Equalities

Auditing Equality and Diversity at Cheshire Academies Trust

At Cheshire Academies Trust we believe in empowering schools to be active and accountable in creating a diverse and inclusive community for all students, regardless of their ability/disability, gender identity, race/ethnicity, religion/belief, sexual orientation or socio-economic background. Embedding equality and diversity in schools is the creating of learning, teaching and assessment environments and experiences that proactively eliminate discrimination, promote equality of opportunity and foster good relations in a manner that values, preserves and responds to diversity. 

It argues that:
Definitions

Inclusivity is the way in which pedagogy curricula and assessment are designed and delivered to engage children in learning that is meaningful, relevant and accessible to all.  It embraces a view of the individual and individual difference as the source of diversity that can enrich the lives and learning of all.” (Hocking 2010)

Diversity inclusion is the ‘active, intentional and ongoing engagement with difference in a purposeful manner so as to increase one’s diversity-related competences (…where difference is) both individual, such as personality, learning styles and life experience, and group or social, such as race/ethnicity, gender, country of origin, religion.  According to this definition diversity refers not to the presence of difference in student demographics or course content, but to the act and process of engaging those differences in an intentional, purposeful manner.” (Lee et al, 2012)

Equality and diversity competence is the ‘the ability to function with awareness, knowledge and interpersonal skill when engaging with people of different backgrounds, assumptions, beliefs, values, behaviours and experiences.” (Hogan 2007)

It is not enough, we believe, to provide equality to each individual.  We are striving to recognise then remove inherent barriers which exist to some groups and individuals, who have been historically underserved and under-represented, and which it is our duty to overcome.