The Equality Act 2010 — what it means for Everton Primary School

The Equality Act 2010 is the law that protects everyone in England, Scotland and Wales from discrimination, harassment and victimisation. For schools, it creates three specific legal duties:

The general equality duty requires the school to have due regard to eliminating unlawful discrimination, advancing equality of opportunity, and fostering good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.

The specific duties require the school to publish equality objectives (reviewed every four years) and publish information demonstrating how it meets the general duty.

The reasonable adjustments duty means the school must take positive steps to ensure disabled pupils and staff are not put at a substantial disadvantage — for example, through physical adaptations, adapted resources, or additional support.

How the school demonstrates compliance

Everton Primary demonstrates compliance through several interconnected layers.

In terms of policy and governance, the school maintains a published Equality and Diversity Policy, an Accessibility Plan, a SEND Information Report, and an Anti-Bullying Policy. These are reviewed regularly by governors, who have a named lead for equality matters.

In terms of curriculum, all nine characteristics are woven into PSHE, RE, RSE (Relationships and Sex Education), and assemblies in developmentally appropriate ways. Diverse books, role models, and histories feature across subjects, not just in dedicated lessons.

In terms of staff practice, all staff receive equality and diversity training, and any discriminatory incident — whether based on race, disability, sex, or any other characteristic — is recorded, investigated and acted upon. The school's SENCO coordinates support for pupils with disabilities and SEND.

In terms of school culture, the school actively promotes a climate where every child feels safe, visible and valued. Pupil voice mechanisms (such as school council), restorative approaches to conflict, and clear anti-bullying procedures all support this.

Teaching the characteristics to primary-aged children

The interactive guide above gives the child-friendly language for each characteristic. In practice, these concepts are introduced gradually:

Early Years and KS1 focus on similarities and differences, kindness, and fairness — exploring race, disability and family structure through story books and play.

Lower KS2 deepens understanding of identity, community and belonging — introducing the idea that some differences are protected by law and that everyone has equal worth.

Upper KS2 can handle more explicit discussion of all nine characteristics, including age-appropriate exploration of gender, belief, and what discrimination means and feels like.

Tap any card in the guide above to see the child-friendly wording, classroom examples, and specific school actions for each of the nine protected characteristics.