Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

At Poplar Primary School we regularly promote and discuss our School Motto

Ready, Respectful Safe

alongside our core values: to be kind, caring, work together, take responsibility, try our best, be positive and to persevere.

As a school, we wanted to focus on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and we are committed to promoting attitudes and values that challenge any discriminatory behaviour or prejudice. 

Through our work over the past few years as a school and a community, we have reviewed our curriculum and assemblies to ensure that we learn about significant people and events from a range of disabilities, ethnicities, cultures and religions. 

In September 2025 we launched a new initiative to further promote equality, diversity and inclusion through the setting up of a children’s group called our Equality Champions. They meet regularly with staff representatives and parents to focus on some of the protected characteristics. Last year we focussed upon Gender and held our very first International Women’s week where many parents led assemblies and presentations across the school.

The Equality champions also wrote and led their own assemblies to promote Disability Awareness Month. The children raised awareness of Down Syndrome, ADHD, equity for wheelchair users and Neurodiversity.

For Black History Month, we were privileged to host an afternoon with Afua Hirsch, a renowned broadcaster and journalist. She then judged the entries to the competition she launched for the children to write about their black hero.

The champions also wrote articles for our very first ED&I newsletter which was shared with the whole community. 

Alongside this work we have explored the understanding of ‘equality’ and unpicked this to look further at ‘equity’. We recognise that this is an important difference and the newly appointed Equality champions for 2026 will be further looking at ways in which this can be embedded across the school community.

Huge congratulations to this year’s champions who wrote their own speeches, presented them and answered further questions about their understanding of equality and equity.

Year 3: Aaron, Lana, Thea.

Year 4: Iliana, Leah, Aaliyah, Ava, Teodora.

Year 5: Thea, Louisa, Megh, Annabella, Mercedah, Rayan.

Year 6: Anaya, Abeeha. Ewan, Saria.