Equality and Diversity Report

Transcription

1 Equality and Diversity Report 2013/14 November 2014 Summary of Document: Report on the College s work in achieving its published objectives relating to Equality and Diversity. Our commitment is to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation; advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations within the College community. Manager Responsible for Document: Head of Quality Improvement Page 1

2 1 Introduction This is a whole organisation, strategic report in relation to the College s work in eliminating discrimination, harassment and victimisation; advancing equality of opportunity and fostering good relations. 2 Background and local Context North Tyneside is ranked as 113 out of for the key borough level deprivation measure (average Lower Super Output Area score). The recruitment area of the College includes local authority wards that have some of the highest levels of deprivation in the country. The College s immediate catchment area has a mixed profile. 6% of North Tyneside s population (approximately 11,900 people) now live in areas within England s 10% most deprived areas and 23% of the population (approximately 45,650 people) now live in areas within England s 20% most deprived areas. By contrast, towards the coast are some of the more affluent Tyneside areas. North Tyneside has a small BME population, at 4.6%, of which 3.4% are from non-white origins, with a further 1.2% from white minority backgrounds. The largest group is the Asian and Asian British group and the largest minority faith is Islam. There has been a relatively large increase in the White (non British / Irish) group; this is due to increased migration from the A8 countries. Most minority faith and BME groups are projected to grow in size over the next fifteen years. 24% of the population of the borough have a declared disability, sensory loss or other long-term health condition. 3 College Commitment The College celebrates and values diversity amongst its learners, workforce and community. The College will treat all members of the College community with respect and dignity, and seek to promote a positive working and learning environment free from discrimination, harassment and victimisation. By recognising and valuing difference, we will support a cohesive culture in which the potential of each individual can be maximised. The College seeks to eliminate prejudice and discrimination in both direct and indirect forms and no member of the College community will be disadvantaged for reasons associated with any of the following characteristics: Age Disability Gender Gender Reassignment/transgender Marriage and civil partnership Pregnancy and maternity Race, ethnic or national origin Religion or belief Sexual orientation Social class The College is underpinned by six core values: Aspiration, Excellence, Inclusion, Innovation, Partnership, and Professionalism. 1 Indices of Deprivation 2010, see Page 2

3 These values are embedded across all aspects of College life, and by supporting these values on a day to day basis, staff and learners at TyneMet embrace the commitment to respect one another and to promote an ethos of inclusion and equal opportunity. 4 The College in 2013/14 The Equality and Diversity Committee, chaired by the Principal, met three times during 2013/14 and a practitioner group also met in order to focus on the embedding of equality and diversity good practice within departmental teams. The College s Strategic Plan 2013/14 identified two Strategic Objectives to further advance equality of opportunity, namely: to proactively undertake analysis of learner participation and outcomes to identify differentials and rigorously execute strategies to address them to embed a culture throughout the College that embodies our agreed values and creates a climate where individuals flourish. In 2013/14 the College continued to monitor these strategic objectives and associated targets to ensure progress was being made. (see also section 5 below) Learners: Recruitment and enrolment is undertaken with integrity on the basis of right student right course. There is an effective and comprehensive induction on Equality and Diversity for all learners and this is reinforced throughout their time at College. Learning opportunities, including tutorials, promote understanding of diversity and challenge perceptions and stereotypes. Teachers and tutors set targets for learners that recognise and are sensitive to differences. The College uses equality analysis to ensure policies and procedures are carefully considered prior to approval and introduction. Data/information is gathered to advance equality of opportunity such as performance data used to narrow achievement gaps between groups of learners; surveys and focus groups to ensure services and provision are fair and equitable and free from bias. A survey of learners on fairness and equality within the classroom resulted in a very high agree rate of 89%. Page 3

4 Profile of learner cohort 2013/14 % of all learner starts Age: 1.6% were under 16 years 42.8% were aged years 55.6% were aged 19+ (adult) Gender: 49.2% were Male 50.8% were Female Disability: 6.9% recorded a disability 88.1% recorded no disability 0.4% preferred not to say Learning Difficulty: 8.6% recorded a learning difficulty 90.7% recorded no learning difficulty 0.7% preferred not to say Ethnicity: 92.8% British 0.1% Other White background(including Irish) 0.8% African 0.2 % Other Black/African/Caribbean background 0.1% Arab 0..6% Bangladeshi 0.2% Chinese 0.2% Pakistani 0.1% Indian 0.7% Other Asian background 2.1% Mixed ethnicity 0.4% Other 1.7% Preferred not to say Staff: The application and recruitment process ensures a fair and transparent approach to the recruitment of staff. There is an effective and comprehensive induction for staff in relation to Equality and Diversity and clear processes in place for staff who may feel they are being discriminated or harassed. Page 4

