in pupils.
Additional parents evening meetings with SENCO who liaises with SEN advisory services to ensure knowledge is kept up to date about the most current, evidence informed, research
Pupil premium children are given additional reading books which they can keep, to ensure that they can foster a love of reading
Teachers, parents and leaders to continue to attend a range of training which will meet needs of individual pupils
SENCO to apply for EHCP’s for pupils with complex needs

Progress we have made this year...

We have two new EHCP’s which have come through, enabling us to access more support and funding
At the end of last year, SEN pupils in year 6 achieved well and School % of SEND pupils ARE: R= [80%] W=[60%] M=[80%] SPAG = [67%]
Support staff have continued to be invested in with additional training given to support with pupils’ academic achievement. For example, they have had up to date training in reading development relating to our new phonics scheme.