Equality Objectives & Action Plan 2024-2027
The following aims and objectives have been developed in consultation with staff and students to support the attraction, retention and development of a talented diverse workforce and student community.
The objectives identified support the University's mission and values and are also compliant with the requirements of the public sector equality duty.
Objective A: A university that is accessible, safe, and inclusive
| Action | Status | |
|---|---|---|
| A1.1 | Consider adopting an online reporting and support system. Research what other universities and other public sectors have in place for reporting hate crime - explore best practice in the sector | |
| A1.2 | Present a paper to EIG, identifying the suitability of options | |
| A1.3 | Present a paper to UET | |
| A2.1 | All staff to receive a copy of the leavers survey and encouraged to complete it as part of the leavers process | Complete |
| A2.3 | Review and agree EDI questions in the survey and present to EIG | |
| A2.3 | Analysis of ethnic breakdown of staff leaving the organisation | |
| A3.1 | Develop Hormone Health Policy | Complete |
| A4.1 | Review Flexible Working Policy | Complete |
| A5.3 | Develop further benchmarking on student personal characteristics data | |
| A6.3 | Simulation equipment accurately reflects and represents diversity of patients. Introduction of a more diverse range of mannequins (pretend patients) | |
| A6.2 | All subject teams in AHP to include EDI data within course report | |
| A7.1 | Establish Accessible Communication Guidance working group | |
| A7.2 | Create communications guidance presentation with audio to be standalone resource | |
| A7.3 | Embed accessible communications guidance across working practices | |
| A8.1 | Report quarterly to RNIB on staff numbers with declared sight loss | Complete |
| A8.2 | Promote and place RNIB “Let’s Work Together” on HR intranet. Let’s work together: helping employers keep workers with sight loss (rnib.org.uk) | Complete |
| A8.3 | Consider feasibility of offering a paid placement (traineeship) for a year for a blind/partially sighted person | |
| A9.1 | Disability Matters website regularly update with relevant information and news articles | Complete |
| A10.1 | Populate the ECD landing webpage to raise awareness and increase engagement | Complete |
| A11.1 | Staff members to be able to add gender pronouns to TEAMS | Complete |
| A12.1 | Investment in annual supply of period products for all university lavatory facilities | Complete |
| A12.2 | Deliver Period Dignity campaign across all NE campuses | Complete |
| A12.3 | Deliver Period Dignity Campaign into TU London campus | Complete |
| A12.4 | Deliver messaging annually on Period Dignity to staff and students to support the success of the campaign | Complete |
| A13.1 | Provide a wide range of mental health support services for students that is accessible through multiple platforms 24/7. Establish annual provision of online mental health resources and make these freely available to all students across TU Middlesbrough, Darlington and London | |
| A13.2 | Review use of various platforms (online and in person provision) annually and tailor provision to meet student demographics and need for each campus | |
| A14.1 | Gain ProtectED accreditation | |
| A14.2 | Review provision at TU London and apply accreditation criteria to campus | |
| A14.3 | Reaccredit TU with ProtectED inclusive of London Campus | |
| A15.1 | Digital content available in an accessible format for all audiences (e.g., Blackboard Ally, surveys, Student Handbook) | |
| A15.2 | Format and timings of dept-ran events are informed by the diversity of their audience e.g., international partners, disabled access, neurodivergent access |
Objective B: Equality of opportunity and experience for all staff and students
| Action | Status | |
|---|---|---|
| B1.1 | Encourage minority ethnic staff, disabled staff and LGBTQ+ staff to register for the mentoring scheme Pushfar | Complete |
| B1.2 | Analyse the take up of the scheme from minority ethnic staff, disabled staff and LGBTQ+ staff | |
| B1.3 | Promote and share success stories | |
| B2.1 | Identify a suitable staff space where all staff are able to meet and engage regardless of their titles and departments and present a proposal to EIG | |
| B3.1 | Monitor take up of reasonable adjustments passport | Complete |
| B3.2 | Review RA Passport and establish any recommendations. Report recommendations to group | |
| B3.3 | Analysis of progression data for staff with disabilities. Report analysis and response to any significant trends found in data to the E&I Group | |
| B4.1 | Initiate a staff and student of the month initiative to highlight good practice, challenges faced and provide positive recognition | |
| B5.1 | Extend the inclusion of the sign language module across AHP programmes | |
| B5.2 | Set up sign language 'lunch and learn' sessions | |
| B5.3 | All subject teams in AHP to include EDI data within course report | |
| B5.4 | Implement bespoke training following the Recognising and Responding to Prejudice sessions | |
| B6.1 | Establish a series of activities and support mechanisms for students to enhance their learning through auxiliary wellbeing interventions. Establish a series of short exercise programmes at Middlesbrough and Darlington campuses that are provided free of charge | Complete |
| B6.2 | Expand provision of short exercise series to TU London | |
| B6.3 | Deliver an expanded wellbeing service, accessible to a wider range of students, including the implementation of virtual sessions for students who are off-campus | |
| B6.4 | Investigate options for including a standardised signature on all emails and comms platforms that identifies clearly an individual’s personal name (Given name) and family name (surname) | |
| B6.5 | Liaise with relevant departments to roll out a standardised format of signature to support staff and students in recognising personal names and family names in written communications | |
