The Equality Act came into force in 2010 to protect everyone, including children and young people, from discrimination and to advance equality and opportunity for all. It protects people against discrimination, harassment and victimisation in relation to housing, education, the provision of services, work and other areas of public life. It prohibits discrimination based on the following characteristics, usually referred to as ‘protected characteristics’:

• Age;
• Disability;
• Gender reassignment;
• Marriage and civil partnership;
• Pregnancy and maternity;
• Race;
• Religion or belief;
• Sex;
• Sexual orientation

Under Section 149 of the Act, schools have a duty to take active steps to eliminate discrimination and to take positive actions to promote equality.

At Winnersh Primary School we recognise how important it is that all children gain an understanding of the world that they are growing up in and show respect for a diverse range of people. We want our children to be prepared for their future lives in 21st century Britain. We actively promote the protected characteristics in our curriculum and work to embed them into our ethos, striving to ensure:

• There are no outsiders in our school;
• Everyone is different and unique;
• We embrace difference and diversity;
• Every member of our school community is valued equally.

Teaching and learning about protected characteristics is fully integrated into our PSHE curriculum, through age-appropriate content across the SCARF spiral curriculum.

However, some protected characteristics benefit from the in-depth coverage that will give children time to explore the knowledge and attitudes that will help them develop an appreciation of them.

Lessons provide this greater depth to the relevant protected characteristics, but it's important to understand that teaching and learning about them threads through the vast majority of SCARF lesson plans.