Race Equality Policy

 "Achieving our best together"

INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND The Race Relations (Amendment) Act (2000) places a legal duty on Public Bodies to promote race equality in all aspects of their work. They must do whatever they can to: eliminate unlawful racial discrimination promote equality of opportunity promote good relations between people of different racial groups One of the specific requirements is to produce a Race Equality Scheme that describes the action they will take to achieve these aims. Schools have specific duties, to help them to meet the general duty. This includes a duty to prepare and maintain a written race equality policy. The policy can be a separate race equality policy or part of another policy. Other events have also provided an impetus for this work. The McPherson Report into the Stephen Lawrence murder raised the issue of institutional or structural racism in the Metropolitan Police. It placed Education second only to the Police Service and Criminal Justice System in having a key role to play in combating racism. RATIONALE While the ethnography of Whitchurch may appear to be quite different to that of an inner city environment in terms of the very small populations of minority ethnic people, this may present additional or different issues to be addressed. Minority ethnic families / pupils are often more isolated than they would be in an inner city area/school where they would have support from  a wider minority ethnic community. They can be more vulnerable to racist abuse. Tackling racism is primarily about working with the majority population. The presence of people from a minority ethnic background is not a “problem” or a “cause” of racism. It merely offers a visible focus for the expression of these attitudes and behaviours.                                             There is a need for action, even if there is no-one from a minority ethnic group in your our school or local community. This not only refers to tracking attainment and other outcomes from a racial equality perspective but also highlights our responsibility to extend the cultural experience of Whitchurch pupils and broaden their understanding of our multicultural society. While Whitchurch Primary School may have few pupils from other racial backgrounds, it remains necessary to have policies and procedures in place to fulfill the main thrust of recent legislation and in particular the duties required by the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. Whitchurch Primary is located on the outskirts of Bristol in Whitchurch Village. The ethnic background of the school at the present date (May 2006) is almost entirely White UK. Within the school there are very few racist incidents. AIMS/OUTCOMES Whitchurch Primary School Aims to: promote justice, equality of opportunity and fair treatment for all and allow all pupils, irrespective of their ethnic origin, to achieve the level of success and self respect which they deserve, whilst retaining their cultural identity promote an understanding of a variety of cultures, valuing the positive contribution these make to the community promote an environment where racist and sectarian assumptions, attitudes and behaviour are challenged provide a curriculum which emphasizes  the positive aspect of all cultures and gives children the confidence that racism can be and must be eradicated IMPLEMENTATION PROCEDURES In Whitchurch Primary School we promote race equality and good race relations by ensuring that: Awareness, understanding and respect for different cultures and racial backgrounds is deliberately built into our curriculum content and learning activities from Foundation Stage  to Year 6 in order to promote and reflect diversity Pupils from different cultures and racial backgrounds are treated fairly and appropriately in the planning and organisation of the curriculum, the methods and approaches adopted, the allocation of pupils to classes/teaching groups, through assessment and the use of resources.  LEA  services are consulted on enrolment of any bilingual pupil. Attainment at all levels is ethnically monitored and any issues of underachievement are addressed.   Attainment of all bilingual pupils will be monitored. Children are not excluded from school activities as a result of their religious or cultural beliefs with regard to food and/or dress. Resources, teaching materials and school information promote diversity and a positive image of different traditions, cultures and races. School activities offer all pupils the opportunity to experience a wide range of cultural diversity and exposure to positive role models and visitors. Pupils understand the background and potential of our multicultural society, including the appropriate use of language and terminology. Positive and open consideration is given to such issuesas stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination and the role of the media. Regular checks are made on the content and styles of books and materials and inappropriate resources will be discarded. Traditions, festivals and customs (e.g. dress, food) of different cultures are respected and celebrated. Provision will be made for religious observance. All teachers ensure that curriculum topics and activities reflect a global dimension and use appropriate, positive images. Global responsibilities, world development issues and interdependence are an integral part of the citizenship curriculum. Opportunities to extend the understanding of other races, cultures and traditions by involvement in such activities as school linking / partnerships  and charitable projects. Positive links are established within the community, particularly with families who have pupils at the school from who are from different racial/cultural backgrounds. Parents are not disadvantaged in