LA Circulation No: S016/14

Melksham Oak Community School

Equality Information 2014

Introduction

Melksham Oak Community School is committed to providing a safe and vibrant learning environment for its diverse population of pupils.

Our school recognises the significant link between poor educational attainment, and reduced employment opportunities and lower earnings later on in life, and is committed to promoting and developing equality of opportunity for all its pupils.

Melksham Oak Community School appreciates that educational underachievement is closely linked to socio- economic deprivation, and that tackling this is the major challenge facing all schools. Information about the steps the school is taking to address underachievement for this group is detailed in our published Pupil Premium Information.

Melksham Oak Community School recognises that many factors can exacerbate academic underachievement for young people, such as being looked after, being a young carer, being a young person with caring responsibilities, being from a service family, and others.

This Information template is about pupils who are vulnerable to underachieving at school because of inequalities in society, and refers largely to the areas that have been identified as ‘Protected Characteristics’ under the Equality Act 2010. Other issues of vulnerability

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affecting children and young people’s attainment in school will be addressed elsewhere in school policy.1

Attainment Indicators

The attainment indicators highlighted by the Department for Education (and being used in this document) are:

The percentage of pupils achieving 5 or more A*-C at GCSE or equivalent The percentage of pupils achieving 5 or more A*-C at GCSE/iGCSE including

English & Maths The percentage of pupils achieving the English Baccalaureate The percentage of pupils making expected progress in English and Maths

Gender – National Data 2013

Girls continue to outperform boys in all the main attainment indicators at Key Stage 4.

Girls Boys Gap5 plus A*-C at GCSE or equivalent a 86.5 % 79.6 % 6.9 %5 plus A*-C at GCSE/iGCSE incl. E & M a 65.7 % 55.6 % 10.1 %Entering the English Baccalaureate a 39.6 % 31.5 % 8.1 %Achieving the Eng. Baccalaureate a 27.5 % 18.3 % 9.2 %Making expected progress in English a 76.6 % 64.3 % 12.3 %Making expected progress in Maths a 73.1 % 68.4 % 4.7 %

Gender – Wiltshire Data 2013

Girls continue to outperform boys at all the main attainment indicators at Key Stage 4. Overall, the gaps in attainment between Wiltshire girls and boys have widened significantly since 2012 and are all larger than the national gaps.

Girls Boys Gap5 plus A*-C at GCSE or equivalent a

83.8 % 75.8 % 8 % (up from 7.5 %)

5 plus A*-C at GCSE/iGCSE incl. E & M a

68.3 % 53.6 % 14.7 % (up from 9.6 %)

Entering the English Baccalaureate a

38.4 % 25 % 13.4 % (up from 2.5 %)

Achieving the Eng. Baccalaureate a

28.1 % 15.2 % 12.9 % (up from 4.8 %)

Melksham Oak Community School is working hard to eliminate the gaps between the attainment of boys and girls in literacy and is following the Ofsted 2013 recommendations, ’Improving Literacy in Secondary Schools: A shared responsibility’ which is summarised as follows:

Developing a love of reading

1 This may be in the School Development Plan or in published Pupil Premium Information.

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Creating opportunities to use speaking and listening Providing opportunities to use drama to develop literacy Ensuring that there is a real purpose for writing.

Melksham Oak Community School also recognises the importance of giving pupils the opportunity to complete extended writing; more choice in the topics of writing; and providing real audiences and purposes for writing. Melksham Oak Community School also uses ICT to enhance literacy learning and improve engagement and performance.

Ethnicity – National Data 2013

Within the broader ethnic groupings, national data shows that:

Chinese pupils remain the highest attaining ethnic group Pupils of any Black background (which includes Black Caribbean, Black African

and Black other pupils) remain the lowest attaining ethnic group, although the percentage making expected progress is above the national average.

