Protected Characteristics

The Equality Act 2010 is intended to ensure that everyone is treated equally in society.  It legally protects people from discrimination.  Discrimination is most commonly experienced by people who share certain characteristics.  The Equality Act calls these ‘protected’ characteristics.  There are 9 protected characteristics.

At St John’s, we believe that it is important that all children have an understanding of the world they are growing up in, learning how to live alongside, and show respect for, a diverse range of people.

At St John’s, we follow the Jigsaw PSHRE curriculum. Through this, we explicitly teach children about all of the 9 protected characteristics over the course of their primary years. The Protected Characteristics are also taught through assemblies and through age-appropriate story books.

The table below shows which characteristics covered in each of the year groups. Careful consideration has been given to ensure the content of each lesson is appropriate to the ages and stages of the children receiving them.

NB- In Jigsaw the ‘Gender reassignment’ focus is on accepting all people as unique individuals, not on transitioning itself.

If you have any questions about the way that the protected characteristics are taught at St John’s, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s class teacher in the first instance.