Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

 

- a new era for EDI at Charterhouse

‘We Belong’ outlines a five-year plan for integration of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) at Charterhouse, delivering an intentional, ‘whole School’ commitment to deliver:  

A future-ready education providing acceptance, welcome and unity, with belonging at the core, where every individual is empowered to reach their potential.

'We Belong’ upholds the duty to follow legal and statutory guidance, including:

  • Eliminating discrimination, harassment and victimisation in all forms, to advance equality of opportunity and to foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not share it, as outlined in the Equality Act 2010.
  • Upholding fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

‘We Belong’ is seeks to deliver on the following aims:

  • To actively demonstrate accountability from the whole School community in addressing EDI, using a united language, vision and intent.
  • To address any potential for discriminatory practice through legal and statutory guidelines.
  • To commit to understanding the barriers to change, through a process of learning, professional enquiry and a mindset for positive change.  
  • To engender the School Vision and Values, ensuring that every member of the community understands what it means to belong to Charterhouse.

‘We Belong’ is underpinned by an action plan that is monitored by the EDI Steering Group and Pastoral Management Committee, and is a key feature of the School Business and Governance Strategy. The EDI Steering Group brings expertise and experience from Governors, Old Carthusians, pupils and staff to inform the School’s EDI strategic priorities.

The new era of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion work at Charterhouse brings 'belonging' to the forefront of our strategy, uniting the whole Charterhouse community and ensuring that everyone feels welcome and protected against discrimination.

M Jolly, Director of Wellbeing and Inclusion

For Charterhouse, EDI relates to:

The Rainbow Flag Award

Charterhouse is an accredited member of The Rainbow Flag Award, in recognition of our pro-active and whole School approach to the positive inclusion and visibility of LGBT+ people, (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, plus other related identities). The School also has a commitment to the eradication of LGBTphobic bullying. 

Background

The EDI vision between 2021-2023 has seen greater collaboration between pupil voice and leadership, placing emphasis on allyship and anti-discrimination, culminating in pupil-led Charters for Anti-Racism, Anti-Sexism, LGBTQ+ and Anti-Bullying.

The School has a newly established PSHE/RSE and SMSC curriculum, a whole school inclusivity calendar, stronger EDI communities and networks, and has established the EDI Steering Group comprising of Governors, OCs, pupils, teaching staff and SLT, and the pupil-led EDI Pupil Action Committee (PAC) consisting of representation from key communities.

Several areas of growth have been identified with the help of the EDI Steering Group, including greater emphasis on EDI communities, and a re-launch of UNITY society to include representation from Pride, Fem-Soc, African-Caribbean, and Women in STEM. An opportunity has been identified to further extend the reach of UNITY to include multi-faith, disability, and other racial minority communities going forward.

Significant effort has been made to address policies and procedures to include anti-discriminatory practices, which has seen greater diversity in staffing, including governance, senior leadership and teaching staff. This includes the appointment of an independent anti-racism consultant and International Pupils’ Coordinator, and significant investment in the Wellbeing Centre.

Training and education are under way with EDI topics being central to induction and INSET for staff, PSHE/RSE curriculum for pupils, and webinars for parents. This includes Mental Health First Aid and Suicide First Aid training.

Protected Characteristics

Charterhouse has policies and procedures in place to support all with protected characteristics – pupils and staff alike – and to ensure equality of opportunity and treatment. These cover each of the following characteristics as identified by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.,

  • Age
  • Disability
  • Gender
  • Marriage and Civil Partnership
  • Pregnancy and Maternity
  • Race
  • Religion or Belief
  • Sex
  • Sexual Orientation