Schools - risk assessment guidance: equality impact assessment
Equality impact assessment for risk assessment guidance on fostering a positive, inclusive and safe environment and violent, aggressive and dangerous behaviour.
Key Findings
The EQIA was informed by published research on the experience of relationships and behaviour in schools and which led to the establishment of the actions to establish new guidance on these specific areas related to consequences and risk assessment. Further, statistical information from the annual pupil census was utilised to confirm information in relation to the populations of young people in schools affected by certain characteristics, where possible. The development of the guidance and the EQIA reflected the engagement with stakeholders through the Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour and through working groups established to inform the guidance. This included some limited engagement with young people themselves on relevant topics.
Overall, the guidance documents were assessed to be expected to have a positive impact in relation to the applicable protected characteristics in schools. It was also assessed that there would be positive effect in terms of the three Public Sector Equality Duties. This was predominantly because actions to improve relationships and behaviour in schools will benefit all pupils collectively, but will improve negative experiences which some young people affected by protected characteristics experience when displaying or experiencing poor behaviour. Whilst there was limited evidence of abusive behaviour arising from protected characteristics, improvement overall will benefit young people, and school staff and communities.
The guidance documents contribute to this, through clarification on the use of setting appropriate boundaries and expectations, responding in a way that meets the needs of the individual child, the use of consequences in schools to support positive relationships and behaviour, and the use of risk assessments in relation to violent, aggressive and dangerous behaviour.
The Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research is a time series (established in 2006) which enables the consideration over time of patterns of behaviour and relationships in schools. This will continue to be used to monitor changes in experiences of pupils’ behaviour, and staff experiences, including in relation to consequences and use of risk assessments. Going forward, and in response to concerns about children and young people’s views, the research will include young people’s views.