National Data - Higher achieving ethnic groups

5 plus A*-C at GCSE/iGCSE incl. E & M Percentage above national average

Chinese pupils a 78.1 % 17.5 %Indian pupils a 75.7 % 15.1 %Mixed White/Asian pupils a

69.7 % 9.1 %

National Average a 60.6 % Not applicable

National Data - Lower achieving ethnic groups

5 plus A*-C at GCSE/iGCSE incl. E & M Percentage below national average

National Average a 60.6 % Not applicablePakistani pupils a 55.5 % 5.1 %Mixed White/Black Caribbean pupils a

54.9 % 5.7 %

Pupils of any other Black background a

54.6 % 6 %

Black Caribbean pupils a 53.3 % 7.3 %Gypsy Roma/ Traveller pupils a

13.8 % 46.8 %

Ethnicity – Wiltshire Data 2013 a

Within the broad ethnic groupings, the Wiltshire data shows many similarities, but also some significant differences to the national data:

In line with the national data, Wiltshire Chinese pupils were the highest attaining ethnic group

In Wiltshire pupils of any White background were the lowest attaining group. This group is made up of White British pupils, White Irish pupils, Gypsy Roma/Traveller,

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White Irish Traveller and pupils of any other White background. Please note Wiltshire White British pupils slightly exceeded the national results for White British pupils.

Higher achieving ethnic groups in Wiltshire are: Chinese Pupils White Irish pupils Mixed White/Asian pupils Indian pupils Black African pupils Pupils of any other Black background Please note that the number of pupils in some groups is very small

Lower achieving ethnic groups in Wiltshire are: White Eastern European pupils Gypsy Roma/Traveller pupils Black Caribbean pupils Mixed White/Black Caribbean Pupils of any other White background Mixed White/Black African Caution should be taken in reading this data, as some of the groups are very small

Disability – National Data 2013

A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she:

(a) has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or

(b) has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or

mainstream post-16 institutions2

With regard to specific disability questions in the School Census - for the past two years schools have responded to these questions on a voluntary basis. The Department for Education have now decided that the return level has been too small to make the exercise worthwhile, and they have dropped disability completely from the January 2013 School Census. There is to be a review as to whether disability questions will be reintroduced in a future census on a compulsory basis.

Data is collected on whether or not pupils have Special Educational Needs (SEN) and whether pupils have a statement of special educational needs3. The term ‘special educational needs’ (SEN) has a legal definition:

2 Draft legislation on Reform of provision for children and young people with Special Educational Needs: September 20123 Under the new reforms, a statement of SEN will be replaced with an Education, Health and Care Plan. The Department for Education have said that any child or young person who currently has a statement will have a Plan. They have also suggested that any young person between the ages of 16 and 19 who currently have a learning difficulty assessment will also have a Plan.

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A child or young person has special educational needs if he or she has a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her4.

A higher percentage of pupils without any identified SEN achieved all the main indicators at Key Stage 4 compared to pupils with SEN (including pupils with and without a statement of SEN).

Pupils without SEN

Pupils with SEN

Gap

5 plus A*-C at GCSE/iGCSE incl. E & Ma 70.4 % 23.4 % 47 %Making expected progress in Englisha 76.8 % 45.8 % 31 %Making expected progress in Mathsa 78.4 % 41.3 % 37 %5 plus A*-G at GCSEa 98 % 84.9 % 13 %

Disability – Wiltshire Data 2012

Wiltshire LA is working with schools to support pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) to achieve their academic potential as well as endeavouring to develop learners who are:

Self-aware, and have the necessary skills and knowledge to take on challenges of the future

Confident learners, who are adaptable and resilient, can think independently and communicate effectively

Self-directed, and can question, reflect and persevere Active contributors, able to work effectively with others.

A higher proportion of Wiltshire pupils with no identified SEN achieved 5 plus A*-C at GCSE incl. E & M compared to pupils with an identified SEN. a

26.5 per cent of Wiltshire pupils identified as having SEN without a statement achieved 5A*-C at GSCE incl. E&M, and 9.5 per cent of pupils identified as having SEN with a statement achieved 5 plus A*-C at GCSE incl. E & M. a

However, the A*-C at GCSE measure of attainment does not reflect the many excellent school achievements of pupils who have an identified SEN and it should be noted that:

92.3 per cent of Wiltshire SEN pupils on School Action or School Action Plus left school with at least five GCSE’s or equivalent qualifications a

51.7 per cent of Wiltshire SEN pupils with a statement achieved at least five GCSE’s or equivalent qualifications a

RELIGION AND BELIEF

Schools do not collect data on Religion and Belief and so there is no monitoring information on attainment available.

Melksham Oak Community School recognises how important faith and belief can be as part of a young person’s developing identity, whether this relates to a particular faith or belief, or whether this relates to wider belief systems and moral ethics.

