At St Mary’s, we aim to develop a culture of equality, inclusion and diversity – celebrating the ways in which we are each different, while highlighting the many ways in which we are all equal.

Please view our ‘Class Names’ page to see how we celebrate diversity in a different way by clicking here!

The Single Equality Act, which came into place on October 1st 2010 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents), brought together the duties set out in our Race, Disability and Gender policies into one single Public Sector Equality Duty. The Single Equality Act combines the existing three duties into one new Public Sector Equality Duty that covers all nine of the protected characteristics:

  • Age
  • Disability
  • Gender
  • Gender-identity
  • Race
  • Pregnancy
  • Maternity
  • Religion or belief
  • Sexual orientation

We will ensure that at every level, in all our work and throughout all aspects of the school community and its life, all will be treated equally.

The General Duty covers all protected characteristics and has three main aims requiring public bodies to have due regard to the need for:

  1. Eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and other conduct that is prohibited under the Equality Act 2010.
  2. Advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.
  3. Foster good relations between persons who share a protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.

St Mary’s Catholic Primary Academy is committed to:

  • Dealing with and eliminating prejudiced based incidents
  • Closing the gap in attainment for all children
  • Engagement with local communities
  • Policies and practices that promote equality and address inequalities

The Leadership Team and Local Governing Body will annually review how well we achieve these aims with regard to the protected groups under the Equality Act.

Please see below our Equality Objectives for 2025-26:

  • To promote cultural understanding and awareness of different religious beliefs between different ethnic groups within our school community.
  • We celebrate the cultural diversity of our community and show respect for all groups.
  • To monitor and promote the involvement of all groups of pupils in the extra-curricular life of the school, including leadership opportunities, especially pupils with special educational needs.
  • To close gaps in attainment and achievement between pupils and all groups of pupils; especially boys and girls, disadvantaged pupils, pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, and children in care.
  • To endeavour to ensure that the staff body and representation of staff in leadership roles is reflective of the local community.
  • To ensure there are no incidents of the use of homophobic, sexist and racist language by pupils in the school.

For further details regarding equality and diversity across our curriculum, please click here.

To find out about our diverse and inclusive library in school, please view our World of Stories page, please click here.

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