Equality

Equality Policy Statement

Highworth Grammar School believes that all individuals should be treated equally and seeks to eliminate discrimination and advance equality of opportunity. A range of education programmes are provided by the school to encourage everyone to participate in learning. The equality implications of policies, procedures and practices, such as recruitment, marketing and procurement, are reviewed regularly to meet equality and diversity best practice. Community cohesion is forged by fostering positive attitudes and good relations between people of differing characteristics, backgrounds, circumstances, religious beliefs and practices. It is important that every member of the school feels represented and has a sense of belonging to this community.

The full policy can be found in the policy section of the website.

Equality Magazines

The students create their own Equality Magazines which you can view by clicking here.

Highworth Annual Equality Information

Equality Objectives:

The equality objectives are updated annually. The following objectives are part of the Highworth School Management and Development Plan for 2026-27:

Equal Opportunities

Ensure staff are aware of the pupil premium strategy and clear in their roles in delivering that strategy
Identification of students at risk of underperformance with timely and effective support
Support for students adversely affected by cost of living challenges
Vulnerable groups remain a focus to ensure high-quality educational experience for all students
Evaluation of Pupil Premium strategy and the deployment of Pupil Premium funds to ensure a continued positive impact on students
All eligible Sixth Formers are in receipt of a bursary payment
Effective strategies to support EAL students

Equality and Diversity

Regular review of systems and processes to ensure aspects of equality are considered and opportunities to celebrate diversity are embedded in subject curricula
Equality Teams celebrate the diversity of the student body and society
International Links are developed and strengthened to celebrate Highworth’s position in a global community

Annual Updates

The Head of Religious Studies is the SMSC (spiritual, moral, social and cultural development) and British Values Lead and advises on different faiths, perspectives and cultures.
Training linked to this policy was delivered on the Staff Development Day on 1 September 2026: the AHT for Behaviour delivered training on micro aggressions to increase staff awareness and training on policy and procedures regarding Prejudice Related Incidents; the Designated Safeguarding Lead delivered whole staff training on Prevent and Safeguarding.
All staff completed ‘Prevention of Sexual Harassment’ online training in September 2026.
Highworth is a designated physical disability school and offers selective places to students with a range of physical disabilities, including wheelchair users.
Student Equality Teams focus on specific equality issues:
- Afro-Caribbean Society, ACS - A group to celebrate and promote education of African and Caribbean culture
- All Abilities Group - A neurodiversity and disability advocacy group
- Asian Society - A group to celebrate and promote education of Asian culture
- Feminist Society - A feminist issues advocacy group
- High Pride - An LGBTQ+ advocacy group
- An Equality Review of the curriculum is due to be reviewed this academic year.
The following Culture Days will be held in 2026-2027 on these proposed dates*:

TERM	DATE	CULTURE DAY NAME	CULTURAL CONNECTION AND FOCUS
1	Friday 18 September	European Day of Languages	Focus: Linguistic diversity and the benefits of learning languages An inclusive celebration of worldwide languages for the whole school, introducing all our Partner Schools to new students.
	Thursday 24 to Monday 28 September	Civic Exchange	Focus: trilingual presentation
	October	Black History Month	ACS
2	Friday 13 November	Asian Culture Day	Focus: The Festival of Lights (Diwali 8 November). Our Nepali and Indian Partner Schools
3	Friday 5 February	Lunar New Year Culture Day	Focus: Celebrations with our Partner School in China
	Friday 12 February	Carnival Culture Day	Focus: connections with our partner school in Mexico and the Spanish-speaking world
4	Wednesday 10 March	International Cultural Evening	Focus: a celebration of Highworth’s global cultural connections
	Friday 19 March	Japanese Culture Day (Mentor)	Focus: Celebrations with our Partner School in Japan
5	Friday 23 April	Africa and the Caribbean Culture Day	Focus: Jamaica Carnival (Early April) & Africa Day (May 25, 2027)
6	Friday 25 June	Global Connections Celebrations Culture Day	Focus: Highworth’s Global Connections A whole school event celebrating Highworth’s Global Connections and Partner Schools

*See school calendar for full details and any date changes

The Director of International Programmes has achieved: The Global Teacher Award; The Gold Global School Award; and The International School Award.
The Director of International Programmes has reviewed the connections between Highworth students and the global community. Maps have been displayed prominently in school to celebrate these connections.

