Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

'We believe that every individual has the right to be valued, respected and offered equal opportunities, access and treatment. STEP Academy Trust is committed to providing an inclusive and diverse culture and to eradicating discrimination and stereotyping to make our Academies truly inclusive and promote high achievement for all.' 

(STEP Equality Policy, 2023) 

At High Cliff Academy, staff and children are proud to champion Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Our aim is to give visibility to the different layers of representation that exist in our school community and wider society. There is not a hierarchy, however we make equitable decisions to level the playing field or find balance where historically we have seen a lack of representation.

This is evident in our school in many ways; in our PSHE learning, in the rich texts we read by a range of authors with varied backgrounds, in our assemblies, and through the excellent work done by our Pupil Parliament. (see below) 

High Cliff Academy Pupils Take A Trip Around The World!

Pupils and staff at High Cliff Academy, located in Newhaven and part of the successful STEP Academy Trust, celebrated cultures from around the globe in the Academy’s first-ever World Exploration Day.

The concept was created by the Academy’s very own Pupil Parliament which wanted to bring the whole school community together to celebrate every pupil and staff member. Following lots of discussion and planning, World Exploration Day was born.

The Pupil Parliament organised and led their peers through an exciting day of events. To celebrate the diversity of cultures and religions within the school community, the cultural dress of different countries was worn by children and staff. This included traditional garments from England, Ireland, France, Turkey, India, Russia, Jamaica, Germany and Nigeria.

The day began with a special assembly led by the Pupil Parliament which incorporated a catwalk so pupils and staff could showcase their cultural clothing and share interesting facts with their peers. Some children also brought different countries’ flags to school with them to show to their classmates.

The Pupil Parliament also chose a special playlist of music from around the world to play at break and lunchtimes that included songs from England, the US, India, Japan, Spain and Ethiopia.

To finish up the day, lots of informal discussions took place in classrooms as children asked each other questions to learn about their different cultures.

The day was such a triumph that the Academy has said it will look to make the event an annual occasion.

Pupil Prime Minister, Jasper, aged 10 said: “World Exploration Day has been a complete success because we’ve included people, cultures, religions, clothing and fun for everyone in the school, including teachers!

“We worked as a team, thinking about how we can represent everyone throughout our school, no matter their differences, so they can just enjoy their day and have fun. We want World Exploration Day to happen every year on the 10th July."

Head Teacher at High Cliff Academy, Carla Botting, said: “We are so proud of our pupils who have gone above and beyond to celebrate our inclusive school community. Our Pupil Parliament have done an excellent job of organising and running the day and it has been fantastic to see the conversations the day has sparked as the children have been excited to learn more about each other’s cultures, religions and heritages.

“At High Cliff Academy, we are committed to providing a world-class education within a respectful and caring environment and World Exploration Day has been such a fitting representation of this. We look forward to hosting this event annually and discussing how we can build on it even further."

RACE Charter Mark

Race and Conscious Equality (RACE) Charter Mark is for schools wishing to demonstrate their commitment to action and improvement in relation to race equality in all aspects of their work, as educators, employers and community leaders.

Developed by SSAT (the  Schools,  Students  and  Teachers  network) and  Fig  Tree  International, the Race and Conscious Equality (RACE) Charter Mark is for schools, academies and  colleges,  both in  the  state  and  private  sectors, in  the  UK  who  wish  to  demonstrate  their commitment  to  action  and  improvement  in  relation  to  race  equality in  all  aspects  of  their  work  as educators,  employers  and  community  leaders.

High Cliff  Academy has completed a comprehensive package of training for governors, senior leaders and middle leaders, and submitted an evaluation detailing their work towards equality so far and an action plan pledging their commitment to ongoing development in this area. Following this work, we were awarded the prestigious 'Bronze RACE Charter Mark'.

Rights Respecting Schools Award

We are currently working towards achieving the 'Rights Respecting Schools' Silver Award. This award recognises a school’s achievement in putting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into practice within the school and beyond.

STEP EDI (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion) calendar 2024/25

Each month in our school, we focus on a different aspect of Equality, Diverstiy and Inclusion in our assembly time. Children will learn about key figures who represent a variety groups within our society, learn about significant historical events, and consider current affairs relating to each theme.

This year in our EDI assemblies, the focus is:

September – Inclusion

October – Race Equality 

November - Diversity and Respect 

December - Discrimination 

January – Human / Children's Rights 

February – Mental Health / Health Equity 

March – Neurodiversity 

April – Autism Awareness 

May – Family equality

June – Pride

July - Disability 

To find out more about what we do, please click on the links below: 

https://www.stepacademytrust.org/who-we-are/anti-racism-and-diversity

https://www.stepacademytrust.org/who-we-are/videos-find-out-about-us-more/edi-step