5 Staff CPD supporting the promotion of equality and diversity is good. Despite findings from Ofsted inspection reporting, equality and diversity are a strong feature of cross-college enrichment activities they are not promoted sufficiently well in lessons, the College has significant independent evidence to suggest that this area of practice is good. The lesson observation process ensures focus on practice in equality and diversity and opportunities to embed E&D themes and issues in learning. All staff have received training via an on-line equality and diversity learning module. There has been insufficient impact of the College s efforts to recruit staff from BME backgrounds in order to match the local profile, however, positive impact of actions taken in year can be seen in terms of numbers of candidates selected for interview. During 2013/ % of total applicants were from BME backgrounds. Profile of staff at 31 st July 2014: % of all staff Age: 0.33% were within age band < % were within age band % were within age band % were within age band % were within age band % were within age band >60 Gender: 39.22% were Male 60.78% were Female Disability: 6.54% recorded a disability 93.46% recorded no disability / or not known Ethnicity: 97.06% were White British 2.94% were from other ethnic groups Religion or Belief: 15.03% No belief 5.56% Anglican 6.54% Catholic 11.44% Other Christian 1.96% Other religion/belief 58.82% preferred not to say / not recorded 0.33% Muslim Page 5

6 Accessibility: The College s approach to inclusion and accessibility is good with premises fully accessible to wheelchair users. This includes new facilities at the TMC Campus, located in Benton, which specialises in construction craft. Support for learners with learning or physical disabilities is particularly good and success rates are very high. There are highly effective links established with over forty schools and Connexions in all 4 local authorities, resulting in effective recruitment, pre-enrolment roll-on, roll-off and home links assessment for learners with learning difficulties and disabilities. Equality Impact Analysis: Since it is not practicable nor desirable to apply a formal process to every day decision making, members of staff are expected to show consideration and sensitivity of the diverse needs of colleagues, visitors, learners and customers. The College believes that this consideration is of utmost importance and therefore has given priority to ongoing staff training and development in relation to equality and diversity. The College s Senior Leadership Team systematically evaluates the potential impact on equality of changes to key policies, procedures and decisions. Statistical analysis is prepared where appropriate. Monitoring: Effective monitoring continues to be undertaken in relation to different groups within the College community. Statistical and performance data, including that supplied by Ofsted, are formally reviewed by the Equality & Diversity Committee, the Senior Leadership Team and the Quality and Students Committee of the Board of Governors. 5 Performance against published Equality & Diversity Objectives for 2013/14 Objective 1: To improve the retention performance of adult female learners, long provision from a baseline of 82.2% retention rate in 2012/13 to 89% retention rate in 2013/14 Outcome: Partially Achieved Final retention rate for this group was 86.6%. Whilst this is below target it demonstrates an improvement when compared to the previous year. Objective 2: To improve the achievement performance of learners with learning difficulties / disabilities on all programmes from a baseline of 94.3% achievement rate in 2012/13 to 96% achievement rate in 2013/14. Outcome: Fully Achieved The end of year achievement rate for this group improved to 97%. Objective 3: To improve the performance of adult ethnic minority learners, long provision from a baseline of 77.6% success rate in 2012/13 to 82% success rate in 2013/14. Outcome: Fully Achieved The end of year success rate at 85.2% exceeds the college target. Page 6

7 Objective 4: To eliminate the differential performance of male and female Apprentices by improving the success rate for females so that there is no discernible difference. Outcome: Partially Achieved 2013/14 rate rose to 60.2%. Whilst the achievement gap has been narrowed female performance remains 7 percentage points below the male success rate of 67.2% Objective 5: To improve the performance of adult learners on Short provision from a baseline of 93.5% retention rate in 2012/13 to 98% retention rate in 2013/14. Outcome: Not Achieved Final retention rate for 2013/14 is 92.2%. Objective 6: To increase the proportion of staff from Black and/or Minority Ethnic backgrounds from 2.64% in 2012/13 to 3.2% of the total workforce in 2013/14. Outcome: Partially Achieved During 2013/14 staff from Black and / or ethnic backgrounds has risen to 2.94%. 6. Published Equality & Diversity objectives for 2014/15 Objective 1:. To improve the retention performance of adult female learners, long provision from a baseline of 86.6% retention rate in 2013/14 to 89% retention rate in 2014/15. Objective 2: To improve the retention performance of learners with learning difficulties / disabilities on all programmes from a baseline of 90.1% retention rate in 2013/14 to 95.0% retention rate in 2014/15. Objective 3: To improve the performance of ethnic minority learners, long provision from a baseline of 84.1% retention rate in 2013/14 to 91.7% retention rate in 2014/15. Objective 4: To eliminate the differential performance of male and female Apprentices by improving the success rate for females so that there is no discernible difference. Objective 5: To implement a system of central reporting of individual student progress against target grades in order to identify any differential cohort performance. Objective 6: To increase the proportion of staff from Black and/or Minority Ethnic backgrounds from 2.94% in 2013/14 to 3.2% of the total workforce in 2014/15. Page 7