At Oak Lodge we are very aware that we are part of a number of communities:
· The school community
· The Deaf community
· The cultural and religious community of the family

We teach pupils directly to respect everyone within our communities. The Oak Lodge Principles are well established and well known by all our pupils and staff.

We recognise that the school is an important part of the Deaf community, and we encourage pupils to feel proud to be members of that community. We have several deaf staff, our own Sign Language Interpreter, we teach Deaf Studies and enable our pupils to pass CACDP Sign Language exams, we have Sign Language classes for parents, staff and members of the public. We have close links with organisations for Deaf people: British Deaf Association, National Deaf Children's Society, Friends for Young Deaf People, RNID, etc. We also organise visits to events for Deaf people, e.g. interpreted talks at art galleries and signed theatre events, hostel pupils visit Deaf youth clubs, we invite prominent and successful Deaf people to talk to our pupils here in school, and so on.

Pupils are encouraged to be proud of their own culture and the culture of their parents and family. There is a strong commitment to equal opportunities for all staff and pupils. Some of the practical ways in which we encourage this are:
· celebrating festivals from many cultures, including Eid, Chinese New Year, Diwali, Christmas, Hannukah, etc. in assemblies, in events in the hostel, and displays in school.
· hosting deaf and hearing visitors from other countries.
· inviting representatives from different cultural groups within the Deaf community into school.
· making the school uniform flexible to allow for different cultural dress requirements.
· providing Halal and vegetarian food daily.
· supporting those pupils who wish to fast during Ramadan.

Staff are encouraged to be aware of cultural and equal opportunities issues when they are planning and teaching all curriculum areas, but especially in Personal, Social and Health Education, Religious Education and History/Geography.

Spoken language interpreters are provided at annual reviews for parents whose first language is not English. They can also be organised at other times by appointment. Sign Language interpreters are provided at reviews, parents' evenings, drama productions, Governors' meetings, staff meetings, etc.