Equal Opportunities Statement

Download a copy of our Equal Opportunities Policy 

Pembury House Nursery School & Children’s Centre is set in South East Tottenham, North London with a diverse population, representing a rich cultural and ethnic mix. The main ethnic groups attending are Eastern European, Turkish, Black African and Black Caribbean. Families here face a range of challenges, including poor housing, low income, mental health problems, domestic abuse, few educational qualifications and unemployment. Many families have fled their home countries, have no family here in the UK and speak little English. We provide the support that these families need.

The special feature of our school is that despite these challenges, children make excellent progress and parents are given opportunities to develop the skills and experiences necessary to improve their lives. Our on-site Sure Start Children’s Centre offers a range of health, counselling, debt management and adult education services.

The Nursery School is an inclusive setting and we have systems to support children with additional needs. Two thirds of children speak a range of 25 languages and Polish and Turkish are our main community languages. Many of the children speak English as an additional language. We assess their stage of English so that we can identify their next steps in language acquisition.

We use the ‘Leuven scale of well-being and involvement’ to support children with emotional needs. We have provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities and a programme of support is organized for them. Our building has disabled access and we have a sensory room. Visiting health professionals include: Educational Psychologist, Psychotherapist and Speech and Language Therapist.

What we believe about Children

The staff at Pembury welcome all children; work with all children and believe that children have the right to learn together and the right to succeed.

Other fundamental beliefs we hold are:

  • All children are unique and should have the opportunity to celebrate and value their own and others endeavour

  • All children should have equal access to the curriculum and to the resources of the centre which meet their individual need

  • Each child has the right to be valued for who they are

  • Each child’s contribution is essential for the enrichment of the community

The nursery school and children centre’s philosophy is that we must be flexible and adaptable to meet the children’s needs, rather than expecting children to fit into the institution. This expectation means that we plan around the children’s needs as they change and develop, evolving practice and provision accordingly.

What we believe about Inclusion across all services of the centre

  • We embrace all people regardless of race, belief, gender or disability.

  • We value diversity and regard different talents and abilities in people as a source of strength.

  • Including all people means that everybody can listen to and learn from each other.

  • We aim to be flexible and willing to embrace change so that we can meet the range of difference and diversity we encounter.

  • We aim to support all users of the setting in understanding their rights and accessing services.

  • We recognise the need to continually reflect upon our practices and attitudes in a continuously changing world.

What we already do

We strive to be a ‘listening’ school and children’s centre community. We listen to all our stakeholders including children, parents, staff, visitors, wider community members and partners. We take seriously all experiences of bullying and hurtful behaviour resulting from bullying such as racism. We invite all our children to talk to us about hurtful behaviour, where it happens, who does it and what it involves. We screen all children termly to assess their well-being and make provision for children needing support.

We endeavour to make reasonable adjustments to ensure access for children, staff and parents/carers with disabilities through annual Access Planning. Our Accessibility Plan outlines the steps we are taking to maintain and improve:

  • Access to the curriculum

  • Access to the physical environment

  • Access to information

Our Accessibility Plan is maintained as a separate document and we will ensure that the actions in the plan fit with the actions and arrangements in the Equality Scheme.

We are committed to following DfE guidance in providing:

  • Teaching and curriculum provision that supports high standards of attainment, promotes common values and builds pupils understanding of the diversity that surrounds them

  • Curriculum activities that promote common values and help pupils to value differences, and challenge prejudice and stereotyping

  • A programme of curriculum based activities whereby children’s understanding of community and diversity is enriched through educational visits, visitors from a range of communities, and links with other schools in the UK and abroad

  • Support for children with English as an additional language, to enable them to reach their potential

  • Support for the British Values and Prevent Strategies