4 Draft legislation on Reform of provision for children and young people with Special Educational Needs: September 2012

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Melksham Oak Community School is committed to supporting all our young people, in the context of the Human Rights agenda, as they develop their personal relationship with a range of values and beliefs, and recognises the role this plays in the moral and ethical choices they make in life.

This school takes incidents of prejudice-related bullying seriously and is committed to working closely with parents/carers to create a school environment that is nurturing, friendly and supportive for all our young people. Our school has established a procedure for recording all incidents of prejudice-based bullying and this includes incidents relating to religion and belief.

Extra Curricular Activity:

Assemblies:

Curriculum:

Important Religious Festivals:

LANGUAGES

National Information

Nearly 17 per cent of secondary school pupils are recorded as having a first language other than English.b There are more than 360 languages (other than English) spoken by pupils in English schools. The top five languages spoken by pupils in English schools who are learning English as an Additional Language are: Panjabi, Urdu, Bengali, Polish and Somali.

National data a shows that when compared to pupils learning EAL/bilingual learners, a marginally higher percentage of pupils whose first language is English achieved 5 or more A*-C at GCSE and equivalents, including English and Mathematics. 60.9 per cent of non-EAL learners achieved the expected level, compared with 60.1 per cent of EAL/bilingual learners - giving a very small national achievement gap of 0.8 percentage points.

Wiltshire Information

Approximately four per cent of Wiltshire pupils are learning English as an Additional Language (EAL), and together they speak just under 100 languages. The five most common languages spoken in Wiltshire schools by EAL learners are: Polish, Nepali, Bengali, Chinese and Fijian.

The results for Wiltshire pupilsa from all Wiltshire secondary schools and academies shows that a lower percentage of pupils whose first language is English (60.9 per cent) a achieved 5 or more GCSE A*-C incl. English and Maths, and equivalents, when compared to pupils for whom English is an Additional Language (63.6 per cent) a, giving an attainment gap of 2.7 per cent. 

The Wiltshire Local Authority Ethnic Minority Achievement Service (EMAS) are working within Wiltshire schools, academies and communities to support bilingualism to ensure that

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EAL learners continue to use and develop their first language5. The Local Authority EMAS team can also provide pedagogical advice and support to enable English first language speakers to benefit from the learning techniques currently helping Wiltshire EAL learners.

Our School

Sue Aldridge and Kristina Zimova are the members of staff who work closely with pupils who are learning English as an Additional Language (EAL) and will offer appropriate support, advice and guidance to parents/carers.

What we are doing (suggestions below in red)

Melksham Oak Community School has a clear written strategy to ensure that pupils learning English as an Additional Language (EAL) are supported while they learn English.  We will continue to work closely with parents/carers to encourage pupils to use their first language as much as possible, as it is recognised that this is a vital factor in helping these pupils to achieve their full academic potential. 

In Melksham Oak Community School community, we know that having children and families from different cultures and speaking diverse languages is something that benefits everyone. We recognise that being able to speak more than one language is a valuable skill, and we help our learners of EAL to feel proud of their abilities.

We support learners of EAL so that they can both develop their English, and learn the curriculum alongside their English first language peers. For example, we are:

Using bilingual books and other resources Working closely with parents so learning at home and school reinforce each other Tracking the progress of our EAL learners carefully, so we can celebrate their

successes and target their needs Allowing learners to use all their languages for learning Using talk in our classrooms to create opportunities for EAL learners to learn from

and practice with other pupils Teaching the language of the curriculum alongside the content.

Sexual Orientation (FOR CHURCH SCHOOLS)

(For Church Schools)

This school demonstrates and champions the Christian context of treating everyone with respect. Staff are encouraged to take a simple and consistent line of affirming their school’s commitment to this ethos.

5 Research shows that students who are confident users of their first language attain better in English. For example, a study of Portuguese learners in London found that those who attended first language classes were five times more likely to obtain 5 or more GCSE’s A*-C than those who did not attend these classes. Barradas, O. (2000). Now you see them, now you don’t: Portuguese Students-Social Inclusion and Academic Attainment. Goldsmith’s Journal of Education, 3(1), 2-13.

