Race Equality Policy
Race Equality Policy
Written: 11/04
Rowanfield is the City of Edinburgh primary school for children with severe social and emotional difficulties. The children that attend Rowanfield are transported to school from all parts of the city. They are children that have been excluded from their local mainstream primary school, and require an alternative type of learning environment.
Within Rowanfield there are two provisions ? the intense provision and the inclusion provision. There are 60 fte places within the intense provision and 24 fte within the inclusion provision. There are 47 staff members, consisting of teachers, nursery nurses, learning assistants, behavioural assistants, social workers, community education workers and youth workers that work within the school on a daily basis. The school also has multi-agency staff that visit the school on a regular basis.
The ScotExed data (as of 12/2004) for the school clearly establishes that:
The school is bigger than other sebd schools in Scotland ? 52 children presently on roll
71.15% of children are eligible for FME
3.85% of the children are from a minority ethnic background
1.92% of the children speak English as a second language
100% of the children are identified as having SEN
51.92% of the children have RON
The attendance rate is 92.68%
The rate of unauthorized absence is 2.97%
AIMS
This Race Equality Policy enables Rowanfield to meet its statutory obligations under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 to:
Eliminate unlawful racial discrimination;
Promote equal opportunities; and
Promote good relations between people of different racial groups.
It also aims to address issues of Fairness and Equality as set out in ?How Good is our School? 2002. (HMIE)
This policy, together with the schools Behaviour Management and Learning and Teaching Policies sets out Rowanfield?s commitment to tackling racial discrimination and promoting equality and good race relations, and explains what this means for the whole school community.
In accordance with the principles and aims of the City of Edinburgh Council Education Department, Rowanfield aims to value diversity, promote equality and remove barriers to learning. We continuously strive to ensure that everyone in Rowanfield is treated with respect and dignity. Each person in the school will be given fair and equal opportunities to develop their full potential with positive regard to gender, ethnicity, cultural and religious background for equality.
Children at Rowanfield will be prepared for life in a multicultural society and will be assisted in appreciating the benefits of diversity.
Staff will strive to build an inclusive environment, where every child can fulfil their potential.
Rowanfield aims to achieve this by:
Treating all those within the whole school community (children, staff, parents, visitors) with justice, trust, respect, compassion, honesty.
Creating a school ethos where everyone is learning together.
Encouraging everyone within our school community to respect the school values
Having high expectations of achievement.
Promoting mutual respect and valuing of all within the school community.
Identify and removing all practices, procedures and customs which are discriminatory and replacing them with a multi-agency approach that values all the skills and contributions of all in order to contribute to children?s success, attainment and achievment.
Monitoring is ongoing and reviewing the policy annually and adhering to the City of Edinburgh?s policy on recording racist incidents.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Every member of the school community has a role to play in meeting the aims of the race equality policy. However, specific responsibilities lie with different members of staff:
Head of Service
To prepare and implement an establishment race equality policy in line with the education authority?s Race Equality Education Policy
To monitor and assess the impact of the establishment Race Equality Policy
To monitor the impact of all school policies on children and parents from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds
To ensure that children from different racial groups are not discriminated against within the curriculum (both formal and informal), assessment procedures, learning and teaching methods and access to services provided by the school.
To ensure that consultation processes involve Black and Minority Ethnic parents, children and community groups wherever practicable.
To ensure that all staff, children, parents and multi-agency team are aware of the Race Quality Education Policy and their responsibilities under it
To integrate race equality within the devlopment planning of the service
To prepare a race equality audit and embed race equality within the curriculum
To provide the education authority with information regarding staff monitoring
To monitor attainment of Black and Minority Ethinic children taking action on underachievement
To ensure that information to parents is in a format accessible to parents for whom English is an additional language
To ensure that all staff are dealing appropriately with racist incidents and recording them according to the authority guidelines
To provide an inclusive ethos within the service where diversity is acknowledged and celebrated.
Anti-Bullying and Anti-Racist Co-ordinator
To ensure that racist incidents are recognized, dealt with and recorded appropriately and consistently according to the education authority policy and guidelines
To communicate the establishment policy on dealing with bullying and racism to all members of the establishment staff.
