Inclusive School Culture
At St Joseph's School, we aim to create a safe and inclusive environment for our 
school community by meeting our legal and regulatory responsibilities, promoting inclusion, and having procedures to manage any concerns. We acknowledge the advice of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference (NZCBC) that "all people are different and that building relationships of aroha must always be the priority over excluding or alienating others" – see Aroha and Diversity in Catholic Schools 
.
The Education and Training Act 2020 (s 10) defines the school community as:
- the parents, families, and whānau of the school's students
- the Māori community associated with the school
- any other person, or group of persons, who the board or a sponsor considers is part of the school community for the purposes of the relevant provision.
Legal and regulatory responsibilities
As required by the Education and Training Act 2020 (s 127), the paramount objective of the board in governing the school is to ensure that every student at the school is able to attain their highest possible standard in educational achievement.
To meet the paramount objective, the board meets the following supporting objectives:
- ensuring that the school:
- is a physically and emotionally safe place for all students and staff
- gives effect to relevant student rights set out in the Education and Training Act 2020, the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, and the Human Rights Act 1993
Student rights within the Education and Training Act include:
- the right to a physically and emotionally safe place (s 127)
- the right to education (s 33)
- the right to an education that meets the specific aims set out in s 5.4.
The Bill of Rights Act includes a range of human rights that apply to students and confirms most of the rights of section 127 of the Education and Training Act, and others, including:
- the right not to be subjected to cruel, degrading, or disproportionately severe treatment or punishment (s 9)
- freedom of thought, conscience, religion, and belief, and freedom of expression, including the freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and opinions of any kind in any form (s 13, 14)
- the right to manifest that person's religion or belief in worship (s 15)
- freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of association (s 16, 17)
- the right to be secure against unreasonable search or seizure, whether of the person, property, or correspondence or otherwise (s 21) – giving rise to s 105-114 of the Education and Training Act
- the right to the observance of the principles of natural justice (s 27)
- freedom from discrimination on the grounds of discrimination in the Human Rights Act 1993 (s 19).
The Human Rights Act protects people from discrimination on the grounds of sex, marital status, religious or ethical belief, colour, race, ethnic or national origin, disability, age, political opinion, employment status, family status, and sexual orientation (s 21.1).
These rights are particularly relevant if addressing a behavioural matter or if the school is considering a stand-down, suspension, or exclusion.
- takes all reasonable steps to eliminate racism, stigma, bullying, and any other forms of discrimination within the school
- is inclusive of, and caters for, students with differing needs
- seeks to achieve equitable outcomes for Māori students
- takes all reasonable steps to provide for students to be taught, and to learn, in te reo Māori on request of their parents or immediate caregivers
- takes reasonable steps to ensure that the policies and practices for the school reflect New Zealand's cultural diversity.
The board also:
- operates employment policies that comply with the principles of being a good employer (Education and Training Act 2020, s 597), including:
- ensuring an employee is not discriminated against in their employment (Employment Relations Act 2000, s 104-108)
- ensuring an employee is not racially or sexually harassed (Employment Relations Act 2000, s 108-109).
- consults with the school community, as required (Education and Training Act 2020) – see School Community Engagement Policy
The Education and Training Act 2020 (s 10) defines the school community as:
- the parents, families, and whānau of the school's students
- the Māori community associated with the school
- any other person, or group of persons, who the board or a sponsor considers is part of the school community for the purposes of the relevant provision.
- has a strategic plan that (Education (School Planning and Reporting) Regulations 2023):
- outlines how we will achieve our legislated objectives
- is linked to any relevant national education strategies or plans (including Ka Hikitia, the Action Plan for Pacific Education, and the oranga tamariki action plan) and the foundation curriculum policy statements and national curriculum statements
- aims to make progress towards goals based on the identities, needs, and aspirations of our school community, including strategies for identifying and catering for students whose needs have not yet been well met.
The Education (School Planning and Reporting) Regulations 2023 define students whose needs have not yet been well met as including, without limitation, the following students:
(a) Māori students:
(b) Pacific students:
(c) disabled students:
(d) students with learning support needs, including gifted and talented students:
(e) students who are, or are at risk of, not progressing towards or achieving against curriculum expectations:
(f) students in respect of whom a care or protection order has been made under the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989:
(g) students in the youth justice system.
School boards must address the needs of students whose needs have not yet been well met in their strategic plans, annual implementation plans, and annual reports.
Also see School Planning and Reporting.
Board members are subject to mandatory code of conduct requirements. Teachers are subject to a code and standards for the teaching profession.
Certificated teachers and teachers with a limited authority to teach are required to uphold key values, code principles, and professional standards. The key values are:
- whakamana – empowering all learners to reach their highest potential by providing high-quality teaching and leadership
- manaakitanga – create a welcoming, caring, and creative learning environment that treats everyone with respect and dignity
- pono – show integrity by acting in ways that are fair, honest, ethical, and just
- whanaungatanga – engage in positive and collaborative relationships with learners, whānau, colleagues, and the wider community
See Our Code, Our Standards
Board members are required to act and behave in a manner that demonstrates and promotes common objectives. In relation to creating an inclusive school culture, these include:
- being culturally responsive and fair
- actively promoting a safe school environment
- treating all members of the school community with courtesy and respect
- taking responsibility for ongoing professional development, including a focus on Te Tiriti o Waitangi
- engaging with our community in sensitive and appropriate ways
- speaking up for all students regardless of personal beliefs or interests.
See Code of conduct for school board members
Our status as a state-integrated school allows us to have preference of enrolment, require attendance dues, and have special requirements around the appointment and employment of teachers, as well as uphold our special character in our general school programmes, instruction of students, and our school customs and traditions (Education and Training Act, Schedule 6). We align our legal right to uphold our special character with our other legal and regulatory responsibilities.
See Board Responsibilities and Proprietor and Integration Agreement.
Promoting inclusion
Our school vision and strategic goals support our inclusive school culture. We have a plan for working towards our strategic goals based on the identities, needs, and aspirations of our school community, and our special character. This includes identifying and catering for students whose needs have not yet been well met. We use the principles of the New Zealand Curriculum as a foundation for our curriculum decision-making, including inclusion, cultural diversity, and the bicultural foundations of Aotearoa New Zealand. See School Planning and Reporting.
We aim to create a safe and inclusive school culture where diversity is valued, all members of our school community can feel they belong, and students are able to attain their highest possible standard in educational achievement. We support this aim by:
- promoting our school values
- having high aspirations for every student
- having high behaviour expectations for students, staff, and the school community
- responding effectively to bullying, harassment, racism, discrimination, or other non-inclusive behaviours
Discrimination is defined as treating a person less favourably than others who are in the same or similar circumstances, due to an aspect of their identity. Discrimination can be based on sex, race, age, colour, ethnicity or nationality, religious belief, ethical belief, political opinion, marital or family status, employment status, sexual orientation or gender identity, a disability, or other personal attributes listed in the Human Rights Act 1993 (s 27).
Discrimination in employment is when an employer or person in authority treats an employee less favourably because of an aspect of their identity, or their involvement in a union.
Human Rights Act 1993
Employment Relations Act 2000
Racism is defined as ideas, actions, or policies that ignore or exclude cultures that do not belong to the majority, creating unfair differences and access to power across ethnic/racial groups.
The Human Rights Act protects people from racial discrimination and racial harassment in certain areas of public life including employment, education, and government services. Racial discrimination is when people are treated differently and less fairly than others because of their race, ethnicity, or colour. Racial harassment is hurtful or offensive language or behaviour of a racial nature that has a harmful effect on the person it is directed against.
See Racism and harmful speech (Human Rights Commission)
New Zealand law defines harassment in the following ways:
- Harassment is defined as a pattern of intimidating behaviour directed against another person that includes doing any specified act on at least two separate occasions within a period of 12 months. See the Harassment Act 1997 (s 3, 4).
- Racial harassment is defined as harassment on the basis of race. See the Human Rights Act 1993 (s 63) and the Employment Relations Act 2000 (s 109).
- Sexual harassment is defined as behaviour of a sexual nature that is unwelcome or offensive to the person receiving it and repeated, or of such a significant nature, that it has a detrimental effect on that person. It may also describe an implied or explicit threat or promise that accepting or rejecting this sexual behaviour will affect a person's education or employment. See the Human Rights Act 1993 (s 62) and the Employment Relations Act 2000 (s 108).
Bullying is defined as behaviour that is deliberate and can cause harm. Bullying is usually repeated or ongoing, and involves a misuse of power. See What is bullying? (Bullying-Free NZ).
We acknowledge that the WorkSafe definition of bullying includes behaviour that may not be deliberate and this should be considered when managing concerns of bullying involving staff. See WorkSafe .
- partnering with students, their whānau, and our wider school community, to build relationships and take a collaborative approach to:
- meeting the diverse identities, needs, and aspirations of our school community
- reducing any barriers to student achievement and attendance
- supporting quality teaching and leadership and developing staff competence to support the needs and abilities of all students.
Also see Curriculum and Student Achievement Policy, Learning Support, and Māori Educational Achievement.
Raising and responding to concerns
We promote a school culture where raising concerns is safe. We encourage staff, students, and other members of the school community to raise concerns about behaviour that breaches this policy by following our school policies and procedures.
- To raise concerns about racism, discrimination, or other non-inclusive behaviours, see Concerns and Complaints Policy.
- To raise concerns about bullying or harassment, see Bullying and Harassment.
- To raise concerns (especially serious concerns) about the wellbeing and/or safety of a student, see Child Protection and Responding to Student Wellbeing Concerns.
- If appropriate, a person with a concern or complaint who fits the definition of a discloser and has concerns about certain types of serious wrongdoing may instead follow the processes for a protected disclosure. See Making a Protected Disclosure.
At St Joseph's School, a "discloser" means an individual who is or has been an employee (including someone who is/was employed on secondment), a contractor, a volunteer, or a board member. A person who discloses information in support of, or relating to, a protected disclosure by someone else is also entitled to protection, as long as they meet the requirements of the Act.
Protected Disclosures (Protection of Whistleblowers) Act 2022 (s 8)
- Staff are encouraged to raise any employment-related concerns by following the concerns and complaints policy.
We follow our privacy policy at all times. See Privacy Policy.
Related policies
Legislation
- Human Rights Act 1993
- Education and Training Act 2020
- New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990
- Employment Relations Act 2000
Resources
Hei mihi | Acknowledgement
SchoolDocs appreciates the professional advice of the Anderson Lloyd legal team (Dunedin) in reviewing an earlier version of this policy. The policy has since been updated to align with legislative changes.
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: Term 4 2025, Term 2 2024, Term 4 2022, Term 2 2021
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