Note
This report for 2009/2010 provides a summary of the key equality and diversity measures and issues at the University of Portsmouth. It is based on extensive monitoring, the detail of which is available from the Equality and Diversity Unit.
1.Legislative background
1.1 The Universitycontinues to implement and meet the requirements of recent and existing pieces of employment legislation that focus on discrimination. The Equality and Diversity Unit has also been preparing for the implementation of the Equality Bill which will replace all existing discrimination legislation and has significant implications for all equality and diversity work.
2.Equal Opportunities Monitoring
2.1 This report summarises the University’s progress with regard to fulfilling its monitoring duties under the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000, Disability Discrimination Act 2005 and Equality Act 2006.
2.2 The report also highlights other key areas of work on equality and diversity.
3.Equality Schemes and Action Plans
3.1 Across the three Action Plans there are a total of 272 actions. This is a very significant amount of work and it is heartening to report that significant action has been taken on 238 of these actions.
3.2Race Equality Policy and Action Plan
3.2.1 An Equality and Diversity Consultant reviewed the Race Equality Policy in 2008. This review included consultation with staff on the Race Equality Policy. A statement to this effect is being added to the Race Equality Policy to ensure that internal and external audiences are aware of work that has taken place in this regard.
3.2.2 Following this review the University is developing a Single Equality Scheme that will replace existing equality schemes and policies, including the Race Equality Policy and Action Plan.
3.2.3 The draft Single Equality Scheme will be impact assessed as it is developed.It is expected that the draft Single Equality Scheme will be consulted on over the summer of this year ready for implementation at the beginning of the 2010/2011 academic year.
3.2.4 An updated Race Equality Action Plan has been produced and is available from the Equality and Diversity Unit.
3.3Disability Equality Scheme and Action Plan
3.3.1 The Universityproduced aDisability Equality Scheme and Action Plan for 2009 - 2012as required by legislation. This was submitted to the Equality Challenge Unit who commended it. However it is expected that, as with the Race Equality Policy, this Disability Equality Scheme will be replaced by the University’s Single Equality Scheme.
3.3.2 An updated Disability Equality Action Plan is available from the Equality and Diversity Unit.
3.4Gender Equality Scheme and Action Plan
3.4.1As with the Race Equality Policy, the Gender Equality Scheme and Action Plan will be replaced by the Single Equality Scheme currently under development and will be impact assessed.
3.4.5 An updated Gender Equality Action Plan isavailable from the Equality and Diversity Unit.
4. Equality Impact Assessment
4.1Equality Impact Assessment is now embedded within University processes. For example the current Voluntary Severance Scheme is being impact assessed. Progress is steady and as of December 2009 the University has identified 323 items for impact assessment of which 125 have been screened for equality relevance and prioritisation has taken place. 113 have gone through a preliminary assessment panel and 22 are in the process of undergoing full impact assessment. 53 have exited the process and arepublished on the University’s website. Any action required following impact assessment, will be fed into the appropriate annual planning cycle.
4.2 Equality Impact Assessment reports are published on the University’s website.
4.3 A thorough quality check of the University’s work on equality impact assessment will take place during 2010. It is intended that this will include the University of Chichester’s Equal Opportunities Officer as an external critical friend.
5.Involvement and Consultation
5.1 Involvement and consultation with staff, students and other key stakeholders from minority groups is a legislative requirement under race, gender and disability legislation. The University of Portsmouth is an exemplar of good practice in this area.
5.2 To facilitate involvement and consultation the University continues to support a number offorums for staff, including the Multicultural Staff Forum, Forum for Disabled Staff, LGBT Staff Network and Parents and Carers Network. These staff networks report to the Equality and Diversity Adviser and are also invited to present to Equality and Diversity Committee on a regular basis.
5.3 In addition to the consultation with staff from equality target groups that is now possible via these networks, staff from equality target groups are also involved in the equality impact assessment process through the Assessment Panels.
5.4 Students are involved via the Assessment Panels and are thus able to feed their opinions and concerns directly into the University policy-making process. In addition, the Equality and Diversity Information Coordinator attends the Student Union’s course representative meetings regularly and the Students Union has representation on Equality and Diversity Committee.
6.Training and development
6.1 Unfortunately 2009 saw a considerable diminishment in equality and diversity training and development activities due to staff sickness.
7.Equality and diversity initiatives across the University
7.1 The Department for Curriculum & Quality Enhancement (DCQE) has been particularly pro-active in taking forward equality and diversity work. For example, over the past yearDCQE has continued to take forward work on the attainment gap for BME students and male students. The Department has also supported the University Learning and Teaching Committee with its responsibilities within the Gender Equality Action Plan.ASDAC, which is part of DCQE, deserves particular mention for its work on the Disability Equality Scheme.
