Non-Discrimination Policy

This policy is to demonstrate our awareness that discrimination does occur in society and what we do at BCC to ensure there is no discrimination at our nurseries and that British values are followed and promoted.

A person (A) discriminates against another (B) if, because of a protected characteristic, A treats B less favourably than A treats or would treat others. Clause 13, Part 2 of the Equality Act 2010.

Protected Characteristics are age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex and sexual orientation.

OUR ETHOS

1. We are committed to ensuring within the framework of the law that our nurseries are free from unlawful or unfair discrimination on the grounds of disability, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, sex, gender (including gender reassignment), sexual orientation, age, marital status, religions or other similar philosophical belief.
2. We embrace differences as being an integral part of the diversity of human beings. We encourage children, staff and parents to embrace diverse cultures and perspectives and to have the ethos of learning from each other. We think about this in terms of “mirrors and windows”: Mirrors – how does what we have in nursery reflect a child/adult’s culture? Windows – do we give children opportunities to see outside their own experiences?
3. Our aim is participation and belonging for every child at our nurseries and for all children, staff and parents to feel safe, included and represented at nursery. We promote equality of education and opportunity.
4. Every child (and adult) is treated as an individual and valued for their uniqueness.
5. We follow and promote the fundamental British Values of democracy, rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs, which are embedded in the EYFS.
6. We will challenge any behaviour by staff, parents or children that is considered discriminatory.
7. Staff report to managers and record all incidences that relate to discrimination within the nursery.
8. Parents are encouraged to speak to the nursery manager about any concerns.

IN PRACTICE

9. Staff training in this area is part of their probation and is wide ranging and ongoing including awareness of Liz Pemberton’s 4E’s of anti-racist practice (folder 3.9.7); discussions at staff meetings and training (including from BAND and the Bristol Anti-Racist Practice Forum) cascaded by managers and senior managers.
10. We aim to teach children the human qualities that lay the foundation for the acceptance of individual differences.
11. We aim to give children self-esteem and to have the confidence that their views count, and also to learn to value each other’s views and values and to talk about their feelings. This is done through circle times, play, conversations and role modelling from staff.
12. We ensure that resources, images and wallboards reflect and celebrate the differences in society and in particular include all religions, cultures and ethnicity of children and staff at nursery. We do this by involving all parents wherever possible.
13. We aim to have something in each room which represents the children and staff there, so that they feel they belong. This might be something familiar or from home for role play, family photos or pictures of pets etc.
14. We celebrate a wide range of festivals so that children can learn about as many different customs and cultures as possible, especially those of the children in the nursery. We involve all BCC staff in this as well as encouraging parents to share their family festivals and customs by organising and/or joining in activities at nursery.
15. We will respond to children’s interests, for example, by following up festival celebrations with a visit to a mosque.
16. By embracing the different experiences of children at the nursery, we ensure that daily activities reflect cultural diversity, for example, by talking about what children are doing at home, holiday experiences and by serving international food.
17. Varied cultural activities are integral to our curriculum as a reflection of the diversity in our community and the wider world.
18. We help children to be aware of the world and all people that live in it. We encourage discussion about places and countries.
19. Children with disabilities or special educational needs are included in all activities and adjustments are made as necessary to enable their inclusion at nursery.
20. Each setting has an accessible toilet.
21. Each nursery has a named Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO). Our Special Educational Needs and Disability Policy sets out how we identify and support any children with special needs.
22. For children whose home language is not English, a basic vocabulary list can be completed to support the child. These are included for all families in our Welcome and Induction Pack.
23. We will take reasonable steps to provide opportunities for children to develop and use their home language in play and learning, and support language development at home. For example, parents and bi-lingual staff are often able to record favourite songs or stories in their home language and we welcome these as valuable resources to share with all children. See Activities, Experience and Learning and Partnership with Parents Policies.
24. Recruitment and employment decisions will be made on the basis of fair and objective criteria. Please see the Equal Opportunities Policy in the Staff Handbook.

Appendix 1 – Dealing with a racist/discriminatory incident

1. We will maintain records of racist/discriminatory incidents in accordance with Ofsted’s Early Years Inspection Handbook. These will be completed on Connect Childcare and filed in each nursery Accident/Incident Folder if required (eg if there is a pattern of regular incidents or an issue of concern).
2. A racist/discriminatory incidents log (folder 2.3) will be maintained and filed in the Accidents/Incidents Folder.
3. Any racist/discriminatory incidents will be audited monthly as part of the incident audits.
4. We will keep a record to show how we have addressed incidents to ensure a safe and inclusive environment for all children.
5. A racist incident is defined by the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report (1999) as: ‘any incident which is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person’.
6. To be anti-discriminatory, means challenging others when they make discriminatory comments or act in a discriminatory way. Challenging someone about their words or actions can be difficult and needs to be approached skilfully. However, everyone involved in the setting has a right to be treated fairly, and should not have to endure prejudice, harassment, victimisation or stereotyping. Anti-discriminatory practice is a duty, and results in a better service for all.
7. If a racist incident happens we will follow Easton Community Children’s centres guide “What should I do when a discriminatory incident occurs” (page 9 of the BAND Anti Racist Policy in folder 2.3).