Equality and Human Rights

Chestnut Grove Academy is committed to ensuring that the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) underpin our curriculum, practice, policies and wider school experience. Every child has the right to be able to achieve their full potential and receive an education that supports them in doing this. Chestnut Grove Academy has a lead teacher in charge of EDI and human rights whose role is to ensure that the institution meets and upholds its legal obligations with regards to the Equality Act (2010). We believe that this duty goes beyond the requirement to simply not discriminate; instead, it is the duty of all institutions to actively champion equality. Our goal is for all students to recognise themselves in the taught curriculum and to be engaged in all aspects of school life through eliminating the barriers many of our students face. We are not perfect and have work to do: for this reason, we aim to listen to our stakeholders, through meetings, letters and forums, and for these ideas to inform our school planning.  

Our equality objectives (2019 - 2023) were:

• To accelerate the attainment and progress of SEND students through: meeting learning needs that are different through the curriculum and bespoke interventions; and meeting behavioural, social and emotional needs that are different through the pastoral support programme. 
• To improve our provision for black, Asian and ethnic minority students by: making the curriculum more inclusive through including different BAME narratives and discussion of black and Asian history; engaging parents and carers in the conversation about race; increase diversity amongst middle and senior leaders in the school; and reducing the disparity in exclusions in some year groups. 
• To improve staff and student mental health by: increasing the mental health provision available in school; reviewing the sickness policy; and reducing staff absences relating to chronic conditions and mental health concerns. 

Our new objectives, with the help of our stakeholders, being reviewed.