Strand 1- Committing 1) Written Commitment: Your organisation’s commitment to developing an organisational culture, in which equality, diversity, inclusion (EDI) and fairness for all are genuinely valued, is written into all appropriate documents. EDI statements are made in: The College prospectus; On the College website; On the VLE (Moodle); In various policy documents including: the Equal Opportunities policy; the Anti-Bullying and Harassment policy; in the EDI pocket guide for staff; the Staff Code of Conduct; the Staff Recruitment and Selection Policy and Procedure, and in the Guide to Safeguarding and Equality and Diversity for employers and work placement providers. The Leaders in Diversity logo is prominent on College literature/correspondence as appropriate, including letter headed paper, in the College prospectus etc. The College has a communications strategy to ensure communication is planned and coordinated. Review mission and values (Linked to the review of the strategic plan). Mission and values were revised in consultation with staff and Governors. New strategic plan covers the period 2015-18. Review responses to prompts about EDI from appraisal documentation and consider asking about EDI in Exit interviews. Exit questionnaire was revised in 2014/15 and includes EDI related questions. Revisit job descriptions to update on EDI requirements. Amended in 2015/16 to reflect additional emphasis on PREVENT and British Values. Job descriptions and person specifications are reviewed each time a vacancy arises and amendments are made as necessary. An EDI Guide for Governors has been developed and will be finalised in the autumn term 2016/17. The E&D pocket guide for staff has been revised and will be reissued in November/December 2016. Principal / staff Zoe Shackleton Zoe Shackleton /Managers Angela Dalgleish / Erika Montgomery / Zoe Shackleton / Claire Coupland 2015 December 2014 Ongoing November 2016
Strand 2 - Learning 8) Paradigm Shifts: There have been paradigm shifts in the thinking of staff at all levels, in relation to EDI. When we started on our LiD journey in 2010 significant numbers of staff were not on board with what we wanted to achieve and genuinely this is no longer the case. We are confident that all members of staff are aware that they have a responsibility to commit to and embrace the College’s EDI framework. All job descriptions and person specifications reference EDI and that all employees are required to support the College’s inclusive mission and core values. Historically the LiD surveys have indicated that there are some gaps in terms of knowledge about EDI and this can be developed via on going sessions and by adding this into the appraisals and one to one sessions. We have worked with the Director of CPD to identify and provide appropriate training, which was exemplified by the mental health awareness conference (summer 2016) and which reflected how we aim to meet identified training needs. The mental health awreness conference also included a workshop on unconscious bias that was delivered by a theatre company, ENACT Solutions. Send out key messages through a range of means (e.g. written, verbal communication) that all staff are clear that EDI is their responsibility. Surveys reinforce this message, supported by our range of informative / promotional literature. Zoe Shackleton / Maria Dean / Erika Montgomery Zoe Shackleton / Marketing Team / Erika Montgomery Ongoing Ongoing
Strand 3 - Developing 9) New Opportunities: There is encouragement for all stakeholders to speak of new opportunities (both commercial and based on personal knowledge of diverse needs. We welcome the contribution of all stakeholders and we are fully committed to exploring new opportunities. We have proactively sought to involve the student body in EDI activities and planning and we openly encourage staff to share ideas, literature etc. that may have benefits to the wider College. When ideas are presented, the Diversity Group is committed to trying to work with these and to show that the contributions of others are welcomed and appreciated. Consider methods of recruiting staff and students from new and emerging communities. We continually review our recruitment advertising methods and we have increased the diversity of applicants and the staff profile, particularly in relation to BME groups. The E&D annual report for 2015/16 will be produced in the autumn term 2016/17 and we anticipate that this report, which includes extensive data analysis, will reflect further improvements in the representation of BME groups in the staff profile. Student representation in the Diversity Group has increased from two members in 2014/15 to 20+ in 2015/16. Current levels of interest at the start of 2016/17 are 40+. We are going to invite members of the broader staff body to attend meetings of the Diversity Group so that all staff, even those who are not Diversity Champions, have the opportunity to contribute to the College’s approach to embedding EDI on a regular basis. Zoe Shackleton / Alicia Holdsworth Erika Montgomery / Jo Caton Erika Montgomery Ongoing Ongoing Ongoing from October 2016
Strand 3 - Developing 10) Accessibility: The organisation provides a welcoming environment that is appropriately accessible and accommodating of all stakeholders’ diverse needs. An access audit was conducted in July 2016 (initial audit was conducted in July 2011) and from this we are working to an improvement plan to ensure the environment continues to be accessible and accommodating of stakeholders’ needs. A mystery shopping exercise at college could update on accessibility and also take into account meeting and greeting visitors as well as checking facilities for visual/ auditory impairments and signage – using disabled staff and students as a scrutiny panel to support this would be an effective means of cascading information about EDI initiatives to other beyond the Diversity Group members. The College’s Business Administration Apprentices conducted a site audit when they joined the College and noted some improvements that could be made, which were implemented. Shelley Martin also requested feedback from Student Support Assistants, from students with ALS needs and/or disabilities/medical conditions, regarding any updates to issues with accessibility. The Director of Estates is working through the recommendations from the most recent access audit and will implement these within an agreed timescale. Monitor the college website for accessibility and monitor users via the translation tool to identify users from diverse communities. This is ongoing as the website continues to be developed and improved. Andrew Shaw / Zoe Shackleton / Mark Hirst Marketing Team Ongoing Ongoing
