Equality and Diversity Report 2013 – 2014

Clare Ridgley – Equality and Diversity Manager October 2014

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Contents 1. Summary

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2. Key Achievements

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3. Collaboration

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4. Involvement

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5. Training and Development

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6. Data

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7. Future challenges and projects

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Appendix 1 Faculties and Services – progress against action plans

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Appendix 2 Equality Essentials Online Training Evaluation

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Appendix 3 Staff and Student Data

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Equality and Diversity Report 2013-14 1. Summary Equality and Diversity has seen a number of key successes during 2013-14: 

The shared ownership of Equality and Diversity through the participation of senior managers in key initiatives such as Athena Swan and the Race Equality Charter Mark

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The continued requirement for senior managers to report on progress regarding equality at quarterly business reviews

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The harnessing of staff enthusiasm for and commitment to Equality and Diversity through various means such as the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) staff group, Black History Month and StaffFest events

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Joint working with the Students’ Union to adopt a University-wide approach e.g. the Dignity and Respect campaign, the Diversity Fashion Show and Stoke Pride

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Consultation with staff and students via the Estates Engagement Group, surveys for academic staff regarding professorships, Race Equality Charter Mark and Stonewall Equality Index

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Training and awareness initiatives such as ‘Making the Difference’ induction, on-line training, StaffFest events, bespoke training and events such as International Womens’ Day, Holocaust Memorial Day, LGBT History Month

Significant advances have been made and an Equality and Diversity approach further embedded during 2013 – 14. There are, however, still challenges to be tackled. We have identified issues such as a lack of female professors, BME student attainment, BME and disabled student employability and the need for further staff and student awareness-raising, which all need addressing if we are to improve as an inclusive organisation with a reputation for friendliness and fairness. During 2014-15 there will be further challenges such as fewer resources, organisational structure changes, development of the estate and changes to the curriculum. These issues could all have equality implications which will need to be carefully managed. All members of the University will need to take responsibility for making sure that equality is part of their everyday activities, embedded and promoted, so that an equality approach becomes part of the culture.

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2. Key Achievements a) Overview of progress against University Equality Objectives This section highlights some of the actions that have advanced progress against each of the 10 key objectives at a University level. A more detailed summary of the progress made within each Faculty and Service can be found in Appendix 1. University Objective 1 Ensure that our staff profile improves as measured by Equality and Diversity requirements  

Personnel Services continue to provide Faculties and Services with data concerning their staff profile on an annual basis. An action plan has been developed by the Head of HR and Equality and Diversity Manager to address the staff profile issues identified.

University Objective 2 Increase staff awareness of their responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010    

The ‘Making the Difference – an introduction to equality’ session has been attended by 100% of new staff. A satisfaction rating of 97% was achieved during 2013 – 14 surpassing our target of 85%. Our on-line equality training has been completed by 98% of staff. A range of training events covering all equality strands were delivered to specific groups of staff. Staff from across the University engaged in organising and participating in a number of equality events.

University Objective 3 Enhance staff equality information and improve disclosure rates by promoting a culture in which people feel confident to disclose 

Staff can now keep their own equality data up-to-date on the ‘My View’ Personnel system. During 2014 all-staff communications promoted this new system and staff were asked to complete/update their own data. Senior managers were also targeted and asked to cascade this request to their teams.

University Objective 4 Improve equality of staff opportunities and experiences  

An equal pay audit was completed during 2014 – no unjustifiable differences in pay were found. Following the questionnaire sent to all female academic staff to investigate gender equality issues regarding professorial appointments during 2013; a similar questionnaire was sent to all male academic staff during 2014. Focus groups were also conducted with female academics to obtain more detailed information. Workshops were delivered by the Academic Development Unit to clarify the professorial appointment process and to provide an opportunity for staff to ask questions and increase their understanding.

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University Objective 5 Achieve and maintain an appropriately diverse student body 

Faculties continue to receive student equality data as part of a weekly report from the Student Office.

University Objective 6 Increase student awareness of their responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 

A dignity and respect campaign was carried out as a joint initiative between the Students’ Union and the Equality and Diversity team. The ‘No Bystander’ campaign is designed to prevent bullying and harassment in all its forms.

