Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging
Our Intent: At Springfields we create an inclusive school environment where everyone feels that they belong and can succeed.
We achieve this by ensuring that all staff at Springfields are advocates for fairness and inclusivity. We believe that it is everyone’s responsibility to create a welcoming culture of inclusion and belonging, acting in line with our school values. Staff and students are encouraged and supported to act with empathy, respect and understanding to all colleagues, children, families and stakeholders. We believe that embracing diversity enriches our learning environment, strengthens our school community, and prepares our learners to thrive as 21st century global citizens.
In particular, we are ambassadors for the neurodivergent community. The academy is one of the few places where neurotypical individuals are in the minority. We want our learners to feel a sense of belonging to both Springfields and the autistic community, hence why the majority of our classes are named after inspirational autistic individuals.
Learners at Springfields are supported to:
- Celebrate and value differences- seeing everyone’s individuality as a positive thing
- Understand their diagnosis and be their authentic, autistic self
- Understand that all living things are equal
- Live our school value or respect- using respectful language and actions
- Be reflective and self-aware, in line with our school values
- Understand that everyone at Springfields is part of our school community
- Build links with their local community
- Learn about the 9 protected characteristics and show respect for those who share the protected characteristics
Staff at Springfields are supported to:
- Become more aware of their biases and privileges
- Know that it is okay to feel uncomfortable when reflecting on our biases and privileges
- Feel empowered to challenge stereotypes and prejudices
- Overcome and reflect on their own stereotypes
- Live by our school value of respect by using inclusive language which respects and values all individuals
- Be reflective and self-aware, in line with our school values
- Build links with the local community
Our priorities for 2024/25 are:
- To review our EDIB strategy
- To ensure that learning about the protected characteristics is fully integrated into our curriculum
- To ensure that our curriculum reflects the diverse cultures, histories, and experiences of our community, ensuring that every student sees themselves represented and respected
- To help pupils explicitly engage with views, beliefs and opinions that are different from their own
Staff have received the following training in the academic year 2024/25:
- Introductory training by Reach South’s EDI Lead, Chloe Carruba
- Staff will also receive training from Reach South’s EDI Lead, Chloe Carruba in November and January
Last year, senior leaders completed the ‘Race, Identity and School Leadership’ programme through Integrity Coaching.
We value your feedback and ideas to make Springfields an even more inclusive and welcoming place. For more information or to offer your views please contact our lead for EDIB, Nicola Brooks, Deputy Headteacher.
