Aquinas College strives to be a Catholic college for the whole community.  Christ is at the very heart of our philosophy.  This is expressed in our commitment to the gospel values of freedom, justice and love.  "I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full".  (John 10:10).

We affirm and value each member of our community, recognising the dignity and unique nature of each individual.  In this way the presence of Christ is celebrated.  We share each other's strengths, support each other in our weaknesses, and strive for the highest standards of achievement in all we do.  We also encourage a questioning stance towards the values of our increasingly secular society. In short, we aim to provide reasons for living and hoping.

Race Equality Statement of Values
Christ is the foundation of everything we do and the Gospels provide us with our influence and inspiration.  We are therefore committed to promoting:

• The uniqueness of the individual
  We are committed to treat every person with equality of esteem and the respect and dignity due to a child of God.
• The search for excellence
  We celebrate the enrichment of the total community which flows from diversity of age, gender, racial and social origins, abilities, culture and religion.
• The education of the whole person
  We aim to prepare students for a life working with others in communities which may be diverse socially, culturally and religiously.  We recognise that it is important to help students to understand their own ethnic identity and cultural heritage, as well as helping them to understand that of others.
• Moral principles
  Our belief in the Gospel message commits us to be in the forefront of the movement for social and racial justice and harmony.  We believe this is fundamental to the common good.  We aim to prepare our students to serve as witnesses to these moral and spiritual values in the wider world.

Race Equality Policy Statement

• Aquinas College is committed to tackling racial discrimination, promoting equality of opportunity and good race relations.
• The translation of this policy into practice is the responsibility of everyone in the college.
• This policy should be read in conjunction with the college's Equal Opportunities Policy.

Aims and Objectives
The aims of this policy are to:

• Eliminate unlawful racial discrimination.
• Promote equality of opportunity
• Promote good relations between people of different racial groups

The specific objectives of this policy are:

• To make the college community aware of the aims of this policy
• To assess the impact of the policy
• To collect and analyse monitoring data in relation to this policy 

Legal Framework
The legal framework for this policy is taken from the: Race Relations Act 1976 (as amended by the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000).

Assessment of the impact of the Race Equality Policy on students and staff of different racial groups

• In order to assess the impact of the race equality policy Aquinas College will collect and analyse relevant monitoring data.
• *A formal questionnaire will be sent out to staff and students from all racial groups to find out their needs and opinions.*
• This assessment will take place annually and will be the responsibility of the Equal Opportunities co-ordinator.
• Aquinas College will use the results of these assessments to review its race equality policy.

Monitoring
The following indicators will be monitored annually:

Students

• Conversion rate between application, offer of place and enrolment - by gender/race/disability
• % of 16-19 year old students passing courses - by gender/race
• % of adult students passing course by gender/race
• % of students receiving learning support by gender/race
• % of students who feel that the college has dealt with equal opportunities issues fairly and without discrimination (see * above)

Staff
The responsibility to collate and report on the monitoring of the Equal Opportunities Policy and the Race Equality Policy will lie with the Equal Opportunities Co-ordinator.

• Results of monitoring will be used to assess the effectiveness of the Equal Opportunities Policy and the Race Equality Policy and to review and set targets in, relevant Strategic Plans.
• It is the responsibility of all line managers to be aware of the monitoring data available for their area/subject and to act on it accordingly.
• Publication of the data involved in the monitoring of the Equal Opportunities Policy and Race Equality Policy will take place annually.

Full copies will be given to the following:

• Senior Managers with overall responsibility for Equal Opportunities quality assurance.
• Governor with overall responsibility for Equal Opportunities quality assurance
• All staff and student members of the Equal Opportunities Group.

Summary reports will be made available:
On the college intranet site which is accessible to all staff and students.