Equality and Diversity

Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED)

Lighthouse School aims to meet its legal obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty by having due regard to the need to:

• Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act;
• Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not;
• And to foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not

We meet our duty through all of our major decision making, policy reviews and we will on an annual basis

• Publish equality information, ensuring it does not identify specific individuals to demonstrate how we are complying with the Public Sector Equality Duty and
• Publish and review our Equality Objectives, which will be reviewed every 4 years at a maximum.

Lighthouse School also aims to oppose and avoid all forms of unlawful discrimination: This includes:

• Pay and benefits;
• Terms and conditions of employment;
• Dealing with grievances and disciplinary;
• Dismissal;
• Redundancy;
• Leave for parents;
• Flexible working requests;
• Recruitment and selection for employment, promotion, training or any other development opportunities.

Equality Objectives 2021-2023

The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) requires schools to publish specific and measurable equality objectives in reference to the protected characteristics.

Our Equality and Diversity objectives for 2021 – 2023 were:

• Actively promote the diversity of the organisation and positive recruitment, to ensure that the recruitment process supports equality and diversity.
• Provide a workplace that positively supports neurodiversity to create a successful workforce that enables students to have positive role models.
• Ensure all policies reflect and demonstrate commitment to our core values and equality and diversity.
• Re-establish and re-launch stakeholder initiatives to support engagement within the school community to ensure a diverse and inclusive approach.

Lighthouse school has met these objectives but continues to work on these areas to continue to our commitment to EDI.

RED Award

Lighthouse School is committed to continuous improvement in Equality and Diversity.

As part of our membership of the Red Kite Alliance, school has registered to work towards achieving the RED Award.
 
The RED Award stands for Respect, Equality and Diversity and has been developed to support schools to review, action and strengthen their provision in terms of equality, diversity and respect for individuals and community cohesion. Engagement with the award signals a clear commitment to place this agenda as a key focus at the heart of the culture and work of the school.

We are completing an assessment, which will lead to an action plan, meaning we will obtain a Certificate of Commitment by the end of this academic year. School will then work to complete the agreed Equality & Diversity action plan to achieve stage 2 and 3 and the overall accreditation over the next 2 years.

We see this as a fantastic opportunity for the school as it will enable us to reflect on the work already in place, with the view to extending and improving our focus on equality and diversity for the future.

This has been shared with and communicated to all staff, parents, students and trustees.

https://www.redkitealliance.co.uk/partner-benefits/red-award/

Equality Objectives 2024 - 2026

In accordance with the Public Sector Equality Duty, our new Equality and Diversity objectives are as follows:
*(Click link to EDI Action plan)

Our objectives focus on our commitment to actively seek to become a champion of equality and diversity by promoting and celebrating equality, diversity and inclusivity across the school and wider community.

Policies

Equality Policy Accessibility Plan