ParkSchool

Whitegate Drive, Blackpool

‘grow, learn, achieve’

Race Equality Policy

Adopted November 2003

Contents

Page

Contextual Information1-2

Definition of Institutional Racism and Racist Incidents2

Aims of the Race Equality Policy2

Roles and responsibilities3

Leadership, Management and Governance3

The Governing body3

The Headteacher3

All School Staff3

Classroom Staff3

All pupils3

Complaints procedure3

Policy, Planning and Review3

How the school will fulfil it’s commitment to Race Equality3-4

Racism/Racial Harassment4

Curriculum, Teaching and Learning4

Guidelines on working with pupils for whom English is an additional

Language5

Behaviour/Discipline/Exclusion5

Staff recruitment and career development5

Parents/Governors/Community Partnership5

Monitoring the Race Equality Policy5-6

Actions to ensure Race Equality6

Assessing the Impact of Policies6-7

ParkSchool

"We grow together, we learn together, we will achieve our best together."

‘Grown, learn, achieve’

Race Equality Policy

This policy applies to all governors, staff, pupils, parents and visitors to the school, including all contractors. It uses guidelines from Blackpool Education Authority Race Equality Policy.

1Contextual Information

ParkSchool is an area community SpecialSchool for the unitary authority of Blackpool. It is one of three special schools in the town and caters for children with moderate and complex learning difficulties. Many of the pupils also have associated social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. In line with many similar schools nationally, the range of pupils’ needs who are admitted to the school has become much more diverse in recent years. The school now admits pupils across the autistic spectrum, from pupils with Aspergers Syndrome to those whose autistic features significantly affect them in all areas of their life. An increasing number of children admitted to the school also have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

Situated on the North West coast of England, Blackpool is a seaside resort with a resident population of 150,000 (mid 1999). Blackpool’s population is mainly white with a small percentage of ethnic minority families. The percentage of children from ethnic minority families attending Blackpool schools has grown from below 1% in 1999 to 1.5% in 2002. Recent information would suggest the ethnic minority population is growing steadily. Blackpool has a small but diverse ethnic minority population who bring a wealth of cultures, religions and languages.

In many ways these families form a silent minority. Historically, a small number of Chinese and Asian families had settled in the town centre and worked mainly in the food industry.

Over twenty different languages are spoken across Blackpool schools, the main languages being: English, Cantonese, Bangla and Urdu.

More recently, families have moved to Blackpool from abroad, many of whom having English as an additional language. Families from Western European countries, French, Germans, Italians and Spanish speakers have all settled. There are a significant number of people from Thailand and the Philippines who come to work at the local hospital. More recently, there has been a growing number of Arabic speaking families from Iraq and Iran who have settled in town.

Blackpool does not have a history of well established ethnic minority communities and although these families have strong extended family links, there is a likelihood that they may be isolated and vulnerable.

Whilst just a couple of years ago schools may have had few ethnic minority children on roll, in 2002 the trend is towards having a growing number of ethnic minority children on roll, many of whom will have English as an additional language. Most schools in Blackpool now have 1.5% children from ethnic minority families. Within ParkSchool there are currently 2.5% of children from similar groups.

ParkSchool aims to provide the highest possible quality of educational provision for all our pupils, acknowledging that the society within which we live is enriched by the ethnic diversity, culture and faith of its citizens.

The National curriculum encourages schools to:

‘Prepare all pupils for life in a world where they will meet, live, and work with people of different cultures, religions, languages and ethnic backgrounds.’

The school strives to ensure that the culture and ethos of the school are such that, whatever the heritage and origins of members of the school community, everyone is equally valued and treats one another with respect. Pupils should be provided with the opportunity to experience, understand and celebrate diversity.

Definition of Institutional Racism and Racist Incidents

The definition of institutional racism is:

‘The collective failure of an organisation to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their culture, colour or ethnic origin. It can be seen or detected in processes, attitudes and behaviour which amount to discrimination through unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtless and racist stereotyping which disadvantages minority ethnic people.’

A racist incident is:

‘Any incident perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person’

2Aims of the Race Equality Policy

“ParkSchool will actively promote race equality, and oppose racism in all its forms and foster positive attitudes and commitment to and education for equality.”

Our race equality policy builds upon the school’s core aims, values and ethos as outlined in our ‘ParkSchool Aims’. We recognize our statutory duty to eliminate racial discrimination and promote race equality and good race relations in all that we do. This policy will be an integral part of our school life.

