Learning here at Ilminster Avenue E-ACT Academy is underpinned by our six core values: Enjoy, Success, Respect, Community, Responsibility and Compassion.
Our values show that we place an emphasis on individual achievement whilst building an awareness and understanding of others. The school is a caring community that values personal, social and emotional development as well as academic and creative achievement.
We believe that a rich and engaging curriculum is every child’s entitlement so that they enjoy their learning. We know this is to be true because the children tell us every day how much they love coming to school and feel safe, happy and valued.
Enjoy
We have fun in school because we believe this helps us learn.
Success
We do our best because we want to achieve well.
Respect
We are honest with each other. We use our manners and are polite to everyone.
Community
We are together. We learn from each other.
Responsibility
We are all trusted with responsibilities. We trust each other.
COMPASSION
We care about each other. We show kindness to one another.
Religious Education
We are a non-denominational school. Religious Education is taught according to the locally agreed syllabus and incorporates the six main world faiths. Assemblies take place almost daily, and invite your child to take time to discuss and reflect on a wide range of social, moral, spiritual and cultural issues. If you would like to withdraw your child from any particular lessons or assemblies, please write a letter to the Headteacher. A meeting will be set up to discuss your request and alternative arrangements will be made for your child during these times.
Equal Opportunities
The Academy aims to ensure that all policies and practices conform with the principle of equal opportunities and comply with the public sector equality duty set out in Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010. The Academy will tackle inappropriate attitudes and practices through staff leading by example, through the Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) programme, through the supportive Academy culture and through the Academy’s policies.
The Academy recognises the benefits of having a diverse Academy Community, with individuals who value one another, and the different contributions everyone can make. Pupils will be taught to value and respect others. The Academy is committed to being an equal opportunities education provider and is committed to equality of opportunity for all members of the Academy Community. In the provision of equal opportunities, the Academy recognises and accepts its responsibilities under the law and opposes discrimination on the basis of:
- disability
- gender reassignment
- pregnancy and maternity
- race
- religion or belief (including lack of religion or belief)
- gender
- sexual orientation and (in the case of adult members of the Academy Community)
- marital or civil partnership status; and
- age
These can be called the Protected Characteristics. The Academy also opposes all bullying and unlawful discrimination on the basis that a person has a special educational need or learning difficulty, or because English is an additional language.
The Academy is committed to promoting equality and has produced policies to assist promotion of the following aims:
- to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010
- advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those without
- foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.
The Academy accepts applications from, and admits pupils irrespective of their Protected Characteristics and will not discriminate on these grounds in the terms on which a place is offered, subject to section 8, below. The Academy will treat every application in a fair, open-minded way.
The Academy’s admissions policy reflects the Academy’s approach towards equal opportunities and is consistent with this policy.
To ensure that this policy is operating effectively with respect to admissions, and to identify those sections of the local community which may be under represented in the Academy, the Academy monitors applicants’ gender, race, disability and religion or belief as part of the Admissions procedure. We also maintain records of this data in an anonymised format solely for the purposes stated in this policy.
The Headteacher is responsible for the ongoing monitoring and regular analysis of the data monitored under paragraph 12.1 above and under paragraph 13.5 below and will arrange for the taking of appropriate positive steps to eliminate unlawful direct and indirect discrimination where necessary. The Headteacher is also responsible for reviewing whether the aims of this policy are carried out throughout all areas of the Academy and taking appropriate action where necessary. This policy is reviewed annually by the Headteacher.
