Promoting The Protected Characteristics

Promoting the Protected Characteristics at Wardley CE Primary School

We work to ensure that our children understand that:

There are no outsiders at Wardley.

Everyone is different.

We celebrate our differences.

We are all equal in our differences

The equality Act became law in 2010. It covers everyone in Britain and protects people from discrimination, harassment and victimisation. Everyone in Britain is protected. This is because the Equality Act protects people from discrimination due to the protected characteristics that we all have. Under the Equality Act, there are nine Protected Characteristics:

  1. Age
  2. Disability
  3. Gender reassignment
  4. Race
  5. Religion or belief
  6. Marriage or civil partnership
  7. Sex
  8. Sexual orientation
  9. Pregnancy and maternity

At Wardley CE Primary School, we actively promote these in our curriculum and work to embed them into our ethos.

Under the Equality Act you are protected from discrimination:

  • When you are in the workplace.
  • When you use public services like healthcare (for example, visiting your doctor or local hospital) or education (for example, at your school).
  • When you use businesses and other organisations that provide services and goods (like shops, restaurants and cinemas).
  • When you use transport.
  • When you join a club or association (for example, your local football club).
  • When you have contact with public bodies like your local council or government departments.

At Wardley CE Primary School our vision is based upon the principles of inclusion and equality:

We are a Church of England school that values and recognises the uniqueness of each individual child and acknowledges their fundamental right to be educated to their full potential in a safe, secure and caring environment. Our ethos is built on Christian foundations and drives our belief that we can do all things.

At the heart of our school are the values of our Wardley Way, one of these is the value of friendship. This encompasses the idea of inclusion and through celebrating diversity we value the strengths of all and embrace differences.

As such the protected characteristics are integral to our school vision and ethos. They run through our curriculum and are promoted through our collective worship.

At Wardley CE Primary school we have aligned our Jigsaw PSHE lessons to the Equality Act. The grid below indicates some of the Jigsaw lessons that are used to teach about the protected characteristics. Note that this list is not exhaustive as there are numerous other lessons that teach about equality.

Protected characteristics 

What this refers to

Links to Jigsaw 3-11

Age

Where this is referred to, it refers to a person belonging to a particular age (for example, 32 year olds) or range of ages (for example, 18 to 30 year

olds).

Celebrating Difference

Y4: Age 8-9. Piece 1: Judging by Appearance

Y4: Age 8-9. Piece 2: Understanding Influences

Y6: Age 10-11. Piece 2: Understanding Difference

Y6: Ages 10-11. Piece 3: Power Struggles

Disability

A person has a disability if she or he has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on that person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.




Celebrating Difference

Y2: Age 6-7. Piece 4: Standing up for Myself and others

Y4: Age 8-9. Piece 1: Judging by Appearances

Y4: Age 8-9. Piece 6: Celebrating Differences: How We Look

Y6: Age 10-11. Piece 2: Understanding Difference

Y6: Ages 10-11. Piece 5: Celebrating difference

Gender

reassignment

The process of transitioning from one gender to another.



Celebrating Difference

Y2: Age 6-7. Piece 5: Gender Diversity

NB: there is no direct reference to transgender or the concept of transitioning in this lesson.

Y6: Ages 10-11. Piece 2: Understanding difference. NB: In Jigsaw the focus is on accepting all people as unique individuals, not on transitioning itself.

Race including

Colour, nationality,

ethnic or national origin

Refers to the protected characteristic of Race. It refers to a group of people defined by their race, colour, and nationality (including citizenship) ethnic or national origins.

Celebrating Difference

Y3: Age 7-8. Piece : Families

Y5: Ages 9-10. Piece 1: Different Cultures

Y5: Ages 9-10. Piece 2: Racism

Y6: Age 10-11. Piece 2: Understanding Difference

Religion, belief

or lack of

religion/belief

Religion has the meaning usually given to it but belief includes religious and philosophical beliefs including

lack of belief (such as Atheism). Generally, a belief should affect your life choices or the way you live for

it to be included in the definition.

Celebrating Difference

Y5: Ages 9-10. Piece 1: Different Cultures

Y6: Age 10-11. Piece 2: Understanding Difference

Being married

or in a civil

partnership

Marriage is no longer restricted to a union between a man and a woman but now includes a marriage

between a same-sex couple. Same -sex couples can also have their relationships legally recognised as

‘civil partnerships’. Civil partners must not be treated less favourably than married couples (except where

permitted by the Equality Act).

Celebrating Difference

Y3: Ages 7-8. Piece 1: Families

Y6: Age 10-11. Piece 2: Understanding Difference


Relationships

Y1: Ages 5-6. Piece 1: Families

Y2: Ages 6-7. Piece 1: Families

Sex 

A man or a woman. 

Celebrating Difference

Y2: Ages 6-7. Pieces 1&2: Boys and Girls

Y4: Age 8-9. Piece 1: Judging by Appearances

Y6: Age 10-11. Piece 2: Understanding Difference


Changing Me

Y3: Age 7-8 Piece 5: Family Stereotypes

Sexual

orientation

Whether a person’s sexual attraction is towards their own sex, the opposite sex or to both sexes.



Celebrating Difference

Age 6-7 Piece 4: Standing up for Myself and others

Age 7-8 Piece 1: Families

Age 9-10 Piece 3: Rumours and Name Calling

Age 9-10 Piece 4: Types of Bullying

Age 10 – 11 Piece 2: Understanding Difference


Relationships

Age 8- 9 Piece 5: Girlfriends and Boyfriends

Changing Me

Ages 10-11 Piece 4: Boyfriends and girlfriends

Being pregnant

or on maternity

leave

Pregnancy is the condition of being pregnant or expecting a baby. Maternity refers to the period after the birth, and is linked to maternity leave in

the employment context. In the non-work context, protection against maternity discrimination is for 26

weeks after giving birth, and this includes treating a woman unfavourably because she is breastfeeding.



Celebrating Difference

EYFS: Ages 3-4/4-5. Piece 3: Families

Y3: Ages 7-8. Piece 1: Families

Y6: Age 10-11. Piece 2: Understanding Difference

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Moss Bank Road, Swinton, Manchester, M27 9XB

We are proud of our school and the personal and academic achievements of our pupils. We hope that you can get a sense of our energy, ambition and ethos from this website. If you are interested in finding out more, do get in touch. Our children and staff would love to show you around.

0161 921 1098

Mrs Statham | School Business Manager

Miss Briffa | School Administrator

[email protected]

Mr M Foster | Head Teacher

Mrs K Walker | Deputy Head Teacher

Mrs K Flanagan | SENCO

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