All Staff
To promote equality and fairness in all aspects of their work
To respond appropriately to racism and racist incidents where they occur
To deliver a curriculum which acknowledges and celebrates diversity
To make themselves aware of their duties under the legislation, the Race Equality Education Policy and their local establishment policy
To take CPD opportunities where appropriate to extend their knowledge of race equality within the context of their post
Pupil Council Members
To comment on issues relating to the education authority?s Race Equality Education Policy and local establishment or team policies on race equality
To gather and report to the Head on the views of children they represent
To support the implementation of the policies
To advise staff of improvements to the policies
To encourage and welcome Black and Minority Ethnic members
Multi-Agency Staff
To adhere to the legislation and the Race Equality Policy
COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
If anyone in the school feels that this policy is not being followed then they should raise the matter with the head of service. If there is a formal complaint then the school?s complaints procedure will be used.
IMPLEMENTING THIS RACE EQUALITY POLICY
This race equality policy is linked to the school values of and all other policies, which derive from it. It also links to other plans the school is obliged to produce such as the School Development Plan. The school?s management team refers to this policy in their plans and priorities for action.
ENFORCING THE POLICY
A child or a member of staff who does not comply with the requirements of this policy and their duties/responsibilities under the Authority?s Race Equality Education Policy and the Race Relations (Amendment) Act, 2000, will be disciplined through the existing procedures.
Parents are encouraged to support and work with the school to implement the Policy.
Visitors to the school or contractors working in the school are expected to comply with the Policy and the legislation.
ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF POLICIES
As a school we will strive to assess the impact of this and other policies on children staff and parents from different ethnic groups. We will assess whether the policies have or could have, an adverse impact on the attainment of children from different racial groups. We will assess the effectiveness of our policies through existing arrangements for developing and reviewing other school policies.
KEY AREAS IN PROMOTING RACE EQUALITY
Curriculum
Race equality is integrated into the curriculum (personal development) and opportunities are provided for children to explore issues of race equality and develop the skills required to challenge racism.
The curriculum at Rowanfield reflects and promotes ethnic, cultural and religious diversity.
Rowanfield promotes an inclusive curriculum, which aspires to reflect the multi-ethnic nature of our society.
Curriculum planning takes account of the ethnicity, background and language needs of all children.
Guidance is provided to ensure that race equality is considered across the whole school curriculum.
Rowanfield monitors and evaluates its effectiveness in providing an appropriate curriculum for all children.
Attainment
Children?s attainment and progress in individual subjects and across all stages is monitored by a variety of factors.
Rowanfield values the achievements and progress of children from all ethnic groups.
All children have equal access to extra-curricular activities.
Children are offered the support and guidance they need.
Staff challenge racism and stereotyping and promote racial equality in education.
Learning and Teaching
The allocation of children to teaching groups is fair and equitable to children from all ethnic groups.
Assessment outcomes are used to identify the specific needs of minority ethnic children and inform policies, planning and the allocation of resources.
Teaching methods and styles take account of the needs of children from different ethnic groups and encourage positive attitudes to ethnic difference, cultural diversity and racial equality.
Rowanfield takes active steps to ensure that resources in all areas of the curriculum are inclusive.
All parents are regularly informed of their child?s progress.
Staff, parents and children are supported in understanding the purpose and processes of anti-racist education in the school.
Children and parents are given the opportunity to feedback to the school on the content and delivery of the curriculum.
Support for Pupils
Rowanfield operates a policy and set of procedures for dealing with racist incidents and bullying.
Staff, children and parents are informed of Rowanfield?s procedures for dealing with racist incidents and bullying and are encouraged to report all such incidents to an appropriate member of staff.
Support is offered to children who are the victims of racial abuse or harassment.
Racist incidents are treated very seriously at Rowanfield and parents are asked to support the school in challenging racist views and racist behaviour where it arises.
A record is kept of racist incidents within Rowanfield.
Rowanfield recognizes and values diversity including bilingualism, different religious beliefs and cultural backgrounds.
