The Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) annual report gives an update on our progress with delivering Belonging at the University, our key EDI achievements of 23/24 and data in the form of the EDI scorecard.
Foreword by our Vice-Chancellor
As a university committed to transforming lives, fairness, inclusion and diversity are key to delivering our University Strategy and ensuring all our learners and colleagues thrive whatever their background. This Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Annual Report provides a snapshot of our work to deliver our Belonging Strategy and related work.
From launching Aspire: Diverse Leaders Programme (a bespoke leadership development programme for minoritised ethnic colleagues) to approving our new Access and Participation Plan. From launching our new Workplace Adjustments Passport for disabled colleagues to recognition for Gender Equality and Reduced Inequalities in the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The work we’re doing on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion continues to have extensive breadth and reach.
A highlight this year has been our university-wide Race Equality Charter self-assessment and action planning. This has been a key priority for us in 2023-24 and, as Vice Chancellor and the Vice-Chancellor’s Group Ally for Race, I’m professionally and personally committed to, and involved in, our race equality initiatives. We’ve undertaken an in-depth self-assessment leading to the development of a comprehensive five-year Race Equality Charter action plan. We’ve also had successes with achieving University of Sanctuary status and recognition as a Stonewall Top 100 Employer for our work on LGBT+ inclusion.
I’m proud of the valuable work colleagues across the University have done to embed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. There’s always more we can do to deliver our ‘Belonging at the University’ strategy and achieve a fairer, more diverse and inclusive university, but this report shows we’re making good progress in achieving this.
Professor Graham Baldwin (Vice-Chancellor)
Foreword by Students' Union President
At the Students’ Union we want to deliver sector-leading work to create a more equitable, diverse and inclusive organisation for our staff and our members. We want to lead from the front with compassion and courage, and to open our doors to more of our members than ever before, by harnessing the power that diversity brings. As well as supporting the large amount of work from the University we’ve focussed on embedding EDI principles across our organisation and making tangible progress in this area, such as:
- Training opportunities for staff in areas like microaggressions, unconscious bias and anti-racism, which has played an important role in expanding our understanding and skillsets in EDI work.
- Race Equity training for the Senior Leadership Team.
- Launching our Anti-Oppression and Belonging oversight group, supported by four task and finish groups (Anti-Racist and Religious Prejudice, Disability and Accessibility, Neurodivergence and Training).
- Reviewing key organisational policies with a focus on EDI, including our complaints policies and procedures, and our staff handbook.
- Creating a demographics monitoring form for job applicants so that we can measure our success in encouraging a more diverse set of candidates applying to join the SU.
Introduction
The University of Central Lancashire is committed to transforming lives and making sure our learners and colleagues thrive, whatever their background. To achieve our vision of transforming lives, we need a fair and inclusive culture that recognises and values the different perspectives, experiences, identities and backgrounds of our diverse University community.
As the third largest university in the North West, we’re a multi-campus, global institution, committed to widening participation and to championing and embedding Equality, Diversity and Inclusion so that our learners and colleagues thrive, whoever they are. This year’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Annual Report sets out some of our challenges and provides a progress update on our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion work, including implementation of Belonging at the University and key achievements from this year.
This report covers the 2023-24 academic year (September 2023 to August 2024).
Belonging at the University: progress update
We continue to make good progress in delivering Belonging at the University, a statement of our ambition to create a fairer, more diverse and inclusive University, launched in January 2022. Four key pillars make up Belonging at the University:
- People Profile: Diversifying our colleagues and developing the skills to meet the needs of our diverse learners and colleagues.
- Learner Outcomes: Reducing the gaps relating to recruitment, progression, awards and graduate outcomes among our learners.
- Sense of Belonging: Developing an inclusive culture and environment.
- EDI Research: Developing our national and international research in areas relating to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
1. People Profile: Diversifying our colleagues and developing the skills to meet the needs of our diverse learners and colleagues
In 2023/24, actions to increase the diversity of our colleagues and improve the progression of colleagues from under-represented groups have included:
Following a comprehensive self-assessment process, in the summer of 2023/24, we started implementing our five-year Race Equality Charter action plan. This includes promoting existing training available to colleagues, such as Building blocks for a speak up culture, Being an active bystander, Let’s talk about race in the workplace, a review of the Aspire programme content, and introduction of monitoring application and shortlisting diversity data for University Board members.