University Objective 7 Enhance student equality information 

Student equality data now includes all the protected characteristics.

University Objective 8 Improve equality of student opportunities and experience 

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The Estates/IS engagement group continues to involve disabled staff and students in the early stages of any estate developments and to address any other equality-related issues raised. The ‘Employability Confident’ project in the Careers Centre offered targeted workshops to disabled students on topics such as CV writing and disability disclosure. The Careers Centre also ran a pilot project to raise aspirations and employability for students from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.

University Objective 9 Improve equality of student outcomes 

The working group established to examine the issues concerning Black and Minority Ethnic student attainment organised a Learning and Teaching conference, ‘Raising Attainment’, as part of StaffFest 2014 which focussed on the issue of BME student attainment.

University Objective 10 In all our internal operations to seek to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations 

10b) Progress against equality objectives continues to be monitored as part of the QBR process.

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10c) The percentage of female Governors increased from 29% to 40% and the percentage of Governors from a BME background increased from 6% to 15% in 2013 - 14.

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10e) A range of equality and diversity events were organised throughout the year – see section 4. Involvement.

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10k) Stonewall Equality Index submitted for the first time

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10l) Athena Swan self-assessment group working towards submission in November 2014

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b) Specific Highlights Sexual Orientation A staff Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) network group was established in September 2013 and consists of about 20 members. This group has already been instrumental in improving equality aspects of University procedures and in engaging within the local community, both at Stoke Pride and during LGBT History month. Stonewall produce a publication called ‘Gay by Degree’ which compares universities in terms of the support that they provide for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual students and staff. The survey judges each university against ten criteria and Staffordshire University scored 9/10 (compared to 8/10 last year) putting us in the top 17 of HEIs in the UK.

Race The University was selected to take part in the Race Equality Charter Mark trial being run by the Equality Challenge Unit. This involves a cross-University group examining current quantitative data for staff and students in terms of ethnic origin and developing an action plan to address any issue highlighted by the data. Qualitative data will also be collected through a survey, focus groups and individual interviews. This initiative provides an opportunity for the University to closely examine the current situation regarding race and to identify actions to advance race equality over the coming years. The Learning and Teaching Conference at StaffFest was ‘Raising Attainment’ and focused on how we can improve student attainment, particularly for our Black and Minority Ethnic students. The conference highlighted the differences in our student attainment and gave staff an opportunity to discuss the issue and share ideas and good practice. The group is represented on the Race Equality Charter Mark team and will input into the development of our Race Equality Action Plan. Training Our Equality Essentials on-line training has now been completed by 98% of staff. There are a few staff within Campus and Commercial Services who still need to complete the training due to difficulties accessing and using the on-line system. A different approach is being used with these staff and facilitated group sessions will mean that over the next few months this figure should reach 100%. This training is also compulsory for all new staff joining the University. An evaluation of the on-line training gave very positive feedback from the majority of staff – a summary of this feedback can be found in Appendix 2. We have also continued to maintain a 100% attendance of new staff at the ‘Making the Difference’ equality induction.

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3. Collaboration There have been a number of collaborative initiatives that have taken place during 2013-14 both internal and external. Some examples are: ‘No Bystander’ campaign The University and the Students’ Union joined together to promote Stonewall’s ‘No Bystander’ campaign which aims to eliminate bullying and harassment in all its forms. The campaign was advertised across the University and included a video link, plasma and TV screen advertising, a student twitter campaign and a placard signed by the Executive Team. This was part of our work to raise awareness about all aspects of bullying and harassment (particularly to students) and to communicate a zero tolerance approach. STEM teaching capital funding A cross-University team worked to a very tight timescale in order to submit a bid to HEFCE for STEM teaching capital funding. The approval of funding for research and teaching is increasingly linked to evidence of progress in advancing equality and this bid required a significant contribution in terms of equality and diversity information. Race Equality Charter Mark (RECM) The University applied for, and was selected to take part in, a new initiative by the Equality Challenge Unit to advance race equality within the HE sector. The RECM group comprises senior staff from every Faculty and key Services as well as student and staff representatives. This collaborative approach is key to embedding equality and making meaningful improvements in the way we do things. It is only by involving senior managers and making them responsible for equality that significant progress will be made. LGBT History Month A successful joint event by the LGBT staff network, the Students Union, the Equality and Diversity Team and Marketing provided an opportunity for approximately 90 staff, students and members of the local community to hear Simon Fanshawe speak about the multi-identity approach to equality.