7.2 The Department of Marketing and Communications has done some good work on the many actions it is responsible for in the three equality action plans. The department is also undertaking significant action on BME home undergraduate recruitment.
7.3 The equality impact assessment process has identified good practice in a number of areas. For example the University Nursery was able to evidence excellent practice in the service it provides to children and parents from a wide range of backgrounds. The Assessment Panel was very impressed.
7.4The Students’Union has been pro-active and the Representation Co-ordinator, Caston Matewu, has made a significant difference to the Equality and Diversity Unit’s work with the Union.
7.5In future annual reports we hope to comment on a greater number of University initiatives.
8.Complaints
8.1In the last twelve months there have been 2grievancesby staff with a discrimination aspect,(1on grounds of sex and 1 on grounds of race) and 1staffdisciplinary case relating to disability.
8.2 There have no student complaints about discrimination.
9.Data Collection and Monitoring
9.1 While both student and staff data is centrally collated, it remains the responsibility of Deans, Heads of Services, Associate Deans and Heads of Department to institute any required actions to address issues of unfair treatment and inequality and to utilise the data in any impact assessments undertaken. Action is being taken in a number of areas, (see para 10). A summary of the results of monitoring is as follows:
9.2Students
9.2.1 This year we have made the decision to only refer in this report to significant differences between groups of students, usually of more than one year’s duration in the body of the report. In some cases there are significant variations at faculty level. For all further detail contact the Equality and Diversity Unit.
9.2.2 The University has done well in a number of areas. In particular, increasing the number of applications from BME applicants and, consequently, the percentage of the student body that is BME. While still below the South East benchmark for the proportion of BME students this significant improvement should reduce levels of concern.The University does better than the South East benchmark in the participationrates of male students and disabled students enrolling at the University. Disabled students do well at the University, progressing successfully. There has also been an improvement in the number of disabled graduates from UoP finding employment as their first destination. Female students have marginally outperformed the UK benchmark for the second year running for the number of good degrees.
9.2.3 Probably the area of most concern is the continuing existence of the attainment gap for male and BME students. In this, UoP reflects the national picture. However, for a couple of years now the University has been working on this and DCQE leads efforts to reduce this gap. (See para 7.1) While withdrawals for all groups of students is down, more male, BME and mature students still withdraw than female, white and under 25 year old students. The University has also seen a decrease in the number of mature students studying at Portsmouth over the past three years.
9.3Staff
9.3.1 Over the past year there has been a small reduction in the percentage of staff identifying as BME and the percentage ofstaff identifying as disabled. Whether this means the actual numbers of BME and disabled staff has decreased we do not know.
9.3.2 There are significant differences between the academic faculties and central services. The faculties employ fewer female and disabled applicants given their proportion of applications. Of concern for the second year running is that the proportion of BME applicants whose applications result in employment is lower (3% this year), than for white applicants (7% this year).
9.3.3 It not surprising given academic subject mix and type of work that occupational segregation according to gender remains severe in some parts of the University. However there are also support staff areas where there are no BME staff and/or disabled staff. There has been an increase in the proportion of female academic staff and a significant increase in the proportion of BME professors and lecturers over the last two years.
10.Update on 2009 Key objectives
- Working with Academic Registry to identify potential reasons for differential in student data on offers, degree classifications and first destinations for BME, disabled, and female and male applicants and students.
- Working with Human Resources to identify reasons for the distribution of BME and disabled staff across academic and support posts and part-time and fixed-term contracts.
- Set up working group to look at under-representation of BME and female staff in senior posts.
- To have supported at least three equality impact assessments in each key central service.
10.2 Work initiated by DCQE is tackling the attainment gap that is referred to in objective I. There has been little additional progress on these objectives due to staff sickness and key changes in personnel within Human Resources, though work on impact assessment is progressing steadily.
10.3 The Single Equality Scheme will include annual targets based on an analysis of progress to date across all equality areas, trends identified over the past three years of equal opportunities monitoring and consultation with staff and students. The next annual report will cover these.
11.Conclusion
11.1 For 7 months of this academic year the Equality and Diversity Unit had to operate without the Equality and Diversity Adviser. It is therefore inevitable that there should be gaps in equality and diversity work across the University. Despite this, the Equality and Diversity Information Coordinator and departments have done much good work during the year.
11.2 The challenge for the year ahead will be to catch up in those areas where work has fallen behind, such as the development of the Single Equality Scheme,while also contributing to the ongoing development of a vibrant equality and diversity culture across the University.
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