At William Patten, we are constantly striving to learn more and gain a deeper understanding of the diversity of our school and are committed to working to ensure that all our pupils, and their families, feel included and accepted in our school community. It is crucial that all families feel a sense of belonging.

The Equalities Act (2010) outlines protected characteristics and states that no-one should face discrimination because of: race, religion, sex, gender, age, disabilities, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity, marriage or civil partnership.

We are already addressing many aspects through our PHSE Jigsaw framework, our RE curriculum, Word of the Week assemblies and other programmes such as Big Art Day, with a view to implementing and establishing an unwavering ethos of inclusion, acceptance and understanding of the different groups who make up our school community. An Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) group was set up last year by parents and the link to join the WhatsApp group is attached.

However, there is still work to be done on understanding the views of different groups of people and what we can do better to ensure everyone feels included and accepted.

We want to hear the voices of all families at WP and we will be asking pupils, parents and staff to engage in discussions to determine what they feel is good about William Patten in relation to equality, diversity and inclusion, and what they feel we could do better at. These conversations will need to be candid, honest and open, so there is no ambiguity and we can move forward positively to improve everyone’s experiences with us.

Invitation to parents and carers of Black children or children of dual heritage, including those of African, Caribbean, and mixed Black heritage

For our first meeting, we are inviting parents and carers of Black children or children of dual heritage, including those of African, Caribbean, and mixed Black heritage to meet with myself and Shade, a parent at Clapton Girls’ Academy, who worked with CGA to set up a parents’ group, the Global Majority Parents’ Group. The meeting will take place on Wednesday 26th March at 9.30am – 10.30am.

 A crèche will be provided. We do hope you will be able to join us.

The agenda is an open one for the first meeting, but I would be grateful if parents had the time to complete this quick survey as possible starting points for discussion.

https://forms.gle/KCeU3oc6AsxJw9yW9

We understand that each individual’s experience is unique, and we value your input in shaping our school’s inclusivity efforts. We want to emphasize that all voices are important, and there will be more opportunities for our wider communities to have focused meetings to contribute in the future.

Link here to our Equalities Policy: https://www.williampatten.hackney.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Equalities-Policy-2024-25.pdf