\u201cTo create an inclusive University where everyone is <\/strong>treated fairly and with respect, where we feel valued and have a sense of belonging; a culture where it is safe to speak up and speak out and where we are empowered to grow and realise our full potential.\u201d <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy is a strategy for everyone. From our students and staff, and those we hope will join us in the future, to our partners, suppliers, and contractors. We intend it to be a catalyst for corporate, collaborative action, bringing about systemic change to improve our performance and reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What do we mean by Equity Diversity and Inclusion?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Equality Act, 2010 places a Public Sector Equity Duty[1]<\/a> on public bodies to positively promote equality not merely to avoid discrimination. It makes clear that compliance with the duty might involve treating some people more favourably than others. The duty covers the nine protected characteristics race, sex, disability, age, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity, marriage, civil partnerships. We are committed to achieve beyond our legal requirement, recognising that we can only fulfil our vision by adopting a broader approach encompassing equity, diversity, and inclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our Strategy encapsulates our focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion with ambitious objectives for change. It signals a deliberate move towards a fully integrated approach to equity, diversity, and inclusion where structures and systems are aligned, and inclusive behaviours are recognised and rewarded. It articulates a clear direction and vision for the university. Coming at a time of national and global spotlight on equity, diversity and inclusion generally, it is both relevant and important for University of Gloucestershire to strengthen its approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To foster an inclusive culture, we need to ensure staff and students feel welcomed, respected, safe, and empowered to share their cultures, heritage, and identities. We want everyone to feel they belong to the University community and valued as an individual. Priorities within our Strategy focus on the implementation of both institutional actions and the interpersonal relationships of senior leadership, staff, and students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As well as being integral to the University\u2019s Strategic Plan, our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy is built on the belief that a robust Strategy will enable us to become a more effective and competitive institution. We aim to ensure that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our Strategy includes unambiguous and actionable goals, recognising that what gets measured is understood and learned. They enable us to focus on what is really important, identify trends so that we can better understand our successes, learn from our mistakes, and inform our decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Implementation of our Strategy is supported by an action plan. Leadership for our strategy rests with our Executive team, but responsibility sits with our whole community to influence, support and champion our direction of travel and the delivery of activities and programmes. Progress against our strategy will be monitored annually by our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and reported through our Executive team out to all our staff. A monitoring report will also be published on the equity page of our website, alongside the progress reports of our previous action plans. This framework increases transparency and accountability and will support our change in behaviours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our approach sets the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy on equal footing with other key strategies and facilitates the integration of equity, diversity, and inclusion principles across all university strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our development of an effective equity, diversity and inclusion strategy builds on existing work involving many people and numerous different areas of activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our Access and Participation Plan sets out how we will fulfil our strategic aim to identify and reduce barriers, challenge perceptions, and provide continual support for all students to ensure we are fostering, enabling, and promoting equity at all stages of the student lifecycle: access, success (continuation and attainment) and progression. The assessment of our performance identified priority areas and we set ourselves stretching and ambitious targets that will have the greatest impact relative to our context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our Outreach Team and Gloucestershire\u2019s Uniconnect, GROWs, is led by the University, and works specifically to widen access to the University from under-represented groups. All our outreach is strategic, following a \u2018Theory of Change\u2019 framework to support robust implementation and evaluation. Multiple stakeholder engagement is secured via an annual student focus group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Outreach interactions are targeted towards schools and colleges in the Southwest and West Midlands, with high proportions of students from Black, Asian and minority ethnicities, students living in low progression to HE postcodes, and those experiencing multiple indicators of deprivation [IMD] to address their under-representation<\/a> in our student community. Interactions include a range of progressive opportunities relevant to age and stage, including in school and college; subject and university support, and on campus residentials and taster days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We believe our education should be strongly flavoured by our key thematic ambitions. In 2018 we introduced our Learning Design programme to ensure that in their design, curriculum, structure and delivery, all our courses provide the best possible support for students to learn successfully. Recognising that sense of belonging is key to academic success, one of the programme\u2019s core objectives is \u201cto utilise inclusive approaches to teaching and support for learning that improve retention, progression and attainment to increase the extent to which all students achieve their intended academic and professional study goals\u201d. This programme has now been enshrined in a set of principles which cover the design, development, delivery, assessment and continuous monitoring of our courses, teaching, learning and assessment practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We have also delivered our \u2018Learning Innovation for Tomorrow\u2019 project (LiFT) focussed on articulating a framework around \u2018decolonising teaching and learning.\u2019 This project, initiated by the Sustainability Team, led by members of our Black Asian, Minority Ethnic + Staff\/Student Network, has been so successful that the framework has been embedded within the goals of this strategy. This Network, together with our Pride and Women\u2019s networks, is helping to shape and lead cultural change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Equality Impact Assessment undertaken on our 2021 REF (Research Excellence Framework) Code of Practice suggested that we had made good progress in addressing the challenges we faced in 2014, revealing no significant differences in gender, disability, age or working hours in those staff submitted into the REF. We continue to support female career development through our participation in Aurora, with 36 women participating since Aurora\u2019s inception; and our female professors have formed a group to review issues of gender in relation to research at the university, and actively support the career progression of our female academic staff. We continue our work to understand patterns of inclusion\/exclusion for some Black and minority ethnic staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\nPurpose:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Our Equity Diversity and Inclusion Aims:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Where are we now?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n