The school has the following international partnerships:

The Gorkha Secondary School in Dang, Nepal;
Usra Academy in Kaduna, Nigeria;
Lycée Jean Guéhenno and Collège Marie Thérèse, Fougères, France;
Ellen Key Schule, Berlin, Germany;
Le Mûrier, Ifrane, Morocco;
Instituto Miguel Angel, Mexico;
Dalton School, Tokyo, Japan;
Trivandrum International School, Kerala, India;
Foshan Number 1 High School, China.

Student Equality Teams

The Student Equality Teams are run by students and supported by staff members. The following groups have been set up by students:

Afro-Caribbean Society, ACS - A group to celebrate and promote education of Afro-Caribbean culture

The Afro-Caribbean Society is a student equality group with the aim to encourage all students to learn about, engage in and celebrate the joys of African and Caribbean culture. For Black History Month, we produced an educational programme to celebrate prominent African and Caribbean individuals in our society. During lunchtimes, we provide a relaxed environment for anyone to come along and watch films, have snacks and engage in provoking discussion. We have developed a partnership with a school in Northern Nigeria and, in the future, we hope to visit cultural exhibitions and strengthen relations between ACS students, alumni and the wider community.

All Abilities Group - A neurodiversity and disability advocacy group

The All Abilities Group is an inclusive disability and neurodivergence advocacy group. Our aim is to change perceptions of disability and neurodivergence, whilst educating people about discrimination and prejudice that neurologically diverse people and those with disabilities face. Neurodiversity, in simple terms, means that someone’s brain works in a different way. A physical disability means that someone has a physical limitation which changes how they go about their day to day life. A learning disability means that someone may struggle to learn new concepts quickly and may need help carrying out day to day activities. These differences are not always visible and are often referred to as “hidden.” The All Abilities Group is a space for students to talk about their experiences with neurodiversity and disability (either their own or among their family and friends), whilst helping educate people. Our aim is to celebrate our differences, because the world would be so boring if we were all the same.

Asian Society - A group to celebrate and promote education of Asian culture

The Highworth Asian Society was set up in June 2020 with the dual aim of both raising awareness and celebrating Asian culture and heritage in all its forms. We opened the Asian Society to represent the Central Asian, East Asian, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern cultures/connections of our students. Over the last year and a half, the student team has produced videos, informative Powerpoints and assemblies and even established a partnership with a school in Dang, Nepal! We organise events throughout the calendar to celebrate Ramadhan, Diwali, Eid, the Chinese New Year, South Asian Heritage Month, Nepali Culture Day and host competitions such as the Henna Design Competition or Chinese Lantern Design Competition. We want to get students involved in sharing and understanding different cultures. Our ever-growing society is a real testament to the creativity, drive and spirit of the student team, and we are always excited to see what our next project will be!

Prefects: Seona and Sunehera

Feminist Society - A feminist issues advocacy group

The Feminist Society is a Student Equality Group that was set up to discuss and raise awareness of challenges faced by individuals in society due to gender inequality. The Society meets weekly and provides an open and safe forum for students to share their experiences, thoughts and opinions, and work together to raise awareness of gender inequality. Some topics we have covered in our meetings so far include representation of women in TV and film, perceptions of periods and period advertising, career inequality and street harassment. The group will also be working with the Senior Leadership Team to ensure that the school’s period support is meeting the needs of all students.

Ambassador: Rosa

High Pride - An LGBTQ+ advocacy group

High Pride is an inclusive LGBTQ+ advocacy group with the aim to help all areas of our community feel they belong without discrimination or prejudice. We are focused on understanding how we all fit within society and promoting equality through the school. We work to: develop opportunities for safe, constructive conversation and debate; build positive peer support; learn more about the history of the LGBTQ+ community; understand issues of today; and build a positive all-inclusive future.

Ambassadors: Willow and Rosa