Strand 3 - Developing 12) Bullying, Discrimination and Harassment: Your organisation does not tolerate bullying, discrimination and harassment. Handling procedures are effectively implemented and understood by staff at all levels. The College is committed to preventing, minimising and managing the occurrence of bullying, discrimination and harassment. The Marketing team works closely with the Diversity Group to promote key EDI messages in different ways, e.g. through the ‘jellybean’ postcard and social media, and informative guides for different stakeholders. The Anti-Bullying and Harassment Policy and Procedure was revised in December 2012, as part of working towards achieving the BIG Award (Bullying Intervention Group Award). The policy has been simplified to make it accessible at a glance and the abridged version is available as a page on the College’s VLE. Continue to make use of social media and other communications to continue to communicate the stance on a zero tolerance approach to bullying, harassment and discrimination. We have developed communication through Twitter, in particular. We also use the communication tool in Moodle to communicate key messages/information. The Equality & Diversity Team, in liaison with the Director for Safeguarding and IT Support, have created a new email link for students to log a bullying incident electronically using the work ‘Bullying’ in the address box. This allows Student Support Managers / members of the Safeguarding Team to respond directly. We are continuing to utilise this email link while exploring other means of encouraging students to contact staff according to need. We use the CPOMS reporting system for monitoring safeguarding incidents, which include bullying. Zoe Shackleton / Erika Montgomery / Marketing Team Zoe Shackleton / Sonia Ross Zoe Shackleton/ Sonia Ross/ Colin Knightley/ IT Support Team Ongoing Ongoing Ongoing
We use survey and other data to inform improvements. Survey data has been collated in recent years through the LiD process, Investors in People, OfSTED and our own staff perception survey (June 2016). The Staff Voice Group also leads on improvements on behalf of the whole staff body. An example of improvements made as a result of surveys and other representations is the redesign of the staff room (summer 2015), which resulted in the purchase of new furniture and redecoration throughout. SLT Ongoing
The Diversity Group publishes its events calendar on an annual basis, at the start of each year. Diversity Champions take responsibility for individual and collective projects and share updates on these with staff Moodle and Twitter are used as tools for communicating with students and staff. We have updated staff regularly on EDI events and initiatives, through email and other communication means, from December 2014 onwards. Diversity Group Ongoing Leaders in Diversity 17) Senior Leadership: Senior leaders, including board members where appropriate, take a lead role in equality, diversity and inclusion. EDI is led by the Principal and is at the heart of the College’s Vision, Mission and Values. Messages from the Principal via Daily Staff News. Also via presentations and information on the website – this is who we are - setting out the inclusive culture where there is no room for discrimination and bias or negative / cynical people at HNC. Is this a place that you want to work in? Are we right for each other? We want to create authentic leaders who support and encourage staff. We should all take responsibility to be the best we can and should be passionate about our work and committed to continuous improvement. Angela Williams Ongoing
The Principal and other members of the Senior Leadership Team ensure that interview candidates receive a welcome and introduction to the College, the purpose of which is to clarify our ethos and values as well as professional expectations. Application packs contain a letter from the Principal which also sets out the College’s culture, ethos and expectations as well as the support and opportunities available to successful applicants. The Principal communicates with prospective students and their parents/carers at college open events. These events are ideal for explaining and clarifying our mission and core values. The Principal was nominated for the awards of Principal of the Year and Chief Executive of the Year in the National Centre for Diversity Grand Awards January 2016. The Principal has provided financial support to encourage HNC students from diverse backgrounds to undertake the Helena Kennedy Award application process since 2013. A number of students have been selected each year to go forward in the process with a £100 prize for submitting an application. Over the past four years a number of HNC students have been successful in their applications and have been awarded a Helena Kennedy award, which provides them with £500 each towards their higher education studies, in addition to the networking and mentoring service offered by the Helena Kennedy Foundation. The award winners have been presented with their awards at the House of Lords. We are continuing to develop the equality and diversity sections of the College’s website and VLE to better reflect how we advance equality of opportunity externally, and to showcase our achievements as a College. When training is delivered to external partners we obtain feedback and request permission to use this (albeit with names removed) on our website. Diversity Group / SLT Ongoing