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4. Involvement An important part of the work of the Equality and Diversity Team is to engage with all our relevant stakeholders and to promote involvement and consultation on key aspects of equality initiatives. We do this in a number of ways such as: • • • • • •

promoting awareness of a range of equality issues liaising with and facilitating staff and student equality groups encouraging an embedded equality approach by monitoring progress against Faculty and Service action plans encouraging staff and students to support and organise equality events encouraging staff and students to use the resources that we provide on our equality forum and webpage consulting on equality policies, initiatives and projects

This section highlights some of the ways that this has been put into practice during 2013 – 14.

Estates Equality and Diversity/Health and Safety Group This consultation group was established by Estates to improve communication with disabled staff and students particularly regarding our physical estate. The focus of the group is the usability and accessibility of the estate and also any IT issues. The group comprises disabled staff and students, representatives from the Student Enabling Centre, the Equality and Diversity Team, Health and Safety, Campus and Commercial Services, Estates and is chaired by the Students’ Union president. This group continues to be very effective when considering significant changes to the estate and making sure that we future-proof all developments.

Equality and Diversity Web Page The web page continues to be updated and improved with new resources, information and contacts being added on a regular basis. It provides a platform for us to continue to share a store of relevant and current articles, reports, and briefings about equality issues through the Equality-Forum.

StaffFest During StaffFest the Equality and Diversity Team ran sessions on mental health in the workplace and transgender awareness. In addition, staff from other areas of the University ran sessions on equality issues, for example: • • •

Professional support staff conference: ‘MIND’ how you go – mental health session Disabled Student Allowance Assessment workshop – Student Office Supporting students experiencing mental wellbeing issues – Student Office

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• • • •

Cancer awareness session – NHS volunteers Introduction to enabling software – Student Office Learning and Teaching Conference: Raising Attainment – Academic Development Unit Inclusive curriculum design: Student Office

Celebrating Staff Success – Equality and Diversity Award In 2013 the Equality and Diversity Award was given to the Faculty of Arts and Creative Technology for FACT for the significant progress that they made in advancing equality and promoting diversity – specifically because of their work in embedding equality within Faculty processes and organising a range of equality events both within the University and the local community. Portia Bentley (Disability and Equality Support Officer) collected the award on behalf of the Faculty.

Events Once again a wide range of events were organised throughout the year in order to raise awareness of equality issues with staff and students. A range of different aspects of equality were covered and many events were collaborative with different departments, student societies and individuals contributing. Some examples of events that were organised during 2013-14 are outlined below: Acceptance – a photographic study of sexuality in the Potteries This exhibition examined the lives of people who have lived through adversity in their community because of who they are. The aim of the exhibition was to allow members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community to ‘stand up, be proud and say – I am me’. The exhibition was organised by Martin Elliott (lecturer in photojournalism) and Fiona Wood (student and ex-Students’ Union President) with funding from the National Lottery and Arts Council England.

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Diversity Fashion Show

The annual Diversity Fashion Show organised by the Students’ Union took place in December. A mix of original student designs, latest high street looks and traditional dress from a range of cultures featured along with a diverse range of dance displays. The photos below were taken by Ed Saikul (Information Services).

Holocaust Memorial Day The theme this year was ‘Journeys’, and an event at the Potteries Museum bought together: 

a photo journey of a visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau by Staffordshire Student Fee Wood

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readings about journeys by local school children based on work they had done around the Holocaust

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readings and prayers from local members of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths.

