Public bodies, such as schools, have a duty under the 2010 Equality Act to ensure that they promote equality within their organisation and this statement sets out how we endeavour to achieve this at Pickering Community Junior School. A belief in the right of every single person to be treated with dignity and compassion alongside equal legal protection is fundamental to the ethos that underpins everything that we do in school. 

The Equality Act makes explicit the need to have due regard to the need to:

* Eliminate discrimination and other conduct that is prohibited by the Act

* Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it

* Foster good relations between people of all characteristics 

In this respect, a protected characteristic could be any one of a multitude of factors that are shared by particular groups of people, but will include characteristics of race, disability, sex, age, religion or belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, and gender reassignment. Central to this commitment to fulfil this responsibility is a recognition that all groups with protected characteristics fall within the compass of the human race as a whole, and who by definition therefore have equal status and equal rights. As a school, we are in the privileged position of supporting equality in our current practices, whilst also helping children to develop and embed the principles of equality and responsibility that will best promote this in the longer term.

For further information, please refer to our Single Equality Scheme and Accessibility Plan 2020-2024 which can be found in the 'Policies and Procedures' section. This will be updated in September 2024.