Diversity, Equality and Inclusion
At Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School, we are committed to diversity, equality and inclusion. As a multi-ethnic school, we want all our pupils to feel they are an important part of our school community and we work hard to ensure everyone feels safe and supported while they are with us, regardless of their ethnicity, religious beliefs, economic background, gender, sexuality or ability. Having a mission of inspiration and excellence, we want all our learners, irrespective of background, to be scholars, well equipped for life after school, with a deep knowledge, understanding and life-long enthusiasm for the subjects they are studying. As a UNICEF Rights Respecting School working towards a Silver Equality Award, our commitment to equality of experience underpin every aspect of school life.
Teaching and Learning
We have reviews and audits of our subjects to ensure our topics and resources reflect our student body and society as a whole. In PSHE, pupils are educated about a range of topics including tolerance of others, racism, healthy relationships and the Equality Act. We work with a variety of external companies to enrich students learning experience. These include Stand against Violence, Loudmouth, NSPCC, Bold Voices, Everyone’s Invited, Just Like Us and the DSM Foundation. In the library, we stock a wide range of fiction promoting inclusivity. Learn about our PSHE programme here.
Recognising and Celebrating Diversity
We aim to include parents and students in celebrating the diverse nature of our student body. We have an equality calendar marking events such as LGBTQ+_History Month, Black History Month, the Holocaust, White Ribbon Day whilst the daily blog signals days such as United Nations Day, International Day of Tolerance and months such as Islamophobia awareness month. To reflect our diverse student body, we have a range of groups and societies that are supervised by staff but led by students such as the Islamic Society, the Heritage Group and the LGBQT+ society.
Training
Staff, students and governors have training/education about diversity and inclusion. From “banter” to overtly discriminatory things we may hear in person and see on social media, all of our school community will be aware of how to deal sensibly with any situations that may occur. Students are encouraged to report incidents of discriminatory behaviour and/or language to the Pastoral Team or through Tootoot.
Equal Opportunities
BVGS seeks to promote equality of opportunity, provision, access, and treatment for all members of our community. We do not seek to tolerate difference but to celebrate it through challenging all forms of prejudice, encouraging active commitment to equality, and promoting critical thinking. As a school, we understand that our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion is an ongoing journey. We are still listening, learning, and improving all the time and remain committed to this as a whole school community.
Behaviour
Our Behaviour Policy makes it clear we have a clear and consistent approach to discriminatory behaviours so that all members of our school community can feel safe and welcome at school.
