Equalities context
The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000
which requires public authorities, including schools, to promote race equality through a general duty to:
- Eliminate unlawful racial discrimination
- Promote equality of opportunity
- Promote good race relations between people of different racial, ethnic and religious groups
Specific duties which schools must also meet include assessing the impact of policies on pupils, staff and parents of different racial groups including the impact on the attainment levels of BME pupils. Schools must take reasonable steps to publish annually the results of this monitoring.
Children Act: Every Child Matters 2004
with particular emphasis on the outcomes to which every child is entitled
The National Curriculum (2000)
which states in its aims that:
Education is also a route to equality of opportunity for all, a healthy and just democracy, a productive economy, and sustainable development. Education should reflect the enduring values that contribute to these ends. These include valuing ourselves, our families and other relationships, the wider groups to which we belong, the diversity in our society and the environment in which we live.
Education and Inspections Act 2006
which, from September 2007, imposes a duty on all maintained schools to promote community cohesion (and will be part of the Ofsted inspection framework from September 2008).
Equality Act 2006
This legislation is embodied in all aspects of our work with schools through:
Ofsted
which through the Education and Inspections Act 2006 requires schools to evaluate their educationally inclusive practice for BME pupils and promoting community cohesion;
The National Curriuclum Inclusion Statement
whereby in planning and teaching the National Curriculum teachers are required to have due regard to the following principles:
- Setting suitable learning challenges
- Responding to pupils’ diverse learning needs
- Overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups of pupils.
The national agenda for equality iand diversity in schools is also contributed to by:
the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA) which has published a Respect for All Audit Toolkit to assist self-evaluation, and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (previously CRE) which has published extensive guidance to schools on all aspects of race equality policy.
The Children's Plan 2007: building brighter futures
legislation with the principle of every child's entitlement to fulfil their potential at its core
