Chatsworth Schools DEI Charter
The DEI charter below was created in September 2023 by our Head of DEI, Joanna Leach and our group-wide DEI Leads to make a tangible commitment to embedding a culture of DEI across our schools to ensure every member of our global community feels like they belong:
Chatsworth Schools is committed to embracing and embedding a diverse, equitable and inclusive community. The integrity of Chatsworth Schools rests on the values of Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity, where every young person and all stakeholders should feel heard, seen and celebrated. We are passionate about co-creating environments which allow for an empowered culture of creativity and innovation, enabling outstanding futures for all.
We seek to ensure fair treatment, equality of opportunity, and fairness in access to information and resources for all. We believe this is only possible in an environment built on respect and dignity.
We aspire to live by our core principles of integrity, resilience and passion, to promote a diverse, equitable and inclusive mindset in our young people and stakeholders, joining together to build a global family in which everyone feels a sense of belonging.
We celebrate and value every member of our community as a unique individual who makes an invaluable contribution to each other and to the wider world. We respect and include people with different backgrounds, life experiences, world views and expertise, because it’s right, and because it makes us stronger.
We aim for all our children to leave our schools well rounded in the widest sense: their minds will be open; their horizons broad and their hearts open to all citizens around them. They will be fully equipped to live and thrive in a multi-cultural world, where they will model inclusion and respect, as a result of their education at Chatsworth schools.
We promote positive change, seeking to manage difference productively, educate ourselves and others, and advocate, committing to celebrating diversity, equity and inclusion for all. We will work together toward a better future, where everyone is safe, valued and able to fulfil their potential, and where our societies are just and fair for all.
Policies & Procedures
- Conduct a DEI review.
- Ensure our policies and procedures are inclusive and non-discriminatory, with regular professional development on what they mean and how to put them into practice within a culture of inclusion.
- Develop new policies where relevant.
- Create and regularly review a glossary of relevant DEI language.
Learning & Teaching
- Ensure our curricula, learning resources and teaching practices are inclusive and represent diverse perspectives and cultures. Review and implement changes, as necessary.
- Ensure every student has an equal learning opportunity to progress in their studies and are not unfairly limited by neurodiversity and learning differences, gender, or race and ethnicity.
- Provide opportunities for students and staff to be involved in DEI initiatives, including learning how to manage difference, engage in civic debate, understand power and conflict, and challenge injustice.
- Recognise personal, social, ethnic, racial and cultural diversity as a fact, a right and resource within our learning communities.
Recruitment & Training
- Ensure our recruitment, career development and promotional processes are fair and inclusive for all candidates and staff.
- Implement DEI staff training from the point of recruitment to ensure our community understands the challenges and works together to drive change.
- Build a workplace culture that understands and values DEI, establishes clear standards of practice, and acts when they are not applied with integrity.
Community Support
- Work with alumni of diverse backgrounds to act as role models to our current students.
- Create and support networks groups starting with but not limited to racial equity, gender, religion and beliefs.
- Establish opportunities for our community of students, parents, staff, alumni and charitable partners to connect and share current challenges and ambitions for the future.
- Capture and proactively encourage feedback from our community.
- Proactively develop partnerships with local, national and international organisations whose missions advance diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Anita Gleave
CEO, Chatsworth Schools
Joanna Leach
DEI Lead, Chatsworth Schools
