Information about Protected Characteristics

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 against discrimination because of the protected characteristics that we all have. Under the Equality Act, there are nine Protected Characteristics:

Age

Disability

Gender reassignment

Race

Religion or belief

Marriage or civil partnership

Sex (Under our SRE policy)

Sexual orientation

Pregnancy and maternity

We are not required to teach all of the characteristics and at Powerstock School we have decided to teach those highlighted.

This is how children learn about protected characteristics:

• Our church school values
• Our school behaviour policy
• Conscious role modelling by all adults in the school community
• Active engagement and communication with parents and carers
• Assemblies
• British Values themes
• Discussion within curriculum subjects, taking a cross-curricular approach
• Promoting articulation by building appropriate language and a coherent vocabulary
• Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE) sessions
• Religious Education (RE) lessons, RSE lessons and Protected Characteristic talks
• Sporting, Art and Cultural Events
• School council
• Educational visits
• Real-life learning outside the classroom
• Guest speakers
• Developing links with local, national and international communities
• Extra-curricular activities, after-school clubs, charity work and work within the local community

Embedding Protected Characteristics into the whole ethos of Powerstock promotes:

Self-esteem, self-knowledge and self-confidence

Respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic process

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