At St. Aidan's, we ensure that our children understand that:

  • Everyone is different
  • Our differences are celebrated
  • We are equal in our differences

The Equality Act became law in 2010 to protect everyone in Britain from discrimination, harassment and victimisation due to the protected characteristics we all have. Under the Equality Act, it is against the law to discriminate against anyone because of the 9 protected characteristics, as follows:-

  • Age
  • Disability
  • Sex
  • Gender reassignment
  • Race
  • Religion or Belief
  • Sexual orientation
  • Marriage and civil partnership
  • Pregnancy and maternity

 The Equality Act protects you from discrimination:

  • At work
  • In education
  • As a consumer
  • When using public services
  • When buying or renting property
  • As a member or guest of a private club or association 

We do not teach about all the protected characteristics in every year group. The curriculum is planned and delivered so that our pupils develop age appropriate knowledge and understanding during their time at school. The 9 Protected Characteristics are actively promoted in our school through:

  • Our school mission, vision and core Christian ALWAYS values
  • Our collective worship planning including the use of Picture News and our Celebration assembly
  • Our Academy Development Plan and School Evaluation form 
  • British Values, SMSC and Equality and Diversity throughout our curriculum
  • Our school behaviour and culture policy
  • Conscious role modelling by all adults in the school community
  • Active engagement and communication with parents and carers
  • Discussion within curriculum subjects, making links through 'Link its' to make knowledge become real and 'sticky'
  • Promoting articulation by building appropriate language and a coherent vocabulary
  • Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE) sessions 
  • Religious Education (RE) lessons, RSE lessons, LGBT discussions and Protected Characteristic talks
  • Sporting, Art and Cultural Events
  • Pupil Voice and Staff Voice
  • Educational visits
  • Real-life learning outside the classroom including trips and visits, including visitors into school 
  • Developing links with local communities through the linking project
  • Extra-curricular activities, after-school clubs, charity work and work within the local community with St. Aidan's Ambassadors 

Embedding Protected Characteristics into the whole school ethos promotes:

  • Self-esteem, self-knowledge and self-confidence
  • Respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic process of pupil voice
  • Acceptance of responsibility for their own behaviour
  • Respect for their own and other cultures
  • Understanding of how they can contribute positively to school and home life and to the lives of those living and working in the locality and further afield
  • An understanding of Equality, Human Rights and Protected Characteristics
  • An understanding of how citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process
  • An appreciation that living under the rule of law protects individual citizens and is essential for their wellbeing and safety
  • An understanding that the freedom to choose and hold other faiths and beliefs is protected in law
  • An acceptance that other people having different faiths or beliefs to oneself (or having none) should be accepted and tolerated, and should not be the cause of prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour
  • An understanding of the importance of identifying and combating discrimination

Protected Characteristics documents

Updated: 02/12/2024 97 KB