Context
The College’s prime aim