The nine protected characteristics are:

• Age – not including under-18s
• Disability
• Gender reassignment – including people who have proposed, started or completed a process to change their sex but who are not under medical supervision
• Marriage/civil partnership – not including those who are not married/in a civil partnership
• Pregnancy and maternity – defined as all stages of pregnancy and the 26 week period following the birth of a child
• Race - including caste, nationality, ethnicity, skin colour
• Religion or belief – including atheism or agnosticism
• Sex - a man or a woman
• Sexual orientation

 The Equality Act (2010) consolidates and replaces all previous equalities legislation such as the Race Relations Act, Disability Discrimination Act and Sex Discrimination Act.

The Public Sector Equality Duty places additional duties on public sector organisations such as multi academy trusts. The duties include working proactively to eliminate discrimination on the basis of the nine protected characteristics. The duties also require public bodies to have due regard to the need to:

• Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation and other prohibited conduct under the Equality Act (2010)
• Advance equality of opportunity between people of different groups
• Foster good relations between people from different groups.

Please click here to view the SLT Equal Opportunities Policy.