To Be Able to Promote Equality and Diversity When Working with Young People

UNIT 8.1
To be able to promote Equality and Diversity when working with young people
The current legislation and codes of practice relevant to the promotion of Equality and Diversity are
RACE EQUALITY
The general race equality duty requires us to have due regard to the need to * Eliminate racial discrimination * Promote equality of opportunity * Promote good relations between people of different racial groups
DISABILLITY
The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 placed a general duty on schools, requiring them to have due regard for the following when carrying out and delivering services: * Promoting equality of opportunity between disabled people and other people; * Eliminating discrimination and harassment of disabled people that is related to their disability; * Promoting positive attitudes towards disabled people; * Encouraging participation in public life by disabled people; * Taking steps to meet disabled people’s needs, even if this requires more favourable treatment.
GENDER EQUALITY
The Gender Equaity Duty 2006 places a general and specific duty on schools to eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment on the grounds of gender and to promote equality between female and male pupils and between women and men and transgender people.
Under our general duty we will actively seek to * Eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment on the grounds of sex and gender reassignment; * Promote equality between men and women
SEXUAL ORIENTATION
The Equality Act (sexual orientation) Regulations 2007 make discrimination unlawful in the area of goods, facilities and grounds of sexual orientation. For schools this means admissions, benefits and services for pupils and treatment of pupils.
COMMUNITY COHESION
The Education and Inspections Act 2006 inserted a new section to the Education Act 2002, introducing a duty on the governing bodies of state schools to promote community cohesion. Community cohesion encompasses promoting good relations between pupils from different races, faiths/beliefs and socio-economic backgrounds.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PROMOTING THE RIGHTS OF ALL CHILDREN AND THE IMPORTANCE OF PARTICIPATION AND EQUALITY OF ACCCESS
We aim to provide all our pupils with the opportunity to succeed, and to reach the highest level of personal achievement. To do this, we: * Use contextual data to improve the ways in which we provide support to individuals and groups of pupils; * Monitor achievement data by ethnicity, gender and disability and action any gaps; * Take account of the achievement of all pupils when planning for future and setting challenging targets; * Ensure equality of access for all pupils and prepare them for life in a diverse society; * Use materials that reflect the diversity of the school, population and local community in terms of race, gender and disability without stereotyping; * Promote attitudes and values that will challenge racist and other discriminatory behaviour or prejudice; * Provide opportunities for pupils to appreciate their own culture and celebrate the diversity of other cultures; * Seek to involve all parents in supporting their child’s education; * Encouraging classroom and staffroom discussion of equality issues which reflect on social stereotypes, expectations and the impact on learning; * Including classroom-based approaches appropriate for the whole school population, which are inclusive and reflective of our pupils.

THE IMPORTANCE AND BENEFITS OF VALUING AND PROMOTING CULTURAL DIVERSITY
Diversity means that there is a difference in their customs - the way they have been brought up, which in this case is influenced by the culture and its prerogatives. This then means that there will be a difference in the way that pupils look at things, because something that is given importance in one culture might not be given any in the next. This is what influences the differences in the opinions, habits, lifestyles, goals and ideas.
The importance of cultural diversity needs to be taught in schools because there are numerous advantages that it offers. When pupils learn about different cultures, they not only learn about them, but it also helps them to compare it with their own culture and appreciate the good in it. Learning about so many cultures and the distinct features of each of those places, it only adds to their knowledge and if they ever travel to different places, adjustment becomes minimal. In fact it comes naturally to them because they've grown with studying and being with different cultures.
Diversity means difference, and facing differences, along with coping with them, teaches a person to be more accepting of others. That is why it is said that promoting cultural diversity by way of intercultural communication should be done in schools when the minds are young and can be moulded. This becomes much more difficult when one has already formed firm opinions. When pupils are faced with differences in their culture and habits when compared to others, and they are given proper tools to handle those differences, they learn to be more accepting of change.
They realize that other cultures are just as diverse as their own and that the pupils are just like them. They learn about different cultures, their habits and other things which are unique to that culture. This promotes education not only in the manner of books, but also in facing different cultural issues in the classroom and overcoming them.