Equality, Diversity
& Inclusivity

Stratford-upon-Avon College (and merger partner Solihull College & University Centre) is proud to have a culture where difference is respected and diversity is celebrated.

As a provider of education and training, Stratford-upon-Avon College (and merger partner Solihull College & University Centre) makes a genuine and realistic commitment to continually ensuring equality, valuing diversity and promoting inclusivity and raising awareness of these matters both within and outside of curriculum settings to challenge and minimise discrimination and prejudice in all of its forms.

Policies

Our Values

Our guiding principles are a commitment to be:

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Inspiring

Motivating others to excel

We recognise and celebrate achievement, and empower staff and learners to exceed their perceived potential.

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Innovative

Transforming our ideas

We seek continuous improvement, and use innovation to adapt to change.

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Responsible

Making things happen

We are open, honest, and take full responsibility, individually and collectively, for our decisions, actions, performance and results.

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Caring

Making a difference

We care about the wellbeing of our staff, learners and communities by trusting, listening to, engaging with and supporting each other.

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Collaborative

Working together to achieve shared goals

We operate as one team, valuing the contribution each of us makes.

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Respectful

Welcoming others into our college community

We celebrate the difference and diversity. We value others and recognise that their thoughts and feelings are as important as our own.

Equality & Diversity Annual Report

Since 2012, Stratford-upon-Avon College (and merger partner Solihull College & University Centre) has been dedicated in producing annual Equality & Diversity reports. The annual reports focus on the work of the College in respect of its equality & diversity activities and responsibilities covering the academic year.

See our previous and latest reports:

Annual Reports

Where our Full-time Students Come From

A significant number of SCUC’s full-time students come from outside of the Solihull Borough. This profile of the College changes very little from year to year.

Area of ResidenceNumber of StudentsPercentage of Students
Birmingham286150%
North Solihull5349%
Other5339%
South Solihull117421%
Stratford-upon-Avon64711%

Half of our full-time students are from widening participation (WP) areas (i.e., areas of socio-economic deprivation and underrepresentation defined by post code).

What is the difference between equality, diversity, and inclusivity and how does SCUC honour each?

Equality

Equality is ensuring that no single individual or group is treated differently or discriminated against as a result of their protected characteristics.

We welcome all students, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, religious belief, gender, sexual orientation or disability.

Diversity

Diversity is about exploring the differences between people and groups and valuing these differences.

We are a college community of over 90 nationalities/heritage groups amongst our students and 45 amongst our staff. The Cultures of the College event invites Students and staff to celebrate our college’s diversity through events at each campus.

Inclusivity

Inclusivity is a collective process of engaging and empowering each individual and creating a culture of respect, support, welcoming, and belonging.

This process needs to be visible and its impact must be just as visible.

Our enrichment sports offer is accommodating of all. We offer fifteen weekly sport sessions which are both main-stream and inclusive. Our goal is to provide sessions for under-represented groups which include females, BAME, students with a disability, and students from low socio economic backgrounds.

Equality & Diversity Steering Group

Membership

Our membership is reflective of the various departments within the college. Teachers, support staff, managers and members of our Student Voice Executive Committee are all equal contributors to our committees and represent their respective areas.

The Equality and Diversity Committee receives regular reports on student and workforce data, including:

  • Student equality and diversity profile.
  • Student application to enrolment by ethnicity gender and disability.
  • Student success rates by ethnicity, gender and disability.
  • Staff equality and diversity profile.
  • Staff recruitment profile.

All data can be found in our latest available report.

Report

The steering group meetings provide a positive forum for discussion, debate and initiatives on the College’s approach to equality and diversity.

For example:

  • The introduction of Gender neutral toilets .
  • Review and agreement on the College’s annual equality objectives.
  • The content of tutorials in relation to E & D.
  • The proposal brought by the Student Voice Executive Committee to hold a Women’s conference
  • Consideration of E&D student data, for instance on early student withdrawals, students ‘at risk’, student disciplinary data.

Related News

Our Equality Objectives for 2022/23 and Beyond

Objective

Achieve a staff profile that reflects the student population and therefore provides the best experiences for our learners and staff.

Why

Our student population tends to comprise around 35% BAME students. Our staff profile is currently at 19%.

We will do the following:

  • Do more to publicise through our website our student and staff profile (to challenge the view of Solihull and Stratford College campuses)
  • Promote the benefits of working at the College
  • Talking heads promotions of current staff and students

Objective

Achieve a profile at leadership and management level that reflects the current staff profile, and then the student profile.

Why

Our staff profile is currently at 19.34% BAME, our mgmt profile at 12.50%.

Our gender pay gap can be attributed to a lower proportion of female staff in the upper quartile than in the other three quartiles.

We will do the following:

  • Sponsorship and monitoring schemes for staff.
  • Recruit to senior posts through BLG affiliated recruitment companies.
  • Analysis of recruitment data from application through shortlisting to appointment.
  • Anonymised applications.
  • Further exploration of any barriers to women being appointed to management posts.

Objective

Take positive action to address the under-representation of black apprentices.

Why

The national regional and College profile of apprentices shows a stark under representation of black learners compared to other provision types.

