Equality

West Earlham Infant and Nursery school is committed to welcoming all children and families to our school community, celebrating the richness of diversity and promoting positive cultural identity. We aim to create a happy and safe learning environment where each individual is respected and valued. We want to ensure that no-one feels or is treated like an outsider.

We are committed to our duties under the Equality Act 2010 and strive to improve the equality of opportunity for people with protected characteristics and will consult with all stake holders to ensure this is the case.

Our school community has its own unique make up. For example:

• The number of children entitled to Pupil Premium funding is significantly higher than the national average
• '59% of children live in decile 1 (10% of the most incomed deprived domains in England) with a further 31% living in decile 2 (10%-20% most income deprived domains) according to English Indices of Deprivation 2019
• Children with English as an additional language is significantly increasing with a wide range of different language represented.
• The number of ethnic minority children and families in our community is significantly lower than the national average
• The number of children with Special Educational Needs Support is above the national average; this includes a high number of children with very significant speech, language and communication delay.
• Pupil stability is higher than the national average
• Attainment on entry is significantly below national averages
• The number of families and children who are subject to intervention/support from other agencies or the schools pastoral support system is very high.
• The school is located in an area where it is known by Children’s Services and the Police to have a significant high number of families affected by the ‘Toxic Trio’; Domestic Abuse, Substance abuse and mental health issues.
• Intergenerational ‘double unemployment’ is common is our community.
• The turnover of staff is relatively low and the teaching team is stable.
• Senior Leaders are higher effective leaders both within school and on several local and national educational boards.

The profile of our workforce and the governing body

• The number of female employees is similar to other educational establishments of this type.
• We currently have a small number of staff members with declared disabilities.
• Our governing board is representative of different groups in the community.

We are aware of the high numbers of children present with SEN within our school. Our strategy for ensuring that these children receive high quality education is addressed as part of our Special Educational Needs and Disability Provision Mapping, alongside our Whole Team Improvement Planning, School Improvement Planning and Accessibility Plans.

Equality Objectives and Plan March 2022 (review March 2026)