Under section 78 of the Education Act 2002 all schools, including independent schools, have a statutory duty to culturally develop their pupils.

1. Ofsted’s 2004 guidance on promoting and evaluating pupils’ cultural development defined it as:

   Cultural development is about pupils’ understanding their own culture and other cultures in their town, region and in the country as a whole. It is about understanding cultures represented in Europe and elsewhere in the world.

   It is about understanding and feeling comfortable in a variety of cultures and being able to operate in the emerging world culture of shared experiences provided by television, travel and the internet. It is about understanding that cultures are always changing and coping with change. Promoting pupils’ cultural development is intimately linked with schools’ attempts to value cultural diversity and prevent racism.

2. In its most recent Inspection Handbook, Ofsted continues to evaluate the provision of pupils’ cultural development as:

   An understanding and appreciation of the wide range of cultural influences that have shaped their own heritage and that of others, and an understanding and appreciation of the range of different cultures in the school and further afield as an essential element of their preparation for life in modern Britain.

3. In 2019, Ofsted introduced cultural capital (CC) into the Early Years Inspection Handbook and defined it as ‘essential knowledge children need to prepare them for their future success,’ with schools expected to demonstrate how they enrich pupils’ cultural awareness and understanding.

4. It also raises pupils’ attainment levels as well as overall life chances, and where achievement gaps exist between different ethnic groups, doing so helps to bridge those gaps. The 2023 research conducted by the Department of Education and Cabinet Office examined the strategies used by English schools that successfully narrowed the ethnicity achievement gap. Leaders from these schools emphasised a deliberate focus on pupils' ethnicity, culture, religion, nationality, and language within their whole school approach and strategy.

5. The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) Inspection Framework states that:

   Leadership must actively promote principles at the school which encourage pupils to acquire an appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures which furthers and promotes tolerance and respect between different cultural traditions.

6. The Equality Act 2010 provides protection from racial discrimination (direct or indirect) in schools

   This means school leaders have a statutory duty to eliminate racism in their schools.