Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED)

What is the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED)?

The PSED was introduced by the Equality Act 2010 and applies to all schools, including maintained and independent schools, academies, maintained nursery schools, and maintained and non-maintained special schools.

The PSED has three main elements

These are:

Eliminating discrimination and other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010
Advancing equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it
Fostering good relations across all characteristics – between people who do share a protected characteristic and people who do not

What are protected characteristics?

There are 9 protected characteristics:

Age
Sex
Race including colour, nationality, ethnicity or national origin
Disability
Religion or belief
Sexual orientation
Gender reassignment
Pregnancy or maternity
Marriage and civil partnership

Age as a protected characteristic does not apply to pupils in schools, so pupils will be treated in ways appropriate to their age and stage of development.

How Cuddington eliminates discrimination:

Policies are in place to cover anti-bullying, behaviour, staff pay and appraisal.
Governor meeting minutes show equality is discussed and relevant actions taken.
Equality issues are recorded and presented to governors, with relevant action taken.
Single equality objectives are identified and published. Actions are embedded into school development plans as appropriate.

How Cuddington advances equality of opportunity:

Safer recruitment processes are in place, including panel selection and decision making that is removed from the 9 protected characteristics.
Attainment data reviews different pupil groups e.g. gender, EAL and disadvantage. Relevant actions for specific pupil groups are built into action plans and school development.
Bullying incidents are recorded and presented to governors, which shows very low incidence of bullying overall, but also specifically related to a protected characteristic.
Accessibility plan in place, with adaptation for those with a disability e.g. disabled toilet access for pupils and adults.

How Cuddington fosters good relations:

Relationships with parents fostered through clear, regular communications by letter and parents' evenings. This includes ad-hoc welcome meetings and individual meetings and/or discussions with parents where there is an additional need.
Through our core values of Respect, Collaborate and Aspire. 'Respect' impacts the language and approaches used to build rapport with children and our community.
Assemblies are used to promote diversity, friendship, and understanding of a range of religions and cultures.
By making collaboration and community a priority for school development and governor strategy.

Please see our Policies page to view our Trust Equality Statement.

Our Equality Objectives 2026–2030

At Cuddington Primary School, we are committed to ensuring that every child is included, valued and able to succeed.

Our equality objectives for 2026–2030 are:

1. Improve outcomes for all pupils

To identify and reduce any differences in achievement, attendance or participation between different groups of pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.

We will: monitor outcomes for different groups and take appropriate action where gaps are identified.

2. Promote equality, diversity and belonging

To ensure that our curriculum, school environment and wider opportunities reflect and celebrate diversity, challenge stereotypes and promote respect for everyone.

We will: regularly review our curriculum and resources and ensure pupils learn about a diverse range of people, cultures, families and experiences.

3. Ensure equal access to school opportunities

To ensure that all pupils have fair access to clubs, trips, residential visits, leadership opportunities and wider school experiences.

We will: monitor participation and work to remove financial, physical or other barriers that may prevent pupils from taking part.

These objectives will be reviewed annually and formally refreshed by 2030.