Equality Objectives 2023-2027

At the Dean Academy we aim to provide the best possible educational experience to all students, irrespective of ethnic or national origin, culture, religion, gender, special educational need, disability, sexuality and economic circumstance. Our specific quality objectives are:

  1. Ensure the curriculum reflects inclusion and diversity and prepares people for modern life in Britain through regular curriculum reviews completed by Heads of Faculty and SLT.
  2. Ensure that staff recruitment is in line with the Equality Act as monitored by SLT and the Local Governing Body
  3. Ensure staff are aware of and follow the Equality Policy of the Academy and Trust, current legislation through quality induction, CPD and policy review. This will include their knowledge of and work towards achieving our current Academy Equality Objectives.
  4. Remove barriers to achievement faced by disadvantaged students through the implementation of our PP strategy including our specialised and personalised Y11 GCSE exam support programme of period 6, pre-exam briefings, guided revision sessions and subject boosters. This will be reviewed annually by the PP lead.
  5. Actively close the gaps in attainment and achievement for key groups of students; including special educational needs, disability, boys and girls, disadvantaged and looked after; through quality first teaching, tailored intervention and academic mentoring.
  6. Expand our extra-curricular offer to broaden the experiences and aspirations of all students, especially those in special interest groups and reward their participation. This will be monitored by SLT using attendance data.
  7. Strengthen positive partnerships with parents, carers and the wider community and encourage participation in the school community through improved 2-way communication and increased rates of attendance at school events and establishing a parent forum to discuss key EDI and other issues.
  8. Promote and celebrate Equality and Diversity through our assembly programme. This will be measured through student voice and staff feedback.
  9. Develop an implement a high impact personal development programme, incorporating careers, aspirations and values to achieve our mission statement with all our students of ‘preparing you today for a successful tomorrow’.
LGBTQ+ Group 2023

Here at The Dean Academy we encourage equality, diversity and inclusion. We take an inclusive approach in our reading guidance and encourage our students to read diverse texts.

Here are some suggestions of books that reflect these aims:

PDF

LGBT+ Reading List for KS3_KS4_KS5

Click the below images to view in full screen.

Communications Faculty

As a faculty we actively seek out every opportunity to engage with the process of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. From our textual foci to our oracy work, our extra-curricular opportunities and the high aspirations we have for all of our students.

At KS3 we offer a wide range of textual opportunities to explore what EDI means to us. Our Year 7 curriculum aims to develop students’ global awareness and perspectives on issues such as equality, human rights, different cultures and media representations. In Year 8 we focus on empathy through the exploration of prejudice, educational needs, differences and inclusion. In Year 9 we examine seminal world literature, Britain and its roots, patriarchy and the role of women in Elizabethan England, the psychological impacts of war and how literature has evolved since the 19th Century.

At KS4 we focus on core texts as well as developing the skills and confidence needed to communicate challenging ideas and viewpoints on the world around them.

We also take part in the Athelstan Festival of Speech and Debating where our students are guided in how to present their individual viewpoints on a range of challenging and relevant topics. Students are encouraged to develop their ‘voice’ and to present their emotions and views in a structured way.

We ensure that all students have the opportunity to read suitable books for their reading abilities and interests, providing all KS3 students with an AR book to read at home and to change in their AR lessons.

Schemes of work include diverse characters and topics, challenging of stereotypes and specific foci, here is a selection of some of what we offer to our students:

  • Poetry and texts from different cultures, genders, abilities and identities.
  • Face – a play about disfigurement and inclusion
  • Maggot Moon – a novel about racial profiling, intellectual profiling and nationhood
  • Chinese Cinderella – a text based in Asia focusing on cultural and gender expectations and responsibilities.
  • Writing to Commission – we cover how to write to challenge different prejudices and stereotypes in modern society.

Modern Foreign Languages

‘Without language, one cannot talk to people and understand them: one cannot share their hopes and aspirations, grasp their history, appreciate their poetry, or savour their songs.’- Nelson Mandela.

The Dean Academy’s MFL curriculum inspires students to explore culture and language as a means of discovering themselves, others, the world, and their role within the world. The MFL curriculum strives to support all students to recognise their vital role within our world and, by exploring different languages and cultures, students experience the beauty of diversity and understand how diversity brightens our world. As international citizens and language learners, we continuously promote diversity, equality, and justice for all, ensuring that we seize every opportunity to create a safe space in which everybody recognises their value, feels comfortable to connect and collaborate with others, and can express their identity. Through this, we hope that everybody can confidently express their thoughts, feelings, and experiences so that we, on a micro and macro level, are a united and fair community that drives positive progress and enables everyone to thrive.

Some examples of how our MFL curriculum integrates Equality, Diversity and Inclusion include:

-Celebration of diversity through the European Day of Languages.

-Discussions about the evolutions of language and how language reflects different identities (such as subject pronouns in French/ Spanish).

-Study of authentic French and Spanish sources that are written by diverse individuals and discuss equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Performance Faculty

A commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion is fundamental to our department values, ensuring our ongoing high performance academically and in all areas of extra curricular performance at school.
We are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion and continue to build an inclusive environment where opportunities are open to all, diversity is valued, and where everybody can reach their full potential without fear.
In Performing Arts students have the opportunity to engage in exploring different professional performances and roles and responsibilities that can take them through a learning journey that explores other cultures, political differences and many elements of our modern world that provoke thought and inquisition. It is an expectation that students experience this with courtesy, respect and consideration and that as teachers, we open minds and allow students the means to discover themselves, others the world and their role in the world.

Humanities Faculty

Equality, diversity and inclusion are core values within the teaching, practice and study of humanities  subjects. The Dean Academy's humanities curriculum inspires students to explore different communities and cultures around the world. All students are given the opportunity to understand the roles that they have in society on a local, national and global scale.  

By educating students about equality, diversity and inclusion they are able to carry their learning beyond the classroom, creating a happy and inclusive school community.  

During KS3 history lessons students are able to explore how society and individual rights and responsibilities have changed, role of women and gender equality, development and importance of human rights following global conflict. Students are given the opportunity to study how British history has changed, evaluating the positive and negative impact of the British empire and the impact of the slave trade. At GCSE students explore the impact of immigration in the American West as well as the treatment of native tribes and communities during early settlement. By learning about history from different perspective students are able to become more informed global citizens looking the world around us. 

During geography lessons at KS3 students are able to explore different cultures and communities around the world and learning about how they thrive, for example, tribes within the Rainforest. Students are able to develop their conceptual knowledge of moral issues around migration and conflict as well as the impact historic changes have had on the development of countries around the globe. At GCSE students get to explore how climate change will impact global communities, the challenges of development for Nigeria as well as how Bristol and the UK's culture has been significantly influenced through international migration. 

Furthermore, during values and society lessons students are able to investigate different religions and faiths, introduced to different festivals and celebrations as well as building life skills in ambition, inclusion and empathy. Students examine the role of community and the significance of building heathy relationships with their peers. Students are able to challenge and explore different attitudes through debate and moral dilemmas. The Values and society curriculum will help to develop responsibility and respect for all aspects of diversity, whether it be social, cultural or religious and prepares students well for life in the modern world. 

Schemes of work cover a diverse range of topics and case studies, allowing students to fully immerse themselves in different cultures and communities around the world, solidifying themselves as active, independent and responsible members of their community.