| B7.1 | Expand the data captured in UNIverse to include data on student characteristics and enable student characteristics to be mapped to SLS services | |
| B7.2 | Use enhanced data collected through UNIverse to identify student trend in terms of services accessed and provision sought. Deliver more effective and focussed activities and interventions | |
| B7.3 | Identify main service access points for students and cross reference with the number of services accessed identify potential student support groups | |
| B7.4 | Embed key interventions into regular communications to identified student groups and in self-service options for service access so that students know where to go for support | |
| B8.1 | Align Student Learning offer to the Access and Participation Plan (2024-28) | |
| B8.2 | Annual review of Student Learning offer for Darlington campus | |
| B8.3 | Annual review of Student Success offer for Professional Apprentices | |
| B9.1 | Explore the merits of anonymous marking processes, to enhance unconscious bias awareness | |
| B10.1 | Creation of Learner Analytics Roadmap aligned to Personal Tutor Code of Practice and Learner Analytics Code of Practice | |
| B10.2 | Align departmental student data insights (StREAM, surveys, student voice) with APP, UDL, UMHC to enhance and celebrate student success for target groups | |
| B10.3 | Include sexual orientation category to biographical questions in student pre-arrival STEP survey | |
| B10.4 | STEP survey analysed against protected characteristics |
Objective C: Culturally competent workforce representative of our communities at all levels
| Actions | Status | |
|---|---|---|
| C1.1 | Deliver anti-racism training session to all staff in TUIBS | |
| C2.1 | Review managers guide to recruitment to include neurodiversity offering practical guidance | Complete |
| C2.2 | Identify disability awareness resources packages on neurodiversity and hidden disabilities. - Add a minimum of 5 disability awareness resources on Disability Matters webpage | Complete |
| C2.3 | Staff to use pronouns when introducing themselves in interviews for recruitment – build into mangers recruitment guidance document | Complete |
| C3.1 | Review external training providers and identify provider for online EDI courses | |
| C3.2 | Cultural awareness course to be made available to all staff | Complete |
| C3.3 | Pilot the course with ECDFG | Complete |
| C3.4 | HR recruitment staff to be supported to undertake the Understanding Sight Loss. eLearning package | Complete |
| C4.1 | Increase numbers of honorary degrees being awarded to women | |
| C5.1 | Develop Faith and Reflection Focus group to cover all three university campuses and promote opportunities for student groups to engage across campuses through the faith network | |
| C5.2 | Develop relationship with the Interfaith Network in Middlesbrough to support student and staff faith in the wider community (identify opportunities to expand this to Darlington and London through other associated networks) | |
| C5.3 | Consider and present options for provision of paid faith advisory role and how this would be facilitated between wider group of faith advisors who work with the university at each campus. This to include evaluation of sector and wider public norms for faith advisory presence | Complete |
| C5.4 | Develop Faith and Belief web page to identify wider schedule of events and activities and presence of faith advisers on campus. To include links to regular activities such as Podcasts and blog spots | |
| C5.5 | Enhance the Faith and Belief focus group intranet site for staff | Complete |
| C6.1 | Create suite of online learning resources to support staff and students Lived Experience Awareness training Bias trainingActive Bystander training |
|
| C6.2 | Deliver annual workshop events to provide training on inclusivity topics |
Objective D: A University committed to celebrating and enhancing diversity
| Actions | Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| D1.1 | EDI Accreditations | Maintain Disability Confident Leader | |
| D1.2 | Maintain Stonewall Silver Award | Complete | |
| D1.3 | All schools to be supported in achieving Athena SWAN Bronze Award | ||
| D1.4 | Join the Fertility Workplace Pledge | ||
| D1.5 | Achieve 'The Smallest Things: Employer with Heart 2.0' accreditation | ||
| D2.1 | Celebrate and organise events on campus to champion and celebrate diversity, inclusion and intersectionality | South Asian Heritage Month / Diwali | |
| D2.2 | Black History Month | ||
| D2.3 | Inclusion Week – Intersectionality Event | ||
| D2.4 | Inclusive Pride | Complete | |
| D2.5 | International Day of Persons with Disabilities | ||
| D2.6 | Trans Awareness Week | ||
| D2.7 | Promote dyslexia awareness month | ||
| D2.8 | LGBTQ+ History Month | Complete | |
| D2.9 | International Womens Day | Complete | |
| D2.10 | Shared Iftar event - Ramadan | Complete | |
| D3.1 | Increase the number of students supported in arriving to university through the international Meet and Greet Service annually (review annually) | Complete | |
| D3.2 | Create a schedule of international showcases to highlight the diversity of our campuses. 3-4 events annually | Complete | |
| D3.3 | Collaborate with students and other departments (e.g. DID) to identify and deliver events that provide space for international students to meet home students | ||
| D3.4 | Investigate and deliver method of identifying surnames from given names in global address book and signatures, such that all students and staff can be confident that they are using the correct name when addressing someone either in person or in writing | ||
| D4.1 | Develop schedule of events for SLS buildings that promote the diversity of the university campus 2-3 events annually, covering different strands of activity | ||
| D5.1 | SHLS to develop programme for students to travel internationally as part of the TU Pharm programme | ||