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Sexual Orientation

Melksham Oak Community School recognises that nationally, sexual identity/sexual orientation is the fastest changing area of equalities, but notes that it is still a relatively new area for schools. Melksham Oak Community School believes that all pupils have a right to experience school as a secure and happy environment where they are able to focus on their education. To ensure this Melksham Oak Community School is addressing issues of Sexual Identity in the following ways:

Anti-Bullying

This school recognises that bullying, whatever form it takes, has no place in our school, and staff work to enable all pupils to learn in an atmosphere free from harassment and discrimination. In particular, discrimination on the grounds of race, belief, sexual orientation and other Protected Characteristics is expressly forbidden within our school's code of conduct.

This school takes incidents of prejudice-based bullying seriously. We are committed to working closely with parents, carers and pupils to create a school environment where homophobia has no place, and a culture of respect and understanding is enabled to thrive. We will be continuing to work towards eliminating the use of the word ‘gay’ as a derogatory term over the next 12 months.

Curriculum for All

Talking about lesbian, gay and bisexual issues in class is a good way of preventing homophobic bullying, and helps prepare all young people for life in a diverse society. Education plays an important part in dispelling stereotypes, myths and prejudices. This is something that happens routinely with gender, ethnicity, and increasingly with disability. Melksham Oak Community School is committed to ensuring that all diversity is represented within our curriculum to help pupils to understand the diverse composition of our society, including: young people who are also carers; young people from service families; asylum seekers, etc.

Tracking Pupil Progress

Melksham Oak Community School tracks the progress in attainment of all pupils, and is aware that there are many factors that can affect the ability of pupils to focus on their education, including bullying, and uncertainty about their sexual identity. The school’s education tracking process means that dips in performance are identified quickly and measures taken to sensitively determine the reasons, and to provide additional support as appropriate.

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Gender Identity

Gender identity is included in our school’s written Equality Policy and in our anti-bullying policy.

Samantha Dunbar is the member of staff who will, in total confidence, provide or obtain support and advice for any pupil (and where appropriate, their family) who is experiencing gender variance, or related bullying.

Our school has established a procedure for recording all incidents of prejudice-based bullying, and this includes bullying related to gender identity.

Where appropriate, the school will work with relevant support agencies, including Mermaids - a charitable organisation providing support and information for young people (and their families/carers) who are working to address issues of gender identity.

Pregnancy and Maternity

Melksham Oak Community School school recognises that with the Raising of the Participation Age (RPA) to eighteen by 2015, the number of pupils who have a child while in full-time education will increase. Although research has shown that overall, RPA should support a reduced likelihood of teenage pregnancy, the DfE have advised that RPA will initially greatly expand the number of young mothers in England who are required to participate in learning. This number will rise from about 2500 aged sixteen and under, to about 9000 mothers aged under eighteen.

Melksham Oak Community School believes that being pregnant or having a very young child should not, in itself, be a barrier to a pupil applying for, succeeding in, or completing a programme of study. Our school is committed to being as flexible as possible, and does not seek to exclude pupils solely on the grounds of pregnancy or motherhood. The school can provide time off, and will do its best to facilitate education for pregnant pupils and mothers of school age.

Our school will:

Ensure that it avoids less favourable treatment i.e. our school and its staff will make sure they avoid treating a pupil less favourably on the grounds that she is pregnant or has recently had a baby6

Demonstrate both the letter and the spirit of new legislation in terms of not seeking to exclude pupils purely on grounds of pregnancy (and in being aware that up to 18 calendar weeks authorised absence period may be given to the pupil both immediately before, and after the birth)

As far as possible, take a flexible approach to supporting and facilitating the continued learning of pregnant pupils and/or pupils who are the parents of a very young child

Demonstrate a non-judgemental and sensitive approach, i.e., when supporting and working with pupils on these matters, teaching staff will take an open-minded and

6 In addition, the Equality Act 2010 states that ‘It is never unlawful discrimination to treat a pupil who is pregnant or breastfeeding more favourably than a pupil who is not pregnant or breastfeeding.’

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non-judgemental approach, and will not attempt to influence a pupil’s decisions. The role of teaching staff is to provide context and advice to the pupil to enable them to make informed choices. Information provided by the pupil will be treated sensitively and only passed to others on a need-to-know basis.

Sources

a. SFR 05 2014

b. Naldic, national subject association for EAL, http://www.naldic.org.uk/

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