The Equality Act 2010 was introduced to ensure protection from discrimination, harassment and victimisation on the grounds of specific characteristics (referred to as protected characteristics). For schools, this means that it is unlawful to discriminate against individuals or treat them less favourably because of their sex; race; age; disability; religion or belief; gender reassignment; sexual orientation; pregnancy or maternity.

Under the Act, the school is expected to comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). This requires us to:

• Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
• Advance equality of opportunity between different groups
• Foster good relations between different groups

As a public organisation, we are required to:

• Have due regard to the PSED when making decisions, taking action or developing policy and practice.
• Publish information to show compliance with the Equality Duty. This is done via our Equalities Policy.
• Publish Equality Objectives which are specific and measurable. 

Our Equalities Policy is in line with national guidance and contains information about how the school complies with the Public Sector Equality Duty. We also give guidance to staff and the wider school community on our approach to promoting equality.

Our Equality Objectives reflect the school’s priorities, our values and draws upon available data and other evidence. Careful analysis of this is undertaken in order to ensure that we are working to achieve improved outcomes for different groups.

For 2022-23, our Equality Objectives are:

• To continue to provide a school environment that welcomes, protects and respects diverse people.
• To continue to close the gaps in attainment and achievement between learners and all groups of learners; especially boys and girls, disadvantaged students, students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and Looked After Children,
• To ensure that all learners are given the opportunity to make a positive contribution to the life of the school, particularly focusing on participating in the Engage @ Upton programme and developing leadership opportunities for all learners.
• To eradicate the use of homophobic, sexist, racist and other discriminative language by learners in the school.
• To review the accessibility across the school for learners, staff and visitors with disabilities, including access to specialist teaching areas. 

Targets have been reviewed at the start of 2023-24.  A summary of the review is shown below. 

Objective 1

To continue to provide a school environment that welcomes, protects and respects the diversity of the school community.

Why we have chosen this objective: To ensure that diversity is embraced in the school in line with the whole school vision and values.

To achieve this objective we plan to:

1. Continue to ensure that all practices in the school are fully inclusive.
2. To review all policies to ensure that they are fully inclusive.
3. Work with all stakeholders in the school and address any areas of concern in the school's policies and / or practices.

Progress we are making towards this objective: Reviewed in October 2023.

• All policies have been updated to ensure that diversity is embraced, specifically with regard to the LGBT+ community.
• New rules have been introduced, ‘Prepared, Respectful and Safe’, following consultation with the School Council.
• British Values and school rules explicitly linked to school, community, national and international events via SLT Remote learner briefing every week (Yr 7-13)
• A working party has been established to write the anti-racist action plan, following Global learning London training.
• Face to face Information Evenings have provided information on reading culture (DRIVE strategy) to parents, including the choice of texts.

This remains an ongoing priority for 2023-24. 

Objective 2

To continue to close the gaps in attainment and achievement between learners and all groups of learners; especially boys and girls, disadvantaged learners, learners with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and Looked After Children.

Why we have chosen this objective: There remains an attainment gap in the performance of some groups of learners in school.

To achieve this objective we plan to:

1. Address the performance of boys through a Raising Boys Achievement Plan. This is an essential strand of the raising achievement plan in the school.
2. Plan and implement a well-structured programme of school improvement via the Learner Premium Strategy.

Progress we are making towards this objective: Reviewed in October 2023.

• Progress 8: DA learners moved from -0.84 (2019) to -0.30 (2023) This demonstrates an improvement of +0.54 and is above national data.
• Progress 8: Boys -0.25 (2019) v Girls 0.23 (2019)Boys 0.28 (2023) v Girls 0.55 (2023) This demonstrates a significant improvement in Progress 8 for both boys and girls. Boys have made a significant increase in levels of progress.
• Progressive Masculinity delivered a workshop to 15 Year 9 boys, which focused on male friendships, masculine hierarchy, ‘banter and lad-culture’ and self-esteem, as part of the Raising Boys Achievement strategy. This work was followed up with weekly sessions led by the Head of Year.
• There is a Raising Boys Achievement Action plan in place.

This remains an ongoing priority for 2023-24.

Objective 3

To ensure that all learners are given the opportunity to make a positive contribution to the life of the school, particularly focusing on participating in the Engage@ Upton programme and developing leadership opportunities for all learners.

Why we have chosen this objective: EEF evidence indicates the importance of all learners being given the opportunity to engage in school beyond the school day and in purposeful leadership opportunities.

To achieve this objective we plan to:

1. Appoint an Engage @ Upton leaders to have oversight of the provision within the Engage @ Upton programme.
2. Target learners, in specific groups, to attend the Engage @ Upton programme.
3. Audit the leadership opportunities across the school and ensure that all groups of learners are evident in learner leadership.

Progress we are making towards this objective: Reviewed in October 2023.

• The school continues to see an increasing number of DA learners engaging in Engage @ Upton activities.
• Half termly monitoring of activities is a regular part of the school monitoring processes.
• An increasing number of activities are taking place in each academic year and learners are being more effectively signposted to activities.

This will remain a priority area in 2023-24. 

Objective 4

To eradicate the use of homophobic, sexist, racist and other discriminative language by learners in the school.

Why we have chosen this objective: As we believe that the use of homophobic, sexist, racist and other discriminative language has no place within our school community. The schools values are incompatible with the use of language that is discriminatory.

To achieve this objective we plan to:

1. Continue to monitor the use of discriminatory language and report this to Governors including ensuring that appropriate follow up ensure that this behaviour is not repeated by individuals.
2. All Senior and Middle Leaders to undertake anti-racist training to ensure that all aspects of school life promote ant-racism.

Progress we are making towards this objective: Reviewed in October 2023.

• The full Rainbow Flag award was achieved in September 2022
• Anti-bullying assembly delivered to all year groups, with a focus on racism. This was followed up with a series of lessons to all learners in PSHE including a lesson on “Show racism the red card.”
• We have delivered assemblies on Anti-Racism, Black History Month and Pride Week.
• All Senior and some Middle Leaders undertook anti-racist training to ensure that all aspects of school life promote ant-racism.
• Discriminatory language was monitored and reported to Governors including appropriate follow up ensure that this behaviour is not repeated by individuals.
• Learner LGBT+ Group met weekly
• Updates on advice and support found on Year Group Wellbeing notice boards
• Staff wear rainbow lanyards to support learners
• Working with UCL as part of the Holocaust Beacon School programme. The school is one of only 15 schools working on this project. We are involved as we are committed to enhancing learning and teaching about the Holocaust.
• Sexual violence and sexual harassment policy developed and shared with all staff.
• Safeguarding reminder on Sexual abuse and sexual harassment was shared with staff in January 2023
• Stay safe bulletin shared with learners on Sexual abuse and sexual harassment – February 2023
• Staff Safeguarding reminder February 2023 on building resilience against extremist and radicalising influences.

This remains a priority and the focus will be on the work undertaken to support the school in being an anti-racist organisation.

Objective 5

To review the accessibility across the school for learners, staff and visitors with disabilities, including access to specialist teaching areas.

Why we have chosen this objective: As the school moves into a new building, we must ensure that all areas of the school are fully accessible to all members of the school community.

To achieve this objective we plan to:

1. Ensure that all plans for the new school building are fully compliant with current legislation.

Progress we are making towards this objective: Reviewed in October 2023.

• The school has been adapted to support a severely visually impaired learner. This has supported their successful integration into the school.
• The leadership and Governors of the school are working with the Department for Education on plans for a whole new school building. DDA compliance and accessibility will be central to those plans.

This remains a priority for 2023-24