We aim to:

  • Create an ethos that promotes race equality, develops understanding and challenges prejudices.
  • Have high expectations of both staff and pupils in the school and visitors to the school.
  • Treat all those involved within the school as individuals, with their own particular cultures and languages.
  • Encourage everyone involved with the school to have high self-esteem and a positive self-image.
  • Promote mutual respect and value each others similarities and differences.
  • Identify any practices that may be discriminatory.
  • Monitor, evaluate and review all polices and procedures regularly so as to ensure continuous improvement.

3Roles and Responsibilities

Leadership, Management and Governance

Promoting race equality and raising the achievement of minority ethnic pupils is the responsibility of the whole school.

The Governing Body are committed to promoting equality of opportunity, good race relations and eliminating unlawful racial discrimination, and will ensure that the policy is in place. The governors expect all staff, pupils and parents to support this work. The implementation of this policy and its related procedures and strategies will be monitored in order to improve practice. Governors will ensure that all current school policies are assessed for their impact on different racial groups. The governors will develop their knowledge and understanding of race equality.

The Head teacher will ensure that the policy is devised in accordance with guidelines set out by the Commission for Racial Equality. He will be responsible for ensuring that this policy is successfully implemented, as much as is humanly possible, and that all those who work in the school understand what they are to do and have appropriate training and support.

Mr Berry is the member of the senior management team with designated responsibility for race equality. He will ensure that appropriate action is taken in the event that this policy is not complied with. He will monitor racist incidents and follow LEA agreed procedures.

All School Staffneed to be aware of the policy and understand what their responsibilities are.

They should know how to recognise and deal with racist incidents, and how to challenge racial bias and stereotyping, both inside and outside the classroom.

Classroom Staff have a central role in promoting race equality. The effectiveness of our policies will be judged by how successfully they encourage, support and enable all pupils to reach their full potential; by how they ensure that all racial groups have full access to the curriculum and by how they promote race equality through teaching and learning, the curriculum and the quality of pastoral care and guidance.

All Pupils need to be aware how the policy applies to them. They should know to treat others with respect, what constitutes a racial incident and be willing to report racial incidents.

Complaints Procedure

In the first instance, complaints should be addressed to the Head teacher, who will then follow Blackpool Education Authority procedures.

4Policy, Planning & Review

How the School will fulfil it’s commitment to Race Equality

Ethos

The school will fulfil its commitment to race equality by valuing diversity and by actively promoting good inter-personal and community relationships.

The school will fulfil its commitment to race equality by promoting an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust among all members of the school community.

The school will fulfil its commitment to race equality by ensuring that all staff, pupils and parents are treated with respect and dignity.

The school will fulfil its commitment to race equality by ensuring that everyone associated with the school is kept informed about their responsibilities and roles.

Racism/Racial Harassment

The school will fulfil its commitment to race equality by dealing firmly, consistently and effectively with racist incidents, harassment and bullying.

The school will ensure that all such incidents are recorded and investigated.

The school has adopted the LEA’s policy and follows the procedures for dealing with incidents of racial abuse.

For each racial incident a form is filled in completely and returned to the Head of Pupil Support at Progress House. A copy of the form is to be kept in school.

Both victim and perpetrator are supported appropriately.

The school will monitor racial incidents.

Curriculum, Teaching and Learning

The school will fulfil its commitment to race equality by ensuring that the curriculum incorporates the principles of race equality and promotes knowledge and understanding of, and positive attitudes towards diversity.

The school will fulfil its commitment to race equality by ensuring equal access to the curriculum and extra curricular activities, for all pupils, to meet their individual needs.

The school will fulfil its commitment to race equality by ensuring that teachers’ planning and delivery takes account of racial and cultural diversity, the language needs of all pupils and the need to challenge stereotypes.

The school will fulfil its commitment to race equality by creating learning environments where all pupils can contribute fully and feel valued.

The school will fulfil its commitment to race equality by ensuring that resources in all areas of the curriculum promote an understanding of racial and cultural diversity.

The school will fulfil its commitment to race equality by offering pupils support and guidance regarding concerns and incidents, if needed.

Achievement/Attainment/Assessment/Progress

The school will fulfil its commitment to race equality by developing procedures to monitor pupil attainment and achievement by ethnicity in order to identify and respond to trends and patterns. The school will strive to maintain equally high expectations of all pupils.

Admissions/Attendance/Transfer Procedures

The school will fulfil its commitment to race equality by monitoring pupil attendance by ethnicity and by using the data to develop strategies to address poor attendance. LEA guidelines on admissions and transfer procedures will be followed.

The school will fulfil its commitment to race equality by making provision, in accordance with the guidelines set out by the ESW, for pupils from ethnic minorities to take time off for religious festivals and for extended visits to family abroad.

