EDI Statement
EDI Statement – Objective and Actions for 2024/25
King’s Oak Academy has two key expectations for our students. That they WORK HARD and BE KIND. This simple phrase aligns with our determination that all of our children will feel successful and exploit all the opportunities available to them in their future. We have high expectations of our colleagues as well as our children within a highly inclusive Academy.
King’s Oak Academy holds a long and deep commitment to welcoming diversity, examples of which are demonstrated on a day-to-day basis throughout the school. The culture of the school supports the aim to positively encourage EDI. Our specific diversity related objectives for 2024-25 include:-
Communication
Ensure communication method has clarity for staff and families and is accessible. This will ensure communications are able to reach all members of the KOA community and allow stakeholders from all groups to engage with the academy.
Curriculum
Raise awareness and understanding of EDI within subject and wider contexts with curriculum opportunities, within and beyond the KOA community identified.
Celebration
Create a sense of belonging for all members of our community by reflecting our community in the assemblies, curriculum, events and activities we provide.
Our Academy Improvement Plan this year lays out the Four pillars . These underpin the 2023-2028 vision so that King’s Oak can serve as the community school of choice for Kingswood. These pillars also focus on the partnerships that King’s Oak will seek to foster over time so that the academy achieves its long-term community educator and enabler ambitions.
The 4th pillar is EDI – Recognising that King’s Oak is an enabling environment that fosters a community which is welcoming, diverse and inclusive of all.
Communication
Communication is our focus for this year. We have begun our work reviewing our current communication practice with questionnaires to staff and families and will work with all staff to ensure it is accessible for all. Work has begun to create links with UWE to carry out a project researching how we create belonging for all of our community in an education setting.
Curriculum
Within our curriculum we are aiming to close the gender gap for reading where it exists in some year groups. Working with Phil Spring as the Literacy AAP to ensure reading is a part of our culture at KOA and texts reflect our cohort and celebrates their experiences.
Using the exemplar from lower school reading and writing templates, we are rolling out annotated curriculums across the academy. Allowing us to recognise and flag up opportunities and links for the EDI agenda within the wider curriculum areas. This work will begin within the History curriculum in middle and upper school in the first instance.
We are committed to raise the attendance and attainment of pupils with SEND. Working with Lou Roscoe to ensure communication of student needs and opportunities for training and development are available to all staff. We are focusing our work on trauma informed practice to ensure a sense of safety and belonging for all students and their families.
As a school we will strive to gain a recognised equality award by the end of the academic year, such as the EDI quality mark. This will involve and audit of our current practice as well as tailored training for staff.
Celebration
Celebration of our community both in and out of the school setting will allow us to explore EDI and protected characteristics through assemblies, pop up days and tutor times. We hope to raise understanding and education around the protected characteristics to reduce the incidence of prejudice related bullying. This increased awareness will lead to the decrease in prejudiced based bullying.
At King’s Oak Academy we are committed to building a diverse, equitable and truly inclusive academy.
We will proactively be addressing these to the best of our abilities, whether this be in respect of recruitment, the curriculum or culture
- Through the implementation of transparent policies, practices, and procedures.
- Through appropriate training, development and experiences of all parties involved.
- Through promoting these principles across the curriculum.
At King’s Oak Academy we recognise that supporting a diverse organisation is a continuous process where long term and sustainable plans are key.
We recognise that attracting, advancing, developing, engaging and retaining a diversity of talent is important; alongside delivering equity of opportunity for our students, staff and families whilst fostering an inclusive culture where differences are valued and enhanced. This is a continuous process where long term and sustainable plans are key.
King’s Oak Academy holds a long and deep commitment to welcoming diversity, examples of which are embedded within our culture and demonstrated on a day-to-day basis throughout the Academy.
