Lesson video

Hello, my name is Miss Willow and I'm going to be your teacher for today's lesson.

Today's lesson is called "Equality in Modern Britain" and it fits into the unit Communities: Why is respect, understanding and compassion important? During this lesson, we're going to be discussing equality and discrimination.

Some of this content might be upsetting to you.

If you're learning at home, we recommend that you be supervised by an adult.

If you do find anything in this lesson upsetting, it's really important that you close the screen and that you speak to a trusted adult.

Okay, let's make a start on today's learning.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to explain the Equality Act, how it protects people from discrimination and you'll be able to explain what to do if you witness discrimination.

Before we get started with today's lesson, we need to go over some ground rules.

These helps to make sure that everyone feel safe and comfortable during today's lesson.

First of all Laura says that we need to listen to others.

It's okay to disagree with each other, but we should always listen properly before we make any assumptions or before we decide how to respond.

When we disagree with someone else, it's important to challenge the statement and not the person themselves.

Next, Andeep says that we need to respect each other's privacy.

We can discuss examples, but we shouldn't use any names or descriptions that identify anyone, including ourselves.

If we want to share a story, we can refer to someone as my friend.

This means that we're not going to give away any identifying information.

Next, Jacob says no judgment.

We can explore any beliefs and misunderstandings that we have about a topic without fear of being judged by others.

And finally, Izzy says that we can choose our level of participation.

Everyone has the right to choose not to answer a question or to join in with discussion and we should never put anyone on the spot.

We're now going to take a look at the keywords for today's lesson.

First of all, we have Equality Act of 2010.

This is a UK law passed in 2010 that aims to individuals from unjust treatment.

Next, we have discrimination.

This is when people are treated unfairly or differently because of things like their race, sex or beliefs.

Today's lesson is split into two learning cycles.

Our first learning cycle is called what is the Equality Act? And our second learning cycle is called how does the Equality Act protect people? Let's make a start on our first learning cycle.

What is the Equality Act? The Equality Act of 2010 is a law that helps to make sure that everyone is treated fairly and given the support that they need to have the same opportunities.

The Equality Act was introduced in 2010 to bring together lots of different anti-discrimination laws.

It applies in England, Scotland and Wales and it protects people from unfair treatment in work, education and in public spaces.

Ms. Walsh reminds us that this law isn't just for adults in jobs, it protects people in lots of different places, such as public spaces and sports clubs.

The Equality Act of 2010 lists nine protected characteristics.

Age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnerships, pregnancy and maternity, race and ethnicity, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

Let's do a check for understanding to see how you're doing so far.

Which of these statements about the Equality Act are true? A, it applies in England, Wales and Scotland.

B, it only applies to people in their workplaces.

Or C, it lists nine protected characteristics.

What do you think? Which of these statements about the Equality Act are true? Pause the video, talk to the people around you, have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that A and C are correct.

It's true that the Equality Act applies in England, Wales and Scotland and that it lists protected characteristics.

It's not true that the Equality Act only applies to people in their workplaces.

It also applies to public spaces and in education too.

Well done if you said the same thing.

For our next check for understanding, I'd like you to decide what is missing from the list of protected characteristics according to the Equality Act of 2010.

We have age, disability, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and sexual orientation.

Which protected characteristics are missing according to the Act of 2010? Pause the video, talk to the people around you or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that gender reassignment and sex are the missing protected characteristics according to the Equality Act.

The protected characteristics that are outlined in the Equality Act are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

Well done if you got this right.

Lucas asks a really good question.

He asks, "Does the Equality Act mean treating everyone exactly the same?" So the Equality Act doesn't mean treating everyone exactly the same.

The Equality Act is about fairness and equal access, not identical treatment.

Sometimes fairness means making adjustments so that everyone is the same chance to take part.

Treating everyone in exactly the same way can still be unfair if it doesn't meet people's needs.

Examples of some of these adjustments might include an employee being allowed flexible working hours so that they can attend important medical appointments.

They might include a council installing ramps alongside stairs so that everyone can enter the building.

They might include an employer providing application forms in different formats so that all candidates can apply easily.

Ms. Walsh tells us that, "Fairness means thinking about what each person might need to take part equally, not just treating everyone in exactly the same way." Let's do another check for understanding to see how you're doing.

I'd like you to decide if this statement is true or false.

The Equality Act means treating everyone exactly the same.

What do you think? Is this true or false? Pause the video, talk to the people around you or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that this is false, but why? You might have said that the Equality Act is about making sure that everyone is treated fairly and gets the support that they need.

Sometimes this means giving extra help or making adjustments so that everyone has the same chances.

Well done if you said this or something similar.

We're now moving on to your first practice task and well done for your hard work so far.

For the first part of this task, I'd like you to name two examples of protected characteristics under the Equality Act.

For the second part of this task, I'd like you to answer the question, what does it mean if a characteristic is protected by law? And for the final part of this task, I'd like you to give one example of how the Equality Act applies in everyday life outside of school.

Pause the video and we'll go through some model answers in a few minutes.

Okay, let's see what you might have said.

For the first part of this task, name two examples of protective characteristics under the Equality Act.

There were lots of different answers for this one, but you might have said sex and gender reassignment.

For the second part of this task, what does it mean if a characteristic is protected by law? You might have said that it means the law protects people from being treated unfairly because of that characteristic.

And for the third part of this task, give one example of how the Equality Act applies in everyday life outside school, you might have said that being paid the same as colleagues for the same work.

Well done if your answers were anything like this, or if you had some similar ideas.

We're now moving on to our second learning cycle, and well done for your hard work so far.

This learning cycle is called How does the Equality Act protects people? Protection under the Equality Act means that it's unlawful to treat someone unfairly or less favorably because of a protected characteristic.