Guidelines on working with pupils for whom English is an additional language

  • The School recognises and values bilingualism.
  • The School values pupil’s first language and will reflect these languages and cultural backgrounds through resources and displays in School.
  • The language and learning needs of bilingual learners are clearly identified and appropriate support put into place, including ELT materials if necessary.
  • School ensures all bilingual pupils are fully included in all school activities.
  • School supports the maintenance of the pupil’s first language.
  • The School will draw on the skills of parents and local communities in a support role.
  • The School will seek to provide high quality interpretation and translation across all areas of the School’s work.
  • The School will expect all bilingual pupils to achieve their full potential.
  • High expectations are the norm for all bilingual pupils.
  • Language support is provided through both language and curriculum activities.
  • All bilingual pupils are included in the Literacy Hour and the Numeracy strategy.
  • Bilingual pupils have access to bilingual dictionaries and subject word lists.

Behaviour/Discipline/Exclusion

The school will fulfil its commitment to race equality by monitoring pupil behaviour and exclusions, following LEA procedures, and using the data to ensure that procedures are applied fairly and equitably to all pupils.

Staff Recruitment and Career Development

The school will fulfil its commitment to race equality by ensuring that recruitment and selection procedures are consistent with the statutory Race Relations Code of Practice in Employment and other Equality legislation.

The school will fulfil its commitment to race equality by monitoring and reviewing the recruitment and selection process to ensure that discrimination is not taking place and to identify examples of good practice.

The school will fulfil its commitment to race equality by ensuring equality of access to professional development and training for all staff. Analysis will be undertaken where appropriate.

Parents/Governors/Community Partnership

The school will fulfil its commitment to race equality by working in partnership with parents and the community to develop positive attitudes to racial diversity.

Membership of the Governing Body

The school will fulfil its commitment to race equality by striving to ensure that membership of the governing body reflects the community it serves.

5Monitoring the Race Equality Policy

  • The School will monitor the impact of this policy and action plan on pupils, parents and staff for different ethnic groups.
  • The School will monitor the effect of this policy on the attainment levels of all pupils from ethnic minorities.
  • School will monitor other areas that could have an adverse impact on pupil’s attainment:

Exclusion

Racism

Punishment and rewards

Parental involvement

Working with the community

Support, advice and guidance

Monitoring information will help us to see what progress we are making towards meeting our race equality targets and aims.

  • Highlight any differences between pupils from different ethnic groups.
  • Examine reasons for any differences.
  • Examine the effectiveness of current targets and objectives.
  • Decide what further action may need to be taken.
  • Set new targets.
  • Take action to make improvements.

Actions to ensure Race Equality

  • The Race Equality Policy will be reviewed annually by the Headteacher and Governing Body.
  • The School will monitor and further develop good practice.
  • Race Equality training will be part of ongoing staff development.
  • The School will adhere to Blackpool’s Racial Incident Guidelines.
  • The School will endeavour to ensure that they reflect the local community it serves.

6Assessing the Impact of Policies

As a School we will assess the impact of this and other policies on pupils, staff and parents from different ethnic groups. We will assess whether the policies have or could have an adverse impact on the attainment levels of pupils from different racial groups.

The following questions will be used to assess our policies, including:

  • Staffing
  • Parental involvement
  • Dealing with racial incidents
  • Curriculum

Are our children achieving as much as they can?

Do they get the most out of what is on offer?

Are their individual needs being met?

Are there any groups which are not achieving?

Why are they not achieving?

Are we making sure our policies are not having an adverse effect on pupil, parents or staff from some racial groups?

How do we explain any differences?

Are any differences justified, such as English being an additional language?

What are we doing to raise standards and promote equality of opportunity?

What are we doing to help those pupils who are underachieving and may be in need of support?

What are we doing to prepare pupils for living in a multi-ethnic society?

Are we promoting harmony and preventing racial incidents?

Are our policies effective? Are any actions taken as a result of our policies appropriate?

Are there any unexpected results?

Does our policy challenge racial discrimination?

Do our policies lead to establishing and maintaining good working relationships with parents from ethnic minority groups?

What changes, if any, do the school need to make to any of the policies?

In order to answer many of the above questions, School will:

Need to talk to pupils, parents and staff from ethnic minority groups.

Carry out surveys and research.

Collect and analyse data on attainment levels, ethnicity, numbers, racial incidents.

We can use the results to:

Rethink our race equality policy and alter any necessary strategies.

Influence our planning and decision making.

***

We as a School will consider the views and needs of parents, staff and pupils from different racial groups. We will explain to the groups concerned what the School is doing and how we aim to achieve our aims. We will look at how we could communicate better with pupils, parents and staff from different racial groups and involve them in the planning and decision making.

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