Equality

Equality Statement

Darwen Aldridge Enterprise Studio School (DAES) part of Aldridge Education, values, promotes and celebrates the diversity that exists within our student and staff populations, the communities we serve and beyond. We are committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and this statement sets out how we comply with our Public Sector Equalities Duties and includes our equalities objectives.

The Equality Act 2010 requires all public organisations, including schools and trusts to comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty which has 3 broad aims:

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 across all characteristics - between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it

Regardless of statutory responsibilities Aldridge Education recognises the positive impact thar a cohesive approach to EDI can achieve. We acknowledge and recognise the existence of structural discrimination within the education sector and wider society and are fierce in our approach to address these issues within our Trust.

In addition to the protected characteristics identified within the Equalities Act 2010, the English Indices of Deprivation show that Aldridge Education works in geographical locations with the highest deprivation in the country. Our understanding of the issues of disadvantage facing our learners and the wider communities we serve drives our purpose.

Our mission is to bring true equity to education through academic rigour and whole-learner development; supporting aspiration for all and leaving no one behind:

Leaving no-one behind
Bringing learning to life

How we do this

Our operating norms are the non-negotiable behaviours that we expect from all who work for and support us. Our equitable approach and framework around the cultural capital offer for all allows for every member of the Aldridge family to have access to opportunities and experiences that enhance their future opportunities and helps level the playing field.

Our Standard is Excellence:	Excellence is our bar: we hold ourselves and each other to account for high standards. This means policies, processes, practices that are of a high standard and are consistently followed. Using our decision making framework and using the expertise available through the academy and national team.
We champion equality	Inclusion and equality are central to our mission. We aim to leave no-one behind and we are fiercely anti-discrimination. We understanding who our people are. We develop and use tools, such as a trust standard risk index to identify and respond to the challenges facing our learners, preparing for the 80, the 15 and the 5 in everything we do. we will strive towards ensuring that inclusion and diversity is explicit within the curriculum. We recognise that attracting, advancing, developing, engaging and retaining a diversity of talent is important. We provide an equitable opportunity for professional development and opportunities to progress careers within the organisation.
We are in the work together	We each stand by our missions and we act with transparency and clarity. Because we share accountability, we both give and receive feedback. We celebrate honest support that makes us collectively better.
We behave with integrity:	Professionalism, honesty and humanity underpin every word and action. Truth and kindness work hand in hand.
We lead by example	We own our responsibility to live our norms. We expect to be role models to those around us in matters both small and large.
We use time well	We select actions and tools that provide the most benefit from time invested

Achievements

Over the past year, DAES has strengthened its commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion through a range of strategic initiatives focused on staff wellbeing, leadership development and improving outcomes for pupils through high quality adaptations. We have implemented a comprehensive staff wellbeing programme that includes workload reduction measures, clearer communication systems and targeted wellbeing support informed by staff voice. Feedback from the annual Aldridge Education Staff Survey has directly shaped actions such as refined meeting schedules, improved access to professional development and enhanced staff recognition systems.

Inset day provision has focused strongly on improving adaptive teaching, inclusive classroom practice, safeguarding and supporting pupils with special educational needs. Leaders across the school and across the cluster have been developed through coaching structures, middle leadership training and weekly walk-through cycles focused on improving equitable teaching practice.

The school community benefits from the Aldridge Connect enrichment and development programme which provides access to opportunities that support aspiration, personal development and a sense of belonging. Engagement with families and the wider community has strengthened and the cultural capital offer has expanded to ensure no pupil is left behind.

These achievements reflect our commitment to fostering an inclusive environment built on transparency, wellbeing and the highest expectations for every learner and member of staff.

Objectives

We will review the data that we hold and what it tells us about equalities in our school.

We will review the data we hold in school and across the trust to understand completeness. We will consider what equalities related insight this data currently provides.

We will identify opportunities to enhance this data, both in terms of breadth, completeness, accuracy and were helpful, standardisation.

We will review the way in which data, including the trust wide risk index, is used to understand our pupils, families, staff and communities, in order to meet need and further reduce inequality.

Based on analysis of our community context, including income deprivation affecting children indices (iDACI), we will continue to strengthen staff understanding of the adaptations required to support pupils who experience disadvantage. Adaptations form a central part of our teaching and learning strategy and staff receive ongoing training through:

National Aldridge Education inset focused on adaptive teaching
Subject network groups that analyse curriculum adaptations and their impact
Instructional coaching cycles focused on modelling, scaffolding and responsive teaching
Regular review of outcomes in order to identify where adaptations lead to improved progress

We will continue to develop staff expertise in this area to ensure all pupils, including the most disadvantaged, can access the full curriculum and achieve highly.

We will review and enhance Staff, Governor and Volunteer equalities training opportunities.

EDI training currently forms part of induction for all Aldridge Education staff but there is no formal program of ongoing training.

This equalities objective commits to a review of the training in place and identify opportunities for further training and awareness raising for all staff, governors and volunteers in consideration of the wider Equalities Act 2010 and also local context.

Current Actions

During the year ahead we will develop a more structured and continuous training programme to extend understanding of equality duties and strengthen inclusive practice. This will include:

Training for staff and governors on indentifying and responding effectively to prejudice related bullying and incidents
Development of training modules linked to Aldridge Connect to support inclusive leadership, cultural awareness and equitable opportunity
Increased access to resources and training materials that support understanding of the protected characteristics and unconscious bias
Regular opportunities for volunteers and governors to deepen their understanding of equality responsibilities

Training and awareness for pupils

Through the PSHE curriculum, pupils will continue to receive structured teaching about respect, diversity, discrimination, relationships and the protected characteristics. This includes teaching pupils how to recognise prejudice, how to value diversity and how to understand their rights and responsibilities within the school community and wider society.

We will review our current communications including key language we use within our school, in parallel to work across our trust to improve engagement and belonging.

We will work with trust colleagues to engage in a review of language use to agree and commit to a consistent use of language that supports our wider equalities commitment. This includes considering the use of language that may have an unconscious bias, especially around careers and gender stereotypes.

Input any language related points into the development of training as covered in the second objective above.