It applies in many areas including work and training, shops and public services and clubs and community groups.

If discrimination happens there are processes to challenge it and to make it right.

Ms. Walsh says that protection from the Equality Act doesn't mean problems never happen, it just means that the law is on your side if they do happen.

Let's do a check for understanding to see how you're doing.

Jack says, "I think the Equality Act means that discrimination no longer exists." Can you explain why Jack is incorrect? Pause the video, talk to the people around you, or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that this is incorrect because while the Equality Act makes discrimination unlawful, discrimination can unfortunately still happen, which is why the law exists to protect people and provide action when it does occur.

Well done if your answer was anything like this.

The Equality Act means that it's unlawful to discriminate against someone because they're male or female.

Helena, who works in Human Resources, which is often called HR, says that for example in the workplace, men and women must be paid equally for doing the same work of equal value.

The Equality Act also means that it's unlawful to discriminate against people who are proposing to, undergoing, or who have completed a process to change the gender that they live as.

Helena says that for example, in the workplace, an employee cannot be treated unfairly or harassed because of their gender reassignment.

This is because gender reassignment is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act, just like sex is.

Knowing your rights is important, but so is knowing what to do if you witness discrimination happening to others.

If you see discrimination in school, it's really important to tell a teacher or a trusted adult at home, to not join in or share harmful comments online and it's important to sit with the person at lunch or include them in activities so that they feel included.

Ms. Walsh reminds us that if you see discrimination at school come to a teacher or a member of support staff straight away, we'll take it seriously and remember that if you're not listened to the first time make sure that you speak to a different trusted adult and get help.

We're now going to talk a little bit about what to do if we see discrimination happen in the community.

So if it's safe to do so, it's important to support the person affected and let them know that they're not alone.

You can report it to an appropriate person or authority.

If it's really serious and it's an emergency, you can contact the police on 999.

If it's not an emergency, but you'd still like support from the police, you can call 101.

You can also politely challenge the discrimination if you feel able to and if it's safe to do so.

Police officer Kofi says that if you see discrimination in your community, you can tell someone who can help like a shop manager, an event organizer or a police officer.

Reporting what's happened means the situation can be properly addressed.

Speaking up helps to protect others and it shows that discrimination is not acceptable in your community.

We're now going to talk a little bit about what to do if you see discrimination in the workplace.

So first of all stay calm, don't escalate the situation.

Support the person who's experienced discrimination, check that they're okay and make sure that they don't feel alone.

Report it, so to a manager, a HR department or use the workplace's specific reporting process.

If you're not sure what this is, you can speak to your manager.

You can also keep a record, so note what's happened, when and who was involved.

This can be helpful in the future so that you have a record of what's happened.

Helena from Human Resources says that reporting discrimination isn't causing trouble.

It's helping to make the workplace fair for everyone.

When discrimination goes unreported, it often continues and it can affect more people.

By speaking up, you're helping to create a workplace where everyone feels safe and valued.

Let's do a check for understanding to see how you're doing with this learning cycle.

If you see discrimination happening, which of these actions would be sensible? A, reporting it to a trusted adult, manager or relevant authority.

B, offering support to the person being targeted if it's safe to do so.

Or C, ignore it completely so that you don't get involved.

If you see discrimination happening, which of those actions that I've just read out would be sensible? Pause the video, talk to the people around you or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that A and B are correct.

If we see discrimination happening it's important to report it to a trusted adult, manager or relevant authority and it's also important to offer support to the person being targeted if it's safe to do so.

It's important that we don't ignore discrimination when we see it.

It's important that we do our bit to make sure that everyone feels safe and comfortable in our community.

Well done if you said the same thing.

We're now moving on to our final practice task and well done for your hard work so far.

I'd like you to read this scenario and I'd like you to answer the questions.

In an office a staff member who's been through gender reassignment is repeatedly mocked by two colleagues.

The comments are about their appearance in past and they are made in front of other staff.

I'd like you to first answer this question.

Would the Equality Act apply in this situation? Why or why not? For the second part of this task, I'd like you to answer the question.

If a colleague witnessed this discrimination, what would be a sensible course of action? Pause the video and we'll go through what you might have said in a few minutes.

Okay, let's see what you might have said.

For the first question would the Equality Act apply in this situation, why or why not? You might have said that this is discrimination because the staff member is being treated unfairly due to having been through gender reassignment.

Gender reassignment is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act of 2010, so the law would apply in this situation.

For the second part of this question, if a colleague witnessed this discrimination, what would be a sensible course of action? You might have said that a colleague should make sure that this person is safe and offers support if appropriate.

They should report the incident to a manager or human resources, often called HR, and they should give an accurate account of what they witnessed.

Well done if your answers were anything like this.

We're now going to summarize the key learning from today's lesson.

In today's lesson we've learned that the Equality Act of 2010 is a law that protects people from discrimination at work, in education and in everyday life, so for example, in public spaces.

Sex is a protected characteristic, which means it is unlawful to treat someone unfairly because they're male or female.

Gender reassignment is a protected characteristic too.

This means it is unlawful to treat someone unfairly because they're proposing to, are undergoing or have undergone a process to change the gender that they live as.

If you see discrimination in school, work or in the community, you should report it to someone who can help and support the person affected if it's safe and appropriate to do so.

Remember that in an emergency, it's really important to call 999 and if you'd like support from the police, but it's not an emergency, you can call 101.

During this lesson you might have found that you've got some worries or questions and if you do it's really important that you share these with a trusted adult.

There's also a resource on the screen that's there to help you too if you need some additional support.

Well done for your hard work in today's lesson.

I hope to see you again soon.