The language and learning needs of ethnic minority children are identified and appropriate support used.
Parents are encouraged to provide the school with accurate information about their child including information on ethnicity, linguistic background and religious beliefs and customs.
This information is used in confidence under the Data Protection Act, to improve services and educational opportunities for all children.
Assessment information gathered on children identifies gaps in attainment and structures are put in place to address gaps for children who are under-achieving, including children from different racial backgrounds.
Children with special educational needs, who belong to a minority ethnic background are supported by the school to ensure that their needs are fully met.
Rowanfield makes full use of external agencies to support children, provide educational programmes and to consult with about developing strategies
Ethos
This race equality policy reflects the ethos of Rowanfield and is linked to all other policies.
Steps are taken to ensure that everyone associated with Rowanfield is kept informed about the race equality policy and abides by it.
Rowanfield values all its children and takes steps to ensure that all minority ethnic children, parents and staff perceive themselves to be values members of the school community.
Children, parents and staff are afforded opportunities to review and comment on the policies, procedures and ethos of Rowanfield.
Rowanfield?s procedures for managing behaviour and disciplining children is fair and applied equally to all children, irrespective of ethnicity.
The process of inclusion of a child to mainstream primary education or mainstream secondary education is fair and equitable for all children.
The process of excluding a child is fair and equitable for all children.
Strategies to reintegrate excluded children address the needs of children from all ethnic groups.
Parents are welcome and respected at Rowanfield, and all parents are encouraged to participate as fully as possible.
Interpreters and translated materials are available to assist parents for whom English is an additional language, as necessary.
All parents including minority ethnic communities are encouraged to play an active role in the life of Rowanfield.
Rowanfield enables community groups to use its facilities for after school activities and for holiday schemes and these are equally available for use by all ethnic groups.
Equality and fairness is at the heart of all the work at Rowanfield.
Resources
Resources are available at Rowanfield for teaching purposes and for individual learning and leisure purposes, which reflect the multi-cultural nature of society, provide a global perspective and challenge racism and prejudice.
As appropriate, Rowanfield will explore a broad range of other media e.g. computer software, the internet, audio and videotapes, films, songs, games etc. to support the maintenance and development of home/community language skills and cultural heritage.
As appropriate, Rowanfield will seek to provide community languages and dual language texts, both fiction and non-fiction, in order to facilitate children?s and communities? access to the development of literacy in the first language.
Staff are all made aware of their duties under the Race Equality Policy and are provided with training opportunities where appropriate.
Positive role models from black and ethnic communities are provided for children.
Teachers from the English as an Additional Language Service are welcomed in Rowanfield and encouraged to take an active part in the life of the school when necessary.
A member of Rowanfield?s management team has responsibility for overseeing the development and implementation of the Race Equality Policy.
Management, Leadership and Quality Assurance
Rowanfield will monitor the impact of this and other relevant policies on children, parents and staff from different ethnic groups. In particular, Rowanfield will monitor the impact of policies on the attainment level of children.?
To monitor children?s attainment, Rowanfield will collect information about children?s performance and progress by ethnic group, analyse it, and use it to examine trends (from ScotExed) when necessary. To help interpret this information, Rowanfield will monitor other areas that could have an adverse impact on children?s attainment such as:
Exclusion
Inclusion process
Racism, racial harassment and bullying
Curriculum, teaching and learning
Punishment and reward
Parental involvement/attendance at parental consultation sessions
Working with the community
Rowanfield will monitor children?s attendance for all groups and use the data to develop strategies to address poor attendance.
Rowanfield will monitor exclusions for all children and use the data to ensure that no group of children is being unfairly treated.
Provision will be made for children to take time off for religious observance, through negotiation with the school.
Rowanfield?s management team will consult with staff, parents and children about the implementation and impact of the Race Equality Policy and will take action to address any negative impact from school policies or procedures on black and minority ethnic children.
Equalities issues will be embedded within Rowanfield?s development plan and appropriately resourced.
This Race Equality Policy was formally adopted by Rowanfield on
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