HomePastoralEquity, diversity and inclusion

Equity, diversity and inclusion

Equity, diversity and inclusion statement

Unicorn School seeks to be diverse, open minded and foster a culture of compassionate and conscious inclusion. We stand against everything to do with discrimination, exclusion, harassment, bullying and hatred in whatever form it takes. Fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance, are promoted within our school. In order to achieve our aims, we are committed to striving constantly to address the barriers and challenges to inclusion that may arise over time in schools and wider society.

Our latest ISI Inspection states:

‘Pupils’ respect for diversity and cultural understanding is excellent. They respect and value the culturally diverse society in which they live. They are respectful of others and enjoy opportunities to find out about their cultures. Pupils spoke of the sharing of Spanish, French and Japanese food at lunchtimes as being positive and memorable experiences. Books in the library reflect the multicultural and socially diverse nature of the school and local population. Pupils are protective of those peers with different backgrounds and have the confidence to challenge inappropriate views and behaviours. Pride posters around the school were the initiative of the older pupils. EYFS children learn at an early age to celebrate everyone’s uniqueness. They understand that everyone is special in their own unique way. There are numerous opportunities for pupils to learn about the festivals and customs of world religions and other cultures and older pupils spoke animatedly about their work in Black History Month.’
ISI Inspection

Recent EDI initiatives include:

2023 – full staff INSET with an outside speaker on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and from there an active staff EDI working party has started.  They have been conducting audits of how welcoming our school is, working on displays.

Smiley People are elected from each class to promote inclusion – they have regular meetings with the EDI working group staff to encourage them in their role.

2022-23 – staff conducted a full review of our curriculum in all subjects to make sure they are relevant to the modern world and do not only present one point of view.  This has resulted in initiatives such as ‘The Big Draw – World of Colour’ which focused on Black Artists, our monthly composer that we highlight in assembly is from a diverse list, the history curriculum includes topics such as the Windrush story and the History of Number which showcases the input of a hugely diverse range of people.

Years 5 and 6 (Violet and UV) have lessons in critical thinking, including discussion on unconscious bias and stereotyping.

2022-3 – a full-scale audit of all our reading material – books in classrooms, the library and those used for literacy topics lead to investment in many more varied and diverse texts. ‘Think Equal’ programme being used in the EYFS and KS1.

Assemblies have common themes on kindness, respect, tolerance and celebrating difference.