At Northgate Primary School we believe that diversity is a strength which should be respected and celebrated by all those who learn, teach and visit here. We are committed to ensuring equality of education and opportunity for all pupils.
Inclusion at Northgate is about providing equality and excellence for all in order to promote the highest possible standards of achievement. It also ensures we recognise and celebrate the differences that exist amongst us, that we treat all people fairly and that we strive to eliminate discrimination wherever it exists.
- Discrimination on the basis of colour, culture, origin, gender, sexual orientation, ability, political and religious belief is unacceptable in this school.
- Every pupil, member of staff and governor will endeavour to further this objective by personally contributing towards a happy and caring environment and by showing respect for, and appreciation of, each other as individuals.
- The primary objective of this school will therefore be to educate, develop and prepare all our pupils for life, whatever their sex, colour, culture, origin or ability.
- An equal opportunities philosophy will be practised by all staff.
Public Sector Equality Duty
The Equality Act 2010 has replaced and unified all existing equality legislation such as the Race Relations Act, Disability Discrimination Act and Sex Discrimination Act. It aims to ensure that people have equality of opportunity in accessing and experiencing public services. There are two kinds of duty that schools must meet: the general which is the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) and the specific. There are two specific duties; these are that schools should:
- publish information which shows compliance with PSED and
- publish at least one equality objective
The Public Sector Equality Duty has three main aims:
- eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct under the act
- advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not
- foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not
As part of the annual analysis of provision, pupil progress, attainment and attendance School Leaders and governors consider the groups protected under the Equality Act (race, disability, gender, gender re-assignment, age, pregnancy and maternity, marital status, sexual orientation, religion and belief and sexual orientation).
- Northgate Primary School has 507 pupils on roll plus 30 children in Nursery classes as at October 2017.
- Approximately 30% of pupils are recorded as being of White British ethnicity. 58% of pupils speak English as an additional language (EAL); there are 44 different first languages spoken across the school.
- 12% of pupils have an identified Special Educational Need and/or disability (SEND) and the school operates a Special Support Centre (SSC) for pupils with severe or profound hearing impairment.
- The school receives Pupil Premium Grant funding for 20% of pupils.
- Overall attendance for 2016-17 was broadly in line with national averages at 94.6%. The attendance of pupils in groups protected by the Equality Act was: EAL (94.3%), SEND with EHCP / Statement (89.7%), SEND Support (92.7%).
Having analysed the data relating to the protected groups, the following objectives have been set:
- Diminishing the differences in performance between specific groups of pupils across the school; in particular, ensuring that pupils with identified SEND achieve their personal end of year and end of Key Stage progress and attainment targets
- Ensuring effective use of the Pupil Premium Grant to raise the outcomes of disadvantaged pupils, monitoring closely the impact of specific targeted support and interventions
- Raising the attendance of individual pupils, specifically those with protected characteristics
- Promoting and enhancing community cohesion and a sense of shared belonging to the school and the local community