In the evening, Dr Caroline Study Colls shared her archaeological investigations at the Treblinka Extermination and Labour camps. LGBT History Month Award-winning comedian, respected journalist, broadcaster and writer Simon Fanshawe OBE delivered a thought-provoking, inspiring and highly entertaining talk - “The End of Gay?”. Part of the University’s celebration of LGBT History Month, the event also saw the launch of the LGBT Staff Network. Simon explored the issue of multiple equality identities and provided ideas about the way forward for equality.

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International Women’s Day This year we celebrated International Women’s Day (IWD) with TV presenter Kate Bellingham along with workshops for girls from local schools exploring careers in science. Information Services also ran several events including a Poetry Competition, exhibitions and a free showing of ‘Made in Dagenham’ at the Film Theatre.

Stoke Pride

The staff LGBT network group, the Students’ Union, the students LGBT+ society and Equality and Diversity teamed up to provide a significant presence at Stoke Pride. The event provided an opportunity to talk to prospective students and to promote the University within the wider local community.

5. Training and Development The University continues to put a significant focus on equality training across the University. As well as the delivery of training to staff and students by the Equality and Diversity Team there is also training being delivered within Faculties and Services to both staff and students. The on-line training package, Equality Essentials, is mandatory for all staff and 98% of staff have now completed the training and passed the test. All new staff are also required to complete this training as part of their induction. The Making the Difference (an introduction to equality) session that all new employees attend was delivered throughout the year with 100% of invited staff attending. Some examples of other equality training delivered during 2013–14 are listed below: Delivered by the Equality and Diversity Team: • • • • • •

Cross-cultural communication Disability confidence Discrimination in the workplace Disability in the workplace Mental health in the workplace Dyslexia in the workplace

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Equality Bites: o Disability o Gender o Race Equality Analysis

Delivered through the Centre for Professional Development: • • • • •

Effective Practice in First Line Management Certificate in Working in HE Post Grad Certificate in Professional & Higher Education Recruitment and Selection Interviewing Skills

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all these programmes have equality and diversity embedded within them

A British Sign Language course was run at both Stoke and Stafford campus which resulted in 20 members of staff gaining a level 2 qualification. Many of the staff taking part are in front-line roles and will be able to use their new skills to engage more effectively with students.

6. Data Staff and student profiles

The profile for both staff and students is similar to 2013 and Appendix 3 outlines the key figures for both staff and student profiles. Staff and student data at Faculty and Service level was provided during 2013-14 to assist with the implementation of Faculty and Service equality action plans. This data will be updated and circulated annually so that Faculties and Services can use it to monitor and improve their staff/student profile.

Student Harassment and Discrimination

Three years of data are now available (from the Student ViewFinder surveys 2012, 2013 and 2014) concerning the discrimination and harassment of students – see the table below. There has been an improvement across all aspects of the data, compared to 2013, and the key points are as follows: 

94% of students still regard the University as an inclusive community that treats students fairly and provided equality of opportunity

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The percentage of students who have encountered discrimination or harassment has reduced from 7.8% to 6.3% And of these 6.3%:

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The number of incidents involving staff has reduced from 32% to 25% while those incidents involving students remained the same at about 75%

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There was a reduction in the percentage of incidents due to each of the seven protected characteristics, with the most significant reductions being concerned with age, sexual orientation and religion/belief

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The percentage of students reporting an incident that had occurred increased from 22% to 33%

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The percentage of students who felt it was dealt with effectively rose from 32% to 58%

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Student ViewFinder Survey - Equality questions

2014

2013

2012

Do you think that Staffordshire University is an inclusive community that treats students fairly and provides equality of opportunity?

94.3%

94.5%

96.8%

Have you encountered any discrimination or harassment while studying at Staffordshire University?

6.3%

7.8%

7.0%

If yes, did it involve staff?

25.1%

32.4%

29.2%

If yes, did it involve students?

74.9%

75.5%

81.1%

Was it due to race?

32.7%

35.9%

43.7%

Was it due to gender?

18.1%

25.6%

16.1%

Was it due to disability?

12.3%

19.2%

14.9%

Was it due to age?

14.0%

24.4%

14.9%

Was it due to sexual orientation?

6.4%

15.4%

9.2%

Was it due to religion/ belief?

