Equality in School Planning Cathal Kelly Presentation to SDPI Summer School DCU, 23 August 2005

Legislation Employment Equality Act 1998 Equal Status Act 2000 Equality Act 2004 Education Act 1998 Education (Welfare) Act 2000 Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004

Purpose The equality legislation –Prohibits discrimination –Provides redress if it does occur –Promotes equality

Inequality – a few examples Women dismissed from jobs for being pregnant Refusal to enroll Travellers, children with disabilities, and Muslims in schools Gender patterns in subject take-up in second level Gay people harassed in the work place Black people denied rented accommodation Number of women or of people with disabilities who are senior managers

Equality Authority Promotes equality of opportunity Provides information to the public Monitors and reviews legislation Can undertake equal status reviews and prepare action plans Can assist in taking cases Can take certain cases on its own initiative

The Nine Grounds Gender Marital status Family status Age Disability Sexual orientation Race Membership of the Traveller community Religion

What is Required? Must not –discriminate –harass or sexually harass –victimise Must – provide reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities

What is allowed? May– take positive action

Educational Establishments The four aspects of education named in the Equal Status Acts: – Admission – Access to any course, facility or benefit – Any other term or condition of participation – Expulsion or any other sanction

Inclusive School Positive experiences and outcomes across all nine grounds A sense of ownership and belonging for all students and teachers Accommodates, celebrates and values diverse identities across all nine grounds

Exercise For the specific grounds your team has been assigned, what does it mean to – accommodate diversity? – celebrate diversity? – value diversity? (Take each of the questions separately.)

Equality Framework (1) Equality applies across four dimensions: 1 Redistribution: – Who participates in education? In this school? – Who participates in different courses, subjects, activities and different levels of subjects? – Who participates in class? – Who gets what out of education?

Equality Framework (2) 2 Socio-cultural: what messages are conveyed about different groups –in the content of what is taught? –in the messages is convey by school practices?

Equality Framework (3 + 4) 3 Political domain: –Who makes decisions? –Who is consulted (before and after) decisions are made? –Is the full diversity of stakeholders involved? 4 Affective domain: Concerns relations between people of love, care and solidarity

A “Cube” Nine grounds Gender Marital status Family status Age Disability Race Sexual orientation Membership of the Traveller community Religion Aspects of school Admission Access to a course or other benefit Conditions of participation Application of sanctions Harassment Equality Redistribution Socio-cultural domain Decision making Solidarity

Education Act The school plan shall state –the objectives of the school relating to equality of access to and participation in the school and –the measures which the school proposes to take to achieve those objectives (Education Act 1998, section 21(2))

Example (1): Roma Mother tongue Previous educational attainment Parental experience of discrimination Culture: – “education” v. “schooling” –gender roles –dress and clothing v. school uniforms –school procedures

Example (2): Gender Subject choices School budget assigned to subjects Nature of classroom questions and feedback Uniform requirements Celebration of sporting achievements Language used – harassment School roles – e.g. in student council

Example (3): gay & lesbian Silence and invisibility “Slagging” Second-class status

An approach What happens to my mind-set if the language I use changes – from “they” – to “those of us who”?

The Equality Authority 2 Clonmel Street Dublin 2 Tel: (01) Lo Call: Text Phone:(01) Fax:(01) Website: