Pupils: Facial Disfigurement

(asked on 26th March 2018) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that (a) early years settings, (b) schools and (c) further education colleges take action against discrimination of pupils based on visible facial disfigurements.


Answered by
Nadhim Zahawi Portrait
Nadhim Zahawi
This question was answered on 5th April 2018

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework sets the regulatory standards for learning and development and safeguarding and welfare requirements for registered providers caring for children from birth to five. The EYFS Framework is mandatory for all early years providers to ensure that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. The EYFS seeks to provide equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice, ensuring that every child is included and supported.

School Governing Boards’ duties towards those with disabilities (which may include those with facial disfigurements) are included in the Equality Act 2010: they must not discriminate against, harass or victimise disabled children and young people. All schools are legally required to have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying among pupils. They have the freedom to develop their own anti-bullying strategies appropriate to their school but are held to account via Ofsted.

Further Education Colleges are autonomous organisations, which are subject to the provisions on discrimination in the Equality Act. Matters of this nature would therefore be for individual colleges.

Reticulating Splines