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Resources
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BlogsEquality and diversity
Equality of opportunity means ensuring that people who have visible and non-visible differences are free from discrimination.
There are a number of UK and European laws that promote equality and diversity.
Diversity encompasses acceptance of and respect to our individual differences - race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, disability/physical abilities, religion or belief.
It is about understanding, embracing and celebrating these differences. In employment, diversity is about recoginising, valuing and taking account of people's different backgrounds, knowledge, skills and experiences, and encouraging and using those differences to create a productive and effective workforce.
Discrimination within an institution is no longer acceptable in the UK. New teachers should not experience discrimination at any point in their career. If they do, ATL is ready to help its members with any equalities issues they may face.
The following laws have been passed prohibiting discrimination in the work place on the grounds of gender, race, sexual orientation, disability, religion or belief, and age:
- The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 prohibits discrimination on grounds of gender, and marital status in employment, education and the provision of goods and services and on grounds of gender reassignment in the field of employment. It applies in England, Scotland and Wales. The Equality Act 2006 amended this act to place a 'general duty' on all public authorities to promote gender equality with effect from 6 April 2007. It also makes a provision for most public authorities to carry out 'specific duties', too. The gender equality duty applies to students and pupils as well as employees.
- The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 prohibits discrimination on grounds of race, colour, nationality and ethnicity in employment, education and provision of goods and services. It applies in England, Scotland and Wales.
- The Disability Discrimination Act 1995, as amended by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001, prohibits local authorities, schools, colleges, universities, providers of adult education and the youth service from discriminating against disabled people in their access to education for a reason that is related to their disability. The Act applies in England, Scotland, Wales and, in relation to employment in Northern Ireland. The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 places a general duty on public authorities to promote disability equality. It prohibits discrimination by these authorities against a disabled person in carrying out their public functions.
- Since December 2003, the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 prohibit discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation in employment and vocational training. The regulations apply across England, Scotland and Wales, whatever the size of the organisation, whether in the public or the private sector.
- The Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003 prohibit discriminate on grounds of religion or belief in employment and vocational training.
- The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 come into force on 1 October 2006 and will prohibit unjustified direct and indirect age discrimination, and all harassment and victimisation on grounds of age.
To ensure that everyone is treated equitably and with respect, institutions must constantly examine procedures and practices to ensure that they are working.
Help and support
For further advice on this issue, ATL members can speak to their school rep, their branch secretary or their regional official. They can also call the London (020 7930 6441), Cardiff (029 2046 5000) or Belfast offices (02890 327 990) or email info@atl.org.uk.
For out of hours enquiries, call the out of office hours helpline on 020 7782 1612 (Monday-Friday, 5-8pm during term time). Don’t forget that ATL also offers a Crisis Line for members who have suffered assaults or trauma either at work or in their private lives (08705 234 838).
If you are not a member, join now.