Protected Characteristics

As a school we understand the importance of preparing our children for life in modern Britain and part of this is helping children to respect and celebrate diversity within our school community and more widely. Part of the work we do is talk to the children about the Equality Act and UN Rights of a Child. We do this throughout our curriculum and using Picture News to explore and discussed. The protected characteristics include:

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

What is the UN Convention?

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is the most complete statement of children’s rights ever produced and is the most widely-ratified international human rights treaty in history.

What makes the UN Convention so special?

The Convention has 54 articles that cover all aspects of a child’s life and set out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights that all children everywhere are entitled to. It also explains how adults and governments must work together to make sure all children can enjoy all their rights.

Every child has rights “without discrimination of any kind, irrespective of the child’s or his or her parent’s or legal guardian’s race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status” (Article 2).

The Convention must be seen as a whole: all the rights are linked and no right is more important than another. The right to relax and play (Article 31) and the right to freedom of expression (Article 13) have equal importance as the right to be safe from violence (Article 19) and the right to education (Article 28).

We are the only organisation working for children recognised by the Convention.

The Convention is also the most widely ratified human rights treaty in the world. All UN member states except for the United States have ratified the Convention. The Convention came into force in the UK in 1992.

 

As part of our Personal, Social and Health Education curriculum (PSHE), all classes work on valuing difference. We explore these themes in PSHE lessons, collective worship and through Picture News. During worships, we also look at books on respecting, accepting and celebrating diversity and our own uniqueness.

For more information about our commitment to promoting Equality and Diversity within our school please use the links below to view our Equality and Diversity page: 

British Values

At Westleigh Methodist Primary School, alongside our Christian values, we promote fundamental British values which complement our Christian values and ethos.

We reinforce and promote British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.