9.9%

16.7%

18.4%

Was it due to transgender?

2.3%

3.8%

0.0%

Did you report it?

33.3%

21.9%

19.0%

Was it dealt with effectively?

57.9%

32.3%

36.0%

Discrimination and harassment issues will continue to be monitored as part of the annual student ViewFinder survey. For 2015 the equality questions have been refined in order to provide more detailed information which will be used to identify actions to address any continuing issues of concern.

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7. Future challenges and projects Specific protected characteristics

The University has good practices in place in terms of general equality but more focus is needed to address specific equality issues. All staff should now have some basic awareness of equality issues and their rights and responsibilities while many staff in key managerial or front-line positions will have appropriate specialist knowledge. However, there is more work to do in terms of specific equality strands. Feedback has shown that we still need to improve in areas such as race (e.g. senior staff profile, student attainment and employability), gender (e.g. female professors), and disability (e.g. improvements to the estate – access and facilities). Additional feedback via initiatives such as Athena Swan, Race Equality Chart Mark and the Stonewall Index as well as the student ViewFinder survey will provide further information to highlight issues and provide potential solutions and improvements.

University Equality Objectives

There is a legal requirement to review our objectives every 4 years. The current University Equality Objectives run until 2016 so work will need to be done during 2015 to develop new objectives. These new objectives will need to: 

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Ensure that we meet our legal responsibilities to: o Eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation o Advance equality o Promote good relations Be aligned to the University Plan Address any equality issues highlighted in feedback from staff or students

Staff and students will need to be widely consulted as these new objectives are developed.

Challenge of change

There will be significant changes over the coming year that could create equality challenges. For example: 

The changes to the University estate should improve issues like access, toilets and parking for disabled people (and others) but the challenge will be making sure that we get this right and embed good equality practice as part of any developments. The Estates Equality and Diversity / Health and Safety consultation group referred to in section 4. should make sure that the best decisions are made.

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The increased use of open-plan offices for staff as space is utilised more effectively across the Stoke campus. An open-plan approach can cause issues for some staff with particular disabilities and account needs to be taken of individual circumstances.

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Changes to how and where students access support which could result in front-line staff changing roles and not having the necessary training or experience to deal with a range of equality issues.

Staff and Student Awareness While ‘core’ staff have all undertaken some form of equality training during the past 2 years there are other groups of staff that need to be considered. For example, hourly-paid part time lecturers, student ambassadors and Unitemp staff. There is clearly a cost implication to be considered if these people are also to be trained but this needs to be weighed against the potential risk of a member of staff who has not been trained, behaving inappropriately. This behaviour could result in poor a student/staff experience, a negative impact on the organisation culture and, in the worst case scenario, tribunal claims and adverse publicity. The issue of how to raise awareness within these groups of staff therefore needs to be addressed. Students present a more difficult challenge due to their numbers and their rate of turnover. The University will need to address the issue of how to effectively ensure that students behave appropriately towards each other and members of staff.

Inclusive practice While equality issues have been to embedded very successfully in some business processes of the University e.g. department action plans, reporting on progress at quarterly business reviews, equality analysis of policies and decisions, there is still work to be done in terms of our student experience. In particular, we need to focus on ensuring that areas such as our curriculum, assessment and validation are more inclusive.

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Appendix 1

Examples of progress against equality action plans taken from Faculty and Service end of year reports