accessing information about their child’s education due to language or literacy difficulties. Interpreting/translation is provided and parents are supplied with a range of translated documents as supplied by the LEA. Any incidents of racial and/or cultural harassment are dealt with effectively and taken seriously. This includes name calling and/or social exclusion of children who are not English. Preventing and dealing with discriminatory behaviour, abuse, intimidation or racial harassment is regarded as the responsibility of all members of the school community. Staff will use the LEA Racist Incident Monitoring Form. We give all pupils at appropriate stages the opportunity to discuss, explore and understand the implications of racism and other forms of prejudice and bias. This is done throughout the curriculum but mainly in PHSE, RE, History and Expressive Arts. ROLES/RESPONSIBILITIES  The Headteacher is responsible for the implementation, communication and review of the policy. The policy will be issued to all teaching and non-teaching staff. A summary of the policy will be issued to parents which will outline their responsibilities. All staff will be encouraged to attend appropriate courses, and this policy will be discussed and reviewed by staff on an biannual basis. All staff, including support staff, have a responsibility to:   Promote principles of equality and positive behaviour throughout the school Deal with and report any racist incident to the Headteacher Staff who do not carry out school policy will be subject to the appropriate disciplinary procedures. They will also be offered additional support and training. Pupils will have a responsibility to:   Follow the school rules and treat fellow pupils, staff and visitors at Whitchurch Primary with tolerance and respect.   Parents will have a responsibility to:   Support the school's race equality policies. Make sure that their children understand the policy and adhere to it. Report any racist incidents to the school. Provide support for families and children who have been the targets of racism. RESOURCES In each year group  / key stage various POS (Programmes of Study) are followed and appropriate resources have been collated. Foundation Stage Divali Role play areas using various clothes and artifacts Stories from other cultures Dolls with different coloured skin tones Multicultural books Various pictures and posters Regular assemblies dealing with ‘issues’ eg. bullying SEAL (Social & Emotional Aspects of Learning) materials Comenius Year 1 & 2 Cuba study Judaism Multicultural stories Regular assemblies dealing with ‘issues’ eg. bullying Judaism Chinese New Year ORT Books – Muslim children Multicultural dolls house Playmobil people SEAL (Social & Emotional Aspects of Learning) materials Comenius Year 3 Regular assemblies dealing with ‘issues’ eg. Bullying SEAL (Social & Emotional Aspects of Learning) materials Comenius Hinduism Christianity The importance of faith Connecting Ourselves to The World Year 4 Regular assemblies dealing with ‘issues’ eg. Bullying SEAL (Social & Emotional Aspects of Learning) materials Comenius Connecting Ourselves to The World Religious signs and symbols Year 5 Islam Regular assemblies dealing with ‘issues’ eg. bullying Stories & poems from different cultures Letters to partner schools Ugandan musical instruments SEAL (Social & Emotional Aspects of Learning) materials Comenius Connecting Ourselves to The World Year 6 A Commonwealth study linked specifically with immigration to Bristol from the West Indies, Somalia and Pakistan. SEAL (Social & Emotional Aspects of Learning) materials Comenius Connecting Ourselves to The World General Resources In  PHSE the issue of bullying and name-calling is addressed at all stages. All children are made aware that you should not bully someone because of their skin colour, where they come from, their religion or the football team they support and that there are offensive words which should never be used. From about Yr5 upwards the terms 'racist' and 'racism' are used with the children and the children are told that there are laws concerning these. Teachers leads whole school assemblies. In the course of a year this will deal with tolerance; difference; respect. The school library has books showing children from minority ethnic groups. Attempts are made to try to avoid racial stereotyping in the library books and if examples are found the books are removed. LEGAL REQUIREMENTS The Race Relations (Amendment) Act November 2000 - an amendment to the 1976 Race Relations Act - states that schools must: eliminate unlawful racial discrimination promote equality of opportunity promote good race relations between persons of different racial groups QUALITY IMPROVEMENT, MONITORING AND EVALUATION The school governors will review the policy every two years. An extract of the policy will be made available to parents and the full policy will be available on request. Monitoring We will monitor the effectiveness of our policy and practice when carrying out the Audit stage of the School Development Planning process. We will monitor the implementation of this policy through our teachers’ forward planning, classroom and playground observations, curriculum review and through children’s work. We will monitor the number of racial incidents reported to external agencies. STAFF DEVELOPMENT Staff will be consulted at each review of the policy. New staff will be given a copy of the Policy Through CPD opportunities staff will be encouraged to develop their knowledge and understanding in the areas of multi-cultural education and racial awareness. CONSULTATIONS This policy is based on current good practice and drawn from the Commission For Racial Equality (Non Statutory Guidelines For Schools First Published May 2002) and the curricular content was developed through consultation with staff.