Local government has a key role to play in advancing equality and each service and department has a role to play. The task of education departments is particularly complex as they not only contribute to corporate Strategic Equality Plans, but also support each school to develop its own Strategic Equality Plan. Schools, like local authorities, are subject to the Equality Act 2010’s Public Sector Equality Duties and must demonstrate due regard to the need to:
- eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct that is prohibited by the Act
- advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not
- foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.
Evidence on inequalities in education is available from a range of sources. For some time, schools and local authorities have worked to reduce the gap between boy’s and girl’s attainment and work is developing to address similar gaps among disabled and non-disabled pupils and between some ethnic minority groups and other pupils. Identity based bullying is another example of a persistent concern now being tackled in innovative ways.
Below are the WLGA's guidance documents for education departments and schools. They are not designed to be read immediately from cover to cover, but to be a practical toolkit of supportive information and reference material for use when plans are being written and policies and proposals are being assessed.
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Briefing on Public Sector Equality Duties in Wales: Education and Schools
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Equality Issues in Education: A Resource for Strategic Equality Plans and Equality Objectives in Schools and Local Authorities
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Common Equality Risks in Education: A Resource for Assessing Impact in Schools and Local Authorities
For more information contact: Anna Morgan