The legislative framework

last updated:03 Sep 2009

A range of legislation requires public bodies - including schools - to promote equality of opportunity and eliminate discrimination. Legislation has an impact on schools both in their role as an employer, and in their service provision.

Currently there are three separate equality duties on public bodies. These are race, which came into force in 2000, followed by disability in 2005 and gender in 2006. The specific duties for schools require them to produce equality schemes for each or a joint scheme for all. These must state how the school intends to meet its duties under the legislation, and how it will assess the impact of its current and planned policies and practice on equality. A further duty to promote community cohesion was introduced in September 2007.
 
The Equality Bill was introduced in the House of Commons in April 2009 and is likely to come into force in October 2010. It will create a new single public sector equality duty which will include the existing race, gender, and disability duties, together with new ones for age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity, and gender-reassignment.