We will do the following:

  • Work proactively with employers and challenge where we feel there is racial bias.
  • Actively market positive role models to employers and potential new apprentices.
  • Work collaboratively with Colleges West Midlands on the project to increase the number of black apprentices.

Objective

Review the FE curriculum and our teaching approaches to ensure learning reflects contemporary British values, the influence of colonial history on society and recognises the positive contribution BAME people have made and continue to make.

Why

We need to meet the challenge in securing the inclusion of Black, Asian and minority ethnic themes and experiences across the curriculum.

We will do the following:

  • Creation of an anti-racist curriculum model, focusing on:
    • Attributes for anti-racist
    • Cultural celebrations
    • Cultural norms/awareness
  • Re-design curriculum to model through workshops .
  • Develop a ‘Quick-to-Act’ Curriculum, in which we provide space each week to discuss emerging events and check that issues are balanced and include race-related themes.

Objective

To ensure that anti-racism and anti-discrimination is central to our CPD.

Why

To achieve a fully inclusive learning environment, staff need to be equipped to deal with issues, particularly around race and race equality, and more widely, inclusivity.

We will do the following:

  • Briefing staff on our journey to advance anti-racism at Stratford-upon-Avon College (and merger partner Solihull College & University Centre).
  • Governor awareness and development on inclusivity.
  • Staff awareness and training on anti-racism, including language.
  • Creating anti-racism champions.
  • Training curriculum staff to be confident in delivering mainstream curriculum and tutorials and assessing the effectiveness of the training through learning walks.
  • To work through the findings and recommendations of the Leaders Unlocked action plan of racial justice.

Objective

To further develop a College environment that is safe, inclusive and encourages all staff and students to bring their whole self to College, with a particular focus on LGBT+ students.

Why

Anecdotally, through feedback from our Pride group, we are aware that students may be reluctant to be honest at enrolment about sexual orientation.

We will do the following:

  • Provide the opportunity for students to revisit their personal data in year whilst at College.
  • Publicise to potential and existing applicants the inclusivity of the College, our Rainbow Flag award and the work of the student Pride group.
  • To achieve re-accreditation of the Rainbow Flag Award.
  • To provide a safe space for students to talk about sexuality and other sensitive issues and to ensure students are provide with appropriate support.
  • Understanding, through the College West Midlands project on racial equality, how mixed heritage learners are engaged with and how we can support a sense of identity.

Objective

Further develop cultural awareness

Why

Research project commissioned by the College recommended more opportunities for staff to engage with and celebrate other cultures. The College has seen the value of events for students in advancing inclusivity and diversity.

We will do the following:

  • Senior Sponsors for our staff networks
  • Cultural and other awareness events for staff (including TED talks)
  • To work through the findings and recommendations of the Leaders Unlocked action plan of racial justice.

The college’s commitment to LGBT+ Inclusion

Our college is a safe and inclusive place for LGBT+ learners with a range of inclusion initiatives in place:

  • We have a Pride Club for LGBT+ students that meet weekly.
  • As part of the Student Voice Executive Committee, we have a dedicated LGBT+ officer who works to ensure that LGBT+ voices are heard and represented.
  • LGBT+ issues are regularly discussed at E&D steering group meetings.
  • We raise awareness and celebrate key events throughout the year such as LGBT+ history month, Pride, International Day of Trans Visibility and more.
The Rainbow Flag Student Voice Award 2021
The Rainbow Flag Skilled Teacher Award 2021
The Rainbow Flag Pastoral Support Award 2021

The Rainbow Flag is a national quality assurance framework for education providers that focuses on positive LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, plus other related identities) inclusion and visibility.

The college is proud to have been awarded the full Rainbow Flag Award for its LGBT+ inclusion work. To achieve the award, the College had to provide evidence of work carried out in six different key areas: skilled teaching, supportive parents and governors, effective policies, inclusive curriculum, pastoral support and student voice.

SCUC Awareness Days

Further to our commitment of celebrating diversity and promoting inclusivity, we try our very best to raise awareness of the many national and international days and weeks. We promote these through our student hub and noticeboards around the college. We also try to celebrate and commemorate as many days and weeks as we possibly can internally by either holding stalls, creating mood boards with students, holding parades or serving a particular cuisine.

Upcoming Awareness Days:

  • LGBT+ History Month begins
  • Safer Internet Day
  • World Book Day
  • International Women’s Day
  • Holi
  • Young Carers Day
  • World Storytelling Day
  • International Day of Happiness
  • International day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
  • Trans Visibility Day
  • Stress Awareness Month begins
  • Autism Acceptance Month begins
  • World Autism Day
  • Ramadan starts
  • Asexuality Day
  • World Health Day
  • Stephen Lawrence Day
  • Earth Day
  • Lesbian Visibility Day
  • Mental Health Awareness Month begins
  • Deaf Awareness Week begins
  • Mental Health Awareness Week begins
  • National Numeracy Day
  • International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia
  • Pansexual Visibility Day
  • Pride Month begins
  • Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month begins
  • Men’s Health Week begins
  • Achievement & Celebration Week begins
  • Refugee Week begins
  • Windrush day
  • Non-binary Awareness Day
  • Learning Disability Week begins
  • South Asian Heritage Month begins