Equalities

Eltham Hill School is committed to creating a culture where the whole community is valued, involved and supported, and feels safe from discrimination. We recognise the real benefits of having a diverse community and work tirelessly to maintain an environment that values diversity and promotes equal rights.

Our ethos is built around the principle that everyone within our community should be treated with dignity and respect. We acknowledge that discrimination affects people in complex ways and are committed to challenging all forms of inequality.

In our recent student survey, we were pleased to find that between 84% of Year 9 students and 96% of Year 13 students agreed with the statement: “My school encourages me to respect people from other backgrounds and to treat everyone equally.”

Our annual and school-wide events demonstrate some of the ways in which we work together to promote and celebrate equality and inclusion.

Eltham Hill School celebrates Black History Month

Black History Month is celebrated every October in the UK as an annual commemoration of the history, achievements and contributions of Black people in the UK.

Eltham Hill School recognises Black History Month as a positive opportunity to celebrate the achievements and contributions of Black people to UK and global society, both in October and throughout the year.

The month also provides an opportunity to focus on and improve awareness of issues affecting different communities. As a school, we remain committed to diversifying our curriculum. Black History Month gives us an opportunity to share and explore experiences and histories that have not often been included in traditional educational curricula or resources.

Our Black History Month calendar is exciting, inspiring and diverse. It includes a range of fantastic events that allow us, as a school community, to deepen our knowledge and celebrate and share experiences.

One of the key highlights is our annual Black History Month conference for students in Years 9–13. This is an opportunity for them to:

• Celebrate the achievements and contributions of Black British people.
• Learn about some of the important events in Black history.
• Discuss, debate and consider how we can learn from each other to make society more equal.

Celebrating the diverse culture in our community

Every half-term, we hold a Cultural Celebration Week, during which we celebrate one of the many cultures represented in our school community.

Staff and students work together to plan a week of assemblies and other activities, focusing on the history, geography, music, art, food and clothing of a particular country or culture. We serve special food in the canteen and often raise money for charity. For example, during Pakistan Cultural Celebration Week in 2023, we raised enough money to install a well in a village in Pakistan.

Students also worked together to raise awareness of Chinese culture and the Chinese community, raising £450 for the Hackney Chinese Community Centre during Chinese Culture Week. Student organiser Hope Ng-Mcoy wrote a thought-provoking article, “Reflecting on Our Chinese Culture Week and Being a Change-Maker”, sharing her personal reflections on the week’s impact.

Other Cultural Celebration Weeks have celebrated Indian, Ghanaian, Nigerian, Irish and Caribbean cultures, among others.

Make a Difference 'MAD' Day

Make a Difference Day, or MAD Day, is one of Eltham Hill’s multidisciplinary drop-down days. These days enrich students’ experiences by giving them opportunities to explore interdisciplinary topics beyond the standard curriculum. MAD Day aims to cultivate well-rounded individuals who have the knowledge, skills and empathy to navigate an increasingly interconnected and diverse world.

MAD Day at Eltham Hill aims to:

• Foster inter- and extra-disciplinary learning and encourage students to make connections between different subjects.
• Promote creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
• Provide students with diverse learning experiences
• Enhance student engagement and motivation by offering hands-on, interactive activities.
• Support the development of key skills such as teamwork, communication, and independent enquiry.

WE CHAMPION INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

International Women's Day (IWD) is a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. Each year, this day serves as a powerful reminder of the progress made towards gender equality and highlights the work that still needs to be done.  

The 2025 campaign theme is ' Accelerate Action'. At the current rate of progress, it will take until 2158, which is roughly five generations from now, to reach full gender parity, according to data from the World Economic Forum. Focusing on the need to Accelerate Action emphasises the importance of taking swift and decisive steps to achieve gender equality. It calls for increased momentum and urgency in addressing the systemic barriers and biases that women face, both in personal and professional spheres. 

At Eltham Hill we actively challenge gender stereotypes and bias on a day to day basis, creating an environment where women's achievements are not only celebrated but championed. Whether it’s supporting women in leadership roles, promoting equal opportunities for all, or simply providing a platform for women’s voices, we are committed to fostering change and building a brighter, more equitable future.

WE PLEDGE TO SUPPORT OUR LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY

At Eltham Hill we work hard to ensure our school culture is respectful and equal.

