EAST SURREY COLLEGE EQUALITY SCHEME

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1 EAST SURREY COLLEGE EQUALITY SCHEME EQUALITY OUR COMMITMENT East Surrey College is committed to ensuring the fair treatment of all its staff, established and sessional, support and care workers, volunteers, agency workers, contractors, students of all levels, all age groups and cohorts and the fair treatment of prospective and past students of the College in matters relating to their studies at the College. In order to achieve this commitment, the College works hard to provide equality of opportunity and eliminate unlawful discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. This commitment is not just about complying with legal requirements, it is about exceeding them. Our commitment is in every aspect of what we do as an employer and a provider of education. What we have achieved so far As an employer: Awarded the Two Ticks symbol which guarantees a job interview to any applicant who declares a disability and who meets the essential criteria of the post Mandatory Online training on Equality and Diversity for all staff, established and sessional Level 2 Certificate in Equality & Diversity qualification, already successfully achieved by over 200 staff Comprehensive induction for all new members of staff covering expectations in relation to equality and diversity and the procedures and processes that support these expectations; induction slides are also accessible through the College intranet Termly Equality Forum chaired by the Principal and comprising staff from different levels and roles across the organisation Regular Equality Impact Assessments carried out on policies and procedures, with those affecting students and their learning prioritised Termly monitoring of Equality and Diversity data through Support and Performance Reviews to monitor progress and achievements Termly reporting on Equality and Diversity data to Governors Learning and Quality and Finance and Resources committees A varied Teaching and Learning development programme to support teaching staff in raising awareness and embedding equality, diversity and inclusion in their teaching and learning 1

2 A brand new build in 2010/11 meeting the statutory duties in relation to accessibility and providing outstanding accommodation for staff and students; ongoing investment in Gatton Point South to provide appropriate levels of accessibility to teaching and learning accommodation The achievement of Buttle UK kitemark for supporting care leavers and those in care into further and higher education As a learning provider: Comprehensive Induction programme for students covering the importance of Equality & Diversity Customer Feedback policy and procedures to give students a mechanism for making suggestions, making complaints or giving compliments Student Representatives, Department and College Councils and a Student Representative Induction Conference to give students opportunities to express their views and be part of the College improvement process Student Surveys used at various points in the year and course to gather views of students for the College to use in quality improvement Student Union Executive leading the student voice strategy at the College, with elected posts of President and Vice President Tutorial Programmes designed centrally and covering a range of related topics to support and raise awareness Themed weeks covering key topics each year including Equality and Diversity, Rights and Responsibilities, Keeping Healthy, Employability Skills, Study Skills, Entrepreneurship, Charity work/volunteering and involvement in national awareness raising days such as Internet Safety and Anti-bullying Additional Learning Support a key aspect of learning and achievement the College offers individual assessments, support and strategies to enable students to become more independent in their learning Client Services team with specialist knowledge and expertise on financial support, support for those with learning difficulties and disabilities and help to apply to university A confidential Counselling service and support from the Safeguarding Officer RNIB regional hub and specialist staff to support those with visual impairment. How we listen and engage In order to ensure that we listen to and engage with our staff, we: Recognise and consult with two trade unions; UCU and UNISON. Encourage feedback from staff on our policies and procedures Hold fortnightly staff meetings and upload slides onto the College intranet to ensure accessibility for all staff, established, fractional and sessional 2

3 Encourage regular departmental and one-to-one meetings in order for employees to have an opportunity to raise any concerns Provide comprehensive HR support to employees and managers Hold staff conference days and consult with staff on items for inclusion Student voice is extremely important for the College in order that we can offer students an excellent quality service. The main ways we gather student voice comments and suggestion is by: Student Conferences (4 per year, includes an Induction conference in the autumn term) with course representatives from all departments. Key topics discussed in various informal ways to meet student needs. Two-way communication in terms of gathering views and feedback to students Curriculum department Meetings with the Head of Department (1 per term) includes representatives from each course in the department. Discussion of departmental issues and an opportunity for the Head of Department to feed agenda items to the Chair of the College council conference Student Surveys (minimum 3 per year) with all departments running additional surveys utilising the flexibilities of the Curriculum Surveyor system Student Union Elected Posts (Fortnightly meetings with the Principal and Deputy Principal); SU Executive meetings (2 per term); Student Newsletters (1 per half term). Parents/Carers surveys on their views on the experience and progress of their son/daughter/young person. Parents/Carers are also invited to take part in a Forum coordinated by the Director of Communications Monitoring, data collation and publication Data Collection is a key aspect to Equality and Diversity Impact Measures (EDIM) analysis and also development and implementation plans for the College and the departments. The main stages of data collection for employees throughout the year are: Type of activity Specific areas looked at Purpose Recruitment Applicants To assess the pool of candidates viewing College vacancies and that choose to apply Shortlisted for interview To assess the transition rate from application to shortlisting Appointed To assess the transition rate from application, shortlisting to being appointed Post induction To review the quality of the induction process in relation to Training Completion of online equality training Completion of Level 2 Equality & Diversity equality and diversity To ensure all employees have completed mandatory equality and diversity training To continuously monitor the numbers of staff taking part/completing this qualification 3

4 Internal Promotions Grievances Leavers Type of grievances, reasons for grievances, area of College, outcomes To monitor the equality and diversity make-up of staff promoted within the College To address any underlying issues in relation to equality and diversity and to action any training needs as a result To monitor the equality and diversity make-up of staff leaving the College in comparison to the equality and diversity profile of existing staff Reports capturing the Equality and Diversity data for staff is provided to the Finance and Resources Committee on a termly basis. The main stages of data collection for students throughout the year are: Pre Enrolment, Induction,, End of qualification There are many types of information we collect in order that we are able to compare key performance indicators for students across the College. These key performance indicators are Retention, Achievement, Success, Attendance, Progression and Student Experience The data used at different stages is shown in the table below: Postcode of the student Enrolment Disability Codes Enrolment and whilst studying Further Support Assessment Questionnaire Induction/ (tutorial) Attendance / Punctuality Assessment Grades, Value Added /Achievement Withdrawals & Transfers Student Surveys Term 1, 2, and 3 Achievement Data and Completion Progression Information /End of the qualification Destination data to gather intentions/end of the qualification Complaints As well as the main Equality and Diversity Impact Measures groups, both primary and secondary data is collected as well as data for specific cohort groups such as Year 11/12 Transition, Step Up, Springboard, Opt Into and JCP students The aims of these key performance indicators is to compare different groups and aspects to monitor experience and equality of opportunity for students There are many different ways that these are used to support development for the College and its provision for students, some of which include: 4

5 Course Reviews Departmental or Subject Sector Self Assessment Report EDIMS Data Review Reports Quality Improvement Plans Departmental Development Plans Service Level Agreements College Self Assessment Reports Curriculum Quality Reviews (Termly) Performance Reviews (Termly) Produced by: Principal and Chief Executive Date: 18 February 2014 Reviewed by: Executive Date: 19 February 2014 Review by: February 2016 ESC Document Code: ESC 11 5