Seely Primary and Nursery School

Diversity at Seely

At Seely Primary, we aim to include our pupils in our school, but also to make sure they feel that they are valued for who they are. We aim for our pupils to have a strong sense of identity and belonging and we are working hard to ensure that they feel they are represented in our school and curriculum. We aim for our children to ‘see themselves reflected’ in the curriculum.

We have carefully designed the Seely curriculum to ensure that a wide range of diverse role models and resources are being used to help children feel confident as they develop their own identities. Diverse role models help children see one another as part of the same community, but also to learn from all types of genders, personalities and cultures. The end point is to create a culture that acknowledges, values and celebrates diversity.

We have created inclusion documents that run alongside our long-term and medium-term plans, which are regularly reviewed and added to as partnerships and topics develop.

The Equality Act 2010:

At Seely, we are committed to teaching the children about the Protected Characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. Our Diversity Pledge states that we commit to developing empathy towards other people and their experiences and treat others with respect and acceptance regardless of their ethnicity, culture, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or ability.

Assemblies, PSHE lessons and RE lessons in particular focus on developing empathy and respect towards others. However, our commitment to this is weaved through everything we learn and achieve at school and in the wider community.

EDIQM (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Quality Mark):

We are extremely proud to announce that we have been awarded the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Quality Mark (EDIQM).

In our formal letter from EDIQM director, Hartwell Mhunduru, it was noted that:

The long-term strategies and high-level consultation with stakeholders reflect the priority and commitment of the school to constantly seek improvement in provision
EDI is championed throughout the school
There is a strong team which supports an inclusive approach for all pupils
Seely Primary and Nursery is promoting multiculturalism by celebrating differences through planning lessons that reflect the diversity of the community
Staff feel safe to have open and transparent conversations on EDI

Whilst we are delighted to achieve this award in recognition of the EDI work we have done so far, we continue to work hard to develop our curriculum, our practice and our school resources to ensure we are meeting the needs of all pupils.

The Rainbow Flag Award:

In June 2023, Seely achieved the Rainbow Flag Award in recognition of our LGBT+ inclusion. The award consists of six sections: Skilled Teacher (all about staff CPD), Effective Policies, Supportive Governors & Parents, Inclusive Curriculum, Pastoral Support and Student Voice.

In feedback, the assessors said: ‘The displays and work the young people are completing is amazing. I like how you let the young people take charge of the displays, advertise and make it visible to parents/carers and other people via social media. From what I can see in this submission, you put the students at the heart of what you do. This is a really good submission, and we can clearly see you have put a lot of hard work into this. Well done with this submission, it is something to be very proud of.’

Part of the award included offering the pupils the opportunity to join a Pupil Leadership group aimed at improving LGBT+ inclusion. This group is called the Rainbow Rangers and you can find out all about their aims and achievements on our Pupil Leadership page and in our Diversity Newsletters (below).