• We agree everyone has the right to feel safe.
• We understand that all people, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity, should be treated with dignity and respect.
• We work on eliminating homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia from our own words and actions
• We do not tolerate anti-LGBTQ language and behaviour.
• We support each other and know we can seek appropriate help throughout our school community.

Rainbow Club

Rainbow Club is the school’s designated club for LGBTQ+ students and allies who want to get together to discuss how we can make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people. This has been running as a designated space since 2016 in the school, and each week between five and thirty students attend. 

Students use this as a drop-in space; they can come when they have something in particular to discuss, or every week - up to them! Many LGBTQ+ students attend with a friend (an ally) the first time until they are more comfortable. We have different Rainbow Clubs operating at each of our three lunchtimes, so students don’t need to worry about interacting with students much older or much younger than they are. It also helps students to make new friends outside of their form groups or classes. 

Members of Rainbow Club are asked to share their ‘Rainbow Highs’ (i.e. positive things which have happened for LGBTQ+ people, either in the school or society) and ‘Rainbow Lows’ (i.e. negative things). We discuss these and how they make people feel, what we can do to replicate or celebrate the ‘Highs’ or reduce the ‘Lows’. If we are around certain times of year, we prepare assemblies or events. These have included:

• LGBTQ+ History Month (February)
• Lesbian Visibility Day (April)
• LGBTQ+ Pride Month (June)

Every term, students are asked to nominate one member of staff for a Rainbow Award; that member of staff gets a certificate and is praised for their positive work supporting LGBTQ+ students. 

EQUALITY CHAMPION SCHEME

PURPOSE: The Equality Champion scheme is a project pioneered by EHS in 2020. It has since been taken on by other institutions and is now facilitated in various schools across London!

It was felt, originally, that the initiative would greatly benefit the school and bring awareness of equality issues to both staff and students in order to prevent the occurrence of hate crime and other forms of discrimination.

WHO: A group of year 9 and 10 pupils apply and are chosen to focus on an area of inequality within society, it is usually a protected factor, they then research and explore this together.

The students meet for a one-hour weekly session and take steps to complete the following structure:

AIMS OF THE PROJECT:

• Challenge discrimination on/offline in school and in the community.
• Remove any barriers that prevent us from growing and becoming involved in the community as students and as individuals.
• Challenge false information and fake news, create positive messages and representations of vulnerable groups, and share our work throughout the school and with the wider community.

There have been 7 groups of about 10 students from 2020 to now. These groups have looked at different topics including; Colourism, Ableism, Immigration Awareness, Transgender Awareness and the current group are researching Modern day Feminism.

Eltham Hill School Named Gender Action Beacon School

We are proud to announce that Eltham Hill School has been recognised as a Gender Action Beacon School – one of only three schools in the country to receive this recognition.

The award reflects our ongoing commitment to challenging gender stereotypes and placing gender equality at the heart of our policies and practice. We work closely with staff and students to promote a culture where there are no limits on ambition or achievement based on gender. We believe that true gender equality drives lasting cultural change — and we are proud to be leading the way.  Our continuous whole-school review of our communications, displays, activities and lesson resources ensure that gender equality is embedded in every aspect of school life.

The Halo Code

Our school champions the right of staff and students to embrace all Afro-hairstyles. We acknowledge that Afro-textured hair is an important part of our Black staff and students’ racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious identities, and requires specific styling for hair health and maintenance. We welcome Afro-textured hair worn in all styles including, but not limited to, afros, locs, twists, braids, cornrows, fades, hair straightened through the application of heat or chemicals, weaves, wigs, headscarves, and wraps. At this school, we recognise and celebrate our staff and students’ identities. We are a community built on an ethos of equality and respect where hair texture and style have no bearing on anyone’s ability to succeed.

UNIFORM ADAPTATIONS

As a school that is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, we understand that there may be occasions where adaptations to the uniform policy will be necessary, for example for religious or medical reasons. Please contact the Headteacher if you wish to make a request for such an adaptation and we will endeavour to accommodate this.

Eltham Hill School's IncLusion Charter

Students at Eltham Hill School have worked as part of the School Council with the Mayor's team for the Young People's action group and Violence Reduction Group to produce an Inclusion Charter. This charter was created to ensure that students promote their rights in the school and also by sharing their pledge to create a safe and caring environment for students, whilst promoting academic success Students worked with the team for a day to produce this and this work has been part of our journey as a Rights Respecting School. 

Eltham Hill School's Inclusion Charter

KEY DOCUMENTS

Equalities Action Plan

Equalities Policy