Statement of intent
Bampton Pre‐School is committed to valuing diversity by providing equality of opportunity and
anti‐discriminatory practice for all children and families.
Aim We aim to:
• Provide a secure environment in which all our children can flourish and in which all
contributions are valued
• Include and value the contribution of all families to our understanding of equality and
diversity
• Provide positive non‐stereotyping information about gender roles, diverse ethnic and
cultural groups and people with disabilities
• Improve our knowledge and understanding of issues of anti‐discriminatory practice,
promoting equality and valuing diversity
• Make inclusion a thread that runs through all of the activities of the setting
The legal framework for this policy is
• Race Relations Act 1979
• Race Relations Amendment Act 2000
• Sex Discrimination Act 1986
• Children Act 1989
• Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001
Methods Admissions Bampton Pre‐School is open to all members of the community.
• We advertise our service widely.
• We reflect the diversity of members of our society in our publicity and promotional
materials.
• We provide information in clear, concise language, whether in spoken or written form.
• We provide information in as many languages as possible.
• We base our admissions policy on a fair system.
• We ensure that all parents are made aware of our Equal Opportunities policy.
• We do not discriminate against a child or their family, or prevent entry to our setting,
on the basis of colour, ethnicity, religion or social background, such as being a member
of a travelling community or any asylum seeker.
• We do not discriminate against a child with a disability or refuse a child entry to our
setting because of any disability.
• We develop an action plan to ensure that people with disabilities can participate
successfully in the services offered by the setting and in the curriculum offered.
• We take action against any discriminatory behaviour by staff or parents. Displaying of
openly racist insignia, distribution of racist material, name calling or threatening
behaviour are unacceptable on or around the premises and will be dealt with in the
strongest manner.
Employment
• Posts are advertised and all applicants are judged against explicit and fair criteria.
• Applicants are welcome from all backgrounds and posts are open to all.
• We may use the exemption clause of the Race Relations Act and the Sex Discrimination
Act where this is necessary to enable the service to best meet the needs of the
community.
• The applicant who best meets the criteria is offered the post, subject to references and
checks by the Criminal Records Bureau. This ensures fairness in the selection process.
• All job descriptions include a commitment to equality and diversity as part of their
specifications.
• We monitor our application process to ensure that it is fair and accessible.
Training • We seek out training opportunities for staff and volunteers to enable them to develop
anti‐discriminatory and inclusive practices, which enable all children to flourish.
• We review our practices to ensure that we are fully implementing our policy for
equality, diversity and inclusion.
Curriculum The curriculum offered in the setting encourages children to develop positive attitudes about
themselves as well as to people who are different from themselves. It encourages children to
empathise with others and to begin to develop the skills of critical thinking.
We do this by
• Making children feel valued and good about themselves
• Ensuring that children have equality of access to learning
• Recognising the different learning styles of girls and boys, making appropriate provision
within the curriculum to ensure each child receives the widest possible opportunity to
develop their skills and abilities
• Positively reflecting the widest possible range of communities in the choice of resources
• Avoiding stereotypes or derogatory images in the selection of books or other visual
materials
• Celebrating a wide range of festivals
• Creating an environment of mutual respect and tolerance
• Helping children to understand that discriminatory behaviour and remarks are hurtful and unacceptable
• Ensuring that the curriculum offered is inclusive of children with special educational
needs and children with disabilities
• Ensuring that children learning English as an additional language have full access to the
curriculum and are supported in their learning
• Ensuring that children speaking languages other than English are supported in the
maintenance and development of their home languages.
Valuing diversity in families
• We welcome the diversity of family lifestyles and work with all families.
• We encourage children to contribute stories of their everyday life to the setting.
• We encourage parents / carers to take part in the life of the setting and to contribute
fully.
• For families who speak languages in addition to English, we will develop means to
ensure their full inclusion.
• We offer a flexible payment system for families of differing means and offer information
regarding sources of financial support.
Food
• We work in partnership with parents to ensure that the medical, cultural and dietary
needs of children are met.
• We help children to learn about a range of food and of cultural approaches to
mealtimes and eating and to respect the differences among them.
Meetings
• Meetings are arranged to ensure that all families who wish to may be involved in the
running of the setting.
• Information about meetings is communicated in a variety of ways – written, verbal and
in translation – to ensure that all parents have information about and access to the
meetings.