Faculty of Arts and Creative Technologies  The Disability and Equality officer continues to: o Support the E&D team by delivering the staff Making the Difference induction for new staff o Increase awareness of Equality and Diversity issues and staff rights and responsibilities as part of the faculty staff induction process o Train staff in specific Equality and Diversity issues when needed o Support staff and students with equality issues and offer advice as appropriate.  Funds from Staff development budget have been secured in order to provide support for staff who disclose a disability.  Potential issues arising from changes to Disabled Student Allowance have been highlighted and will be addressed prior to implementation in 2015-16  Analysis of student attainment data in relation to protected characteristics  Equality analysis is embedded within Faculty practices  Equality objectives have been included and well received at QBR  Working with Colleagues cross-university to improve exam experience providing support for exams identified as an issue. Faculty of Computing and Engineering Science  Improving the flexibility and inclusivity of the curricula was considered as part of 5 year review in 2012-13 by updating course profiles.  Improving the flexibility and inclusivity of the curricula – staff attended StaffFest14 L&T conference sessions on inclusivity, BAME and inclusive curriculum design and these were reported on during the Faculty L&T conference.  The Faculty have provided marketing with a diverse range of student case profiles and imagery for inclusion in marketing materials.  Inclusive educational technology – all modules now have a VLE presence enabling students to access learning when and where they want and to format materials to their own requirements.  Student involvement in policy setting and management - Faculty equality and disability group meet to discuss issues and developments.  Athena Swan – staff from the entire Faculty are involved in supporting the University bid for the Athena Swan Bronze award.  Colleagues engaged with discussions around inclusive assessment and managing student expectations of exam rooming for students with specific assessment needs.  Extensive outreach events, public lectures and exhibitions for schools, colleges and the public to raise awareness and widen participation.

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Faculty of Business, Education and Law  Diversity in both staffing and student profiles continues to meet University targets, particularly in the areas of ethnicity, age and gender.  The Disability Co-ordinators/Diversity representatives from each of the Schools continue to meet to share best practice. The Law School continues to be proactive in offering workshops to raise staff awareness of disability issues, producing a ‘fit to sit’ policy’ and doing important work on inclusive assessment.  The School of Education has organised guest speaks for students in terms of deaf awareness.  Administrative staff have been proactive in organising assessment locations for students with a variety of disabilities, and in many cases coordinating arrangements for different types of assessment Faculty of Health Sciences  Staff returning from maternity leave have utilised the flexible working arrangements and have been supported.  Engagement by staff in BME sessions at Staff Fest July 2014 (Nursing & Midwifery).  Schools and colleges visited to promote E&D in Health Professions recruitment. Applications and offer data analysis undertaken. Gender imbalance evident with more female than male applicants across all areas: FT, PT PG. Explained by the large proportion of nursing and midwifery students that traditionally tend to be female.  Increasing % of female staff with Associate Professor title. Lunch time seminar series during 2013/14 and staff development sessions regularly take place that embrace Equality and Diversity issues, e.g. Service Users and Carers, sexual abuse, cultural issues, etc.  Research outputs reflect a commitment and engagement in to Equality and Diversity (e.g. domestic abuse, welfare rights, children in foster care, mental health). Student Recruitment and Admissions  SR&A access information from Personnel to identify any equality issues and ensure this is addressed whilst including each of these areas as a consideration through all recruitment campaigns.  Existing staff members have attended relevant sessions, such as ‘Making the Difference’ and all new staff complete appropriate training, as recommended; o Academic staff - Equality & inclusion in learning and teaching (PGCHPE) o Professional support staff - Equality Customer Focus (Working in HE) o Supervisors/Team leaders – Equality in Management (IFLM)  SR&A worked with the Enabling Centre to produce leaflets targeted at students with a disability, and students from care backgrounds to support recruitment activity and events in gaining a wide range of applicants to Staffordshire University.  Widening participation and outreach activities/interactions support the department’s recruitment activity/events whilst Staff Fest continues to be promoted by the department and following a keen interest in previous years, SR&A once again expect to see a wide participation across the team.

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Academic Development Unit  E&D is now a standard item on all ADU management meetings and E&D colleagues are invited to provide updates on key activity and information on legislative changes or best practice. ADU representation on the Inclusive Practice Forum has impacted on student experience by liaising with IS regarding the provision of screen readers for Blackboard.  We have facilitated student focus groups, in partnership with the Students’ Union, to progress student involvement in Quality Assurance.  Student attainment data has been analysed and the difference between white and BME students identified.  Currently leading a task group as part of the Athena Swan Charter Group, working with E&D Team and other university departments, to achieve the Athena Swan Bronze Award  Working with E&D Team on issues concerning under representation of female academics in applications for Professorships/Associate Professorships and reviewing the university guidelines.  A new BME Project Group was established, consisting of academics and Students’ Union representatives. The group reported to the Student Experience Committee and prepared reports that related to degree attainment of students by ethnicity.  QES has liaised with E&D Team to discuss and progress equality in the context of the requirements of the Quality Code. Campus and & Commercial Services  Equality is embedded in the processes of the team and is included on all of our standard team meeting and SMT agendas.  Equality is a priority in the design and delivery of all new initiatives, including new ways of working.  Awareness has been raised throughout the team.  Close working relationships with the Equality and Diversity team Student Enabling Centre, Personnel Services and student and staff forums representing a number of groups across the University community have strengthened awareness and therefore our ability to respond to issues and suggestions for improvement. An example of this would be the installation of baby changing stations in key locations and the addition of high chairs in catering outlets. ECD 

ECD have a designated staff member to champion Equality & Diversity. In the last year she has: o regularly met with ECD Business Manager to plan and review progress in this new role o met with the Equality and Diversity Manager to review and monitor our progress o investigated and cascaded available training to all ECD staff o ensured all Careers Centre talks include an accessibility slide. Guidelines on accessible documents cascaded to all ECD staff  Developed disability checklist for accessibility for Careers Centre completed and has been adapted by all ECD departments.

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Careers developed and delivered two projects in collaboration with Staffordshire County Council and Staffordshire University Enabling Centre respectively.

Estates  E&D-H&S Engagement Group - the group encourages open and constructive debate so that any disabled staff or student can contribute to improve the way we support disabled people across the University. Achievements of the group in 2013/14 include consultation with group members on proposals for major capital projects and participation in site surveys to highlight noncompliant matters.  Equality Audit - all audits have now been completed by external consultants with the exception of 4 buildings. A report is due at the end of August 2014 on works needed to be carried out to ensure the campuses are compliant.  Space Planning - all proposals are checked to ensure inclusivity has been considered i.e. height adjustable desks, wheelchair access, etc  Signage - all signs are considered in terms of clarity and contract for those with sight impaired. Finance  Financial policies and procedures continue to undergo consultation processes with key University staff to ensure Equality & Diversity is paramount.  Equality & Diversity continues to be a discussion topic in our monthly FMT’s.  The current procurement policies include an amended Equality & Diversity section to avoid unlawful discrimination. This is currently being updated on the Financial Services web pages.  Head of Procurement has met with the Equality and Diversity Manager to discuss the process going forward of embedding Equality & Diversity within standard tender documents.  Staff completed customer service training during 13/14. All student-facing staff will be given ‘crib sheet’ notes in Sep 14 for the start of the new academic year (as a follow-up process to the training).  The Equality and Diversity Manager provided a Finance Equality Assessment which will be used to help plan any future equality actions. Information Services  Staff attended a range of events at Staffs Fest  Undertaken a more detailed analysis of customer segmentation and how we provide support to different customers and where there are any gaps, what actions we can take  Changes made in Stafford to co-locate the library into the Octagon concourse. The space now provides an accessible facility in one location with books, journals, PCs and staff support all available on one level and within line of sight.  Hosted a Dyslexia Society event – this is the third year we have supported this event  Worked with the Equality and Diversity team to change the standard font available on Microsoft packages  A range of events were organised and delivered for International Women’s Day