2. Learner Outcomes: Reducing the gaps relating to recruitment, progression, awards and graduate outcomes among our learners
In 2023/24, actions taken to reduce the gaps relating to recruitment, progression, awards and graduate outcomes among our learners included:
Further information on School-based activities linked to the Black and White awarding gap are available in our Access and Participation Plan. In 2023/24, the Inclusive Curriculum and Learning Environment Group continued to develop inclusive curriculum elements of the Curriculum Framework and completed work to assist course teams by identifying relevant data on inclusion. The following activity also took place:
3. Sense of Belonging: Developing an inclusive culture and environment
In 2023/24, two key projects have brought together colleagues and students from across the University to develop a whole institution approach, firstly on race equality as part of our Race Equality Charter (REC) self-assessment, and secondly on mental health and wellbeing as part of our University Mental Health Charter self-assessment. The University Mental Health Charter work is due to submit in 2024/25.
The Race Equality Charter work has led to the development of a five-year action plan to embed race equality into our ways of working, with actions to address the following key priorities:
In addition to our Charter Mark work, colleagues from Schools and Services across the University have driven improvements, as part of the Sense of Belonging pillar, to develop a more inclusive culture and environment. Activity in 2023/24 has included:
- A new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy and work to develop guidance on Religion and Belief as well as Trans for colleagues and students.
- Increased prayer and reflection spaces on campus based on student feedback and working with the Students’ Union.
- Introduction of a new network, Neurodivergent Staff Group, to support neurodivergent colleagues and the development of new guidance as well as increased network support for co-chairs of our Colleague Diversity Networks.
- Introduction of a new Workplace Adjustments Passport (a live record of reasonable adjustments) designed to make it easier for colleagues to access consistent support, even if their role or line manager changes.
- Membership of Neurodiversity in Business and Business Disability Forum to better understand and support our disabled and neurodivergent colleagues.
4. EDI Research: Developing our national and international research in areas relating to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Key developments as part of the EDI Research pillar in 2023/24 include:
Key achievements of 2023-24
As part of our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion programme of work and ambition to create a fairer, more diverse, accessible and inclusive university, there have been a wide range of events and activity in 2023-24. This section provides a summary of the key achievements for the year.
1. Providing a more disability inclusive university
During Disability History Month (November – December 2023), our Staff Disability Network, EDI Leads in our Schools and Services, and the Students’ Union organised a programme of events to share good practice on disability inclusion and increase awareness. These included network meetings, a workshop on reasonable adjustments and a range of inclusive sports for colleagues and students.
2. Advancing Gender Equality: Commitment and Recognition
We’re proud of our commitment to gender equality and the recognition we’ve received, including:
3. Celebrating diversity and raising awareness of LGBT+ Inclusion
In July 2024 we were awarded a bronze award and ranked in Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers 2024, the UK’s leading benchmarking tool for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace. This recognised our work supporting lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer plus (LGBTQ+) colleagues to be their authentic selves and give them a sense of belonging at work.
As part of LGBT+ History Month 2024, Professor Hel Spandler delivered a talk titled "None of us are free until all of us are free". From the pathologisation of homosexuality, bisexuality and transsexuality as a mental illness to LGBT conversion therapies and the forced treatment of intersex children, this talk explored a restorative justice approach to addressing harms suffered by LGBT+ people in healthcare systems.
The theme for LGBT+ History month in 2024 was Medicine #UnderTheScope. Our Westlakes Campus created a display celebrating the theme of #UnderTheScope. Students and colleagues were offered the opportunity to make pledges of support.
4. Embedding an Anti-Racist approach
As well as university-wide self-assessment for our Race Equality Charter submission, we arranged a range of activities in 2023/24 to embed an anti-racist approach. In October 2023, there was a programme of events to celebrate Black History Month. Events included:
5. Global Race Centre for Equality
In September 2023 our Global Race Centre for Equality (GRACE) launched a seminar series running until May 2024. Alongside this seminar series, key events for GRACE included:
6. Providing a place of safety, solidarity and empowerment for people seeking sanctuary
In June 2024 during Refugee Week, we were awarded University of Sanctuary status for creating a culture of welcoming people seeking sanctuary within, and beyond, our campuses.
Awarded by the City of Sanctuary UK, the initiative recognises and celebrates the good practices of universities welcoming people seeking sanctuary through facilitated access to higher education and supporting local refugee communities. This involves taking an active role in learning about the issues and obstacles faced by this group in pursuing university level education.
Our work to achieve University of Sanctuary status has included:
- Creation of the Sanctuary Scholarship which supports forced migrants who are not eligible for student finance to access higher education by waiving tuition fees for one undergraduate student per year as well as providing a support package up to the value of £5,000 a year.
- Public engagement projects with relevant groups, including those led by our Centre for Volunteering and our academics from Dentistry and Humanities.
- Working with the Council for at-risk Academics (Cara), including the Cara Scholars at Risk UK Universities Network.
You can find instructions for downloading or printing this document below. However if you need a copy of this report in an alternative format, please email our Equality and Diversity team.
