View our latest Coronavirus guidance. Find out more. Site search Account links Equality and Diversity Home About Us Equality and Diversity Diversity means difference and, in the sense of our college community, it means having a mixture of people from all walks of life. When people talk about diversity and having a diverse community, they generally mean that they want to see all minority groups properly valued and represented within the life of that community. It is easiest to see this in terms of the visible differences of skin colour but that’s not only what it means. It’s also about having a mixture of ages, genders, sexualities, religions, abilities, cultures and other ways in which people can be different from each other, teaching and learning together. Equality is about recognising that any sort of discrimination arising from these differences between people is unhealthy and unproductive. It’s about treating people fairly and giving them all fair chances. It’s not about treating everyone in the same way, but about recognising that individual needs are met in different ways. Everyone has something to bring to the college community which makes them unique. Whether they are a member of the biggest majority or the smallest minority they can help in educating others simply by their participation and knowing they have the freedom to be themselves. The college takes steps to make sure everyone’s experience of being here is a positive one. We all work to make sure that inequalities are addressed and do not feature in our college life. We celebrate our diversity through tutorials arranged around national events including Black History Month, Kick it Out Week, LGBT History Month and a whole host of others. We may, for instance, bring a Cultural Champion into the college who can show learners, in a fun way, something about their experiences. We believe that recognising and celebrating these differences creates a learning environment in which all college members feel valued, so that they can realise their own talents and meet their individual learning goals. We also work to produce policies, strategies and schemes to explain these values, behaviours and working practices and how we intend to carry them out. You can read these documents by clicking through the links on the right. EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY ACTION PLAN EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY POLICY BRITISH VALUES GENDER PAY REPORT Equality and Diversity Policy To ensure that we address any sort of unfairness in the college, we have an Equality and Diversity policy. This explains our values are describes which behaviour is acceptable and unacceptable. The goal is to eliminate unfair discrimination. The policy sets out our general commitment to equality and diversity based on the seven protected characteristics. Protected characteristics are ones we can all relate to. It’s not about writing a policy which only helps certain minorities but about helping everyone to get the highest standards of equality. The Equality and Diversity policy explains that there are rights and responsibilities for every member of the college. Everyone has a right to fair and dignified treatment and no-one should experience discrimination or harassment. The contribution of everyone will be valued and everyone will be treated purely on their merits. But the college is made up of people, so this only works if everyone accepts their responsibility to act fairly within the policy and the law. Every member of staff has an obligation to ensure fair and dignified treatment. A good policy which everyone helps to implement, will uphold all sorts of good practice in the college such as: a teaching and learning environment conducive to all fair treatment for all applicants help everyone give their best disseminate our good practice to others with whom we have contact e.g. contractors, work placement employers make the best possible use of our existing workforce foster good relationships between different groups maintain good employment practices encourage good staff morale attract, develop and retain the best quality staff avoid unlawful discrimination Click here for the our Equality and Diversity Policy. Exeter College Values and British Values At Exeter College, our way of working, our policies and procedures, teaching and learning and support for the individual are consistent with the British Values defined by the Government as: Democracy – Democracy can be seen as a state of society characterised by equality of rights and privileges. It can also refer to our nation’s electoral systems. The Rule of Law – All people and institutions are subject to and accountable to law that is fairly applied and enforced. Individual Liberty – Individual liberty suggests the free exercise of rights generally seen as outside Government control. Mutual Respect – The proper regard for an individual’s dignity, which is reciprocated. Tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs – A fair, objective, and permissive attitude to those whose faith and beliefs and non-beliefs may differ from one’s own. These values are embedded into the ethos of the College and we expect all staff, whatever their role, to exemplify these values. We want our students to develop an understanding of the values through their whole learning experience – through teaching and learning sessions, independent study, tutorials, enrichment and extra-curricular opportunities and wider cross College events. Democracy Rule of Law Individual Liberty Mutual Respect and Tolerance Students will learn about Democracy through: •Opportunities to participate in the Student Representative process •Learner Voice Forums/Focus groups and Conferences •Student Representative Committee elections •Student Governors •The curriculum •Freedom of Speech within the law •Democratic classroom practice •Through the tutorial programme •Behaviours modelled by staff •The College’s staffing structures •Our policies and procedures •Enrichment activities –Debating Society, Model United Nations… Students will learn about the Rule of Law through: •The College’s Induction process •Discussion and signing of the Exeter College Student Agreement and Code of Conduct •Tutorial Sessions •Understanding of our student disciplinary process •Anti-bullying guidelines •Classroom expectations •Health and Safety regulations and guidelines •Behaviours modelled by staff •The curriculum and classroom practice •Our policies and procedures •Opportunities to understand and model responsible behaviours Students will learn about Individual Liberty through: •The College’s application and enrolment process •Induction process and related activities •Tutorials on Prevent, Safeguarding and Personal Safety •Inclusive practice at all levels •The Learner Voice processes •One to one guidance with tutors •Information Advice and Guidance Individual targets and learning plans •Employability and progression planning and action •The curriculum and classroom practice •Behaviours modelled by staff •Enrichment opportunities Students will learn about Mutual Respect and Tolerance through: •Equality and Diversity work in tutorials •Respectful practice and Inclusive practice •Policies and procedures •Diversity themed events •Recognition of Key National and International Awareness Days/Events •Working within mixed student groups •Multi faith and Quiet space for ‘all faiths and none’ •Exeter College Volunteering opportunities •‘Prevent’ Awareness •Curriculum and classroom practice •Behaviours modelled by staff •College Charity Latest News Open Events Find Us Contact Us Follow Copyright © EXETER COLLEGE 2020 COOKIE POLICY SITEMAP PRIVACY AND TERMS DATA PROTECTION MISSION AND POLICIES ACCESSIBILITY