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Marketing  Our Advertising and Brand Manager is ensuring all members of the team are up to date with the marketing materials and communication requirements that we expected to deliver.  With a new structure, the Head of Marketing has undertaken the role of SMT lead for E&D to ensure that it is discussed at least monthly at SMT meetings and to ensure an annual session during a Team Session.  A new induction process is underway to ensure that both internal staff and suppliers understand our obligations and commitments.  E&D in communications is also highlighted and discussed with any marketing meetings held with our UK and International Partner Network. Partnerships  All new partner contracts now include comprehensive information on Equality and Diversity, with sections including; definition, duties, legislation and discrimination.  New Unitemps equality training guidelines disseminated.  University awards ceremonies very well attended by UK and international partner students.  Partnerships Business Manager attends Student Recruitment & Admissions and Marketing & Public Relations Senior Management Team meetings to ensure consistency of Equality and Diversity information. Student Office Nursery  All Senior staff have refreshed recruitment and selection training  Equality Co-ordinators review all activity within the nurseries to enhance inclusion, promote equality of opportunity and share good practice.  Students are provided with work based learning opportunities within the nurseries e.g male students, a disabled student in a wheelchair, partial hearing and deaf students, partial sighted student, students from different faiths etc.  Marketing materials depict positive images; include images of males and children with disabilities  Provision of onsite childcare has improved equality for student parents and working parents breaking down barriers particularly for mums working or studying at the University. Student Experience Team  Statistical analysis of ethnicity/disability of students submitting appeals and complaints  All policies reviewed to ensure accessibility to all students  Faculties reminded that appeal recommendations must take into consideration if reasonable adjustments would have helped students achieve Student Enabling Centre  Increase in Staff Development opportunities through Staffs Fest, Counselling, Mental Wellbeing Team, PGCHPE.  Key focus on developing Inclusive Practice, Listening Skills, Understanding Mental Wellbeing issues, Relaxation Techniques.

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Appendix 2

Equality Essentials Online Training Evaluation

In 2012 it was decided to refresh staff knowledge of equality issues to support the University in fulfilling its legal duties. The course, selected following trials with a variety of staff across the University, was an eLearning package from Cylix ‘Equality and Diversity Essentials’ . It was acknowledged that online training was not a method that would suit everyone, and accepted that any off-the-shelf package would be a compromise. The training was rolled out from the end of April 2013.

Progress to date  

98% of permanent staff have been trained with an average quiz score of 91%. Some Campus and Commercial Services staff (25) still need to complete the training but require face to face support. Time taken to complete package

% of staff

< 30 mins

3%

30 mins - 2hrs

51%

2 hrs - 3 hrs

26%

> 3 hrs

20%

Number of Quiz Attempts to Pass

% of staff

1

67%

2

19%

3

7%

>3

7%

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Evaluation  

General feedback was very good and most staff responded well to the training (see comments overleaf) To evaluate the training more formally a small survey was conducted with a sample of staff (50) via Qualtics. There was one very negative response and anecdotal evidence shows that some staff responded negatively to being required to take time out of busy schedules to do a training package. However, most were satisfied with the training, over 90% had learnt new information and 80% had changed in a positive way as a result of the training, as illustrated in the tables below taken from the survey results:

How much did you learn?

What have you changed as a result of doing the training? Tick all that apply

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Selection of comments received:  

           

It was easy to use and I did enjoy doing it. Are we expecting all employees to undergo the training? It’s a tall order. I whisked through it as quickly as I could but it’s time-consuming all the same. Overall, I think it’s pretty good: the stats are pretty punchy and the messages are clear. Thanks for your help with logging into the training. It was very interesting, informative and enjoyable. Thank you for this training, it was really helpful. Just to say that I appreciate the fact that the university seems to be taking equality and diversity seriously. I found the recent online training very thought provoking. I enjoyed the activity and found the content engaging and thought-provoking. The recent diversity online training made me more aware of the terminologies used. (referring to transgender training) As this course was done via a weblink I wondered if there was any way of getting a print out of those who have completed or have missed the deadline – so we can track for our equality objective plan. I think the course is quite a useful refresher. In my opinion the course reduces down to treating all people with the same kindness you would like to receive from other people. It was an interesting course. Thank you for this training, it was really helpful. I’ve completed it and was reasonably pleased to get a score of 93%. I’ve checked over the area I was not successful in and understand why I got the question wrong. Interesting format and some nice examples. It was very difficult to find the time to do this – it was far too long. The package itself was interesting but I would say it has made no impact on my work.

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Appendix 3

Staff and Student Data 2012 – 13

Staff profile

Gender

Male 41%

Female 59%

BME* 9%

Race

White 91%

*Black and Minority Ethnic

Disabled 6%

Disability

Not disabled 94%

% of staff population

Age

24

Student profile

Gender

Male 49%

Female 51%

BME* 20%

Race

White 80%

*Black and Minority Ethnic

Disabled 10%

Disability

Not disabled 90%

25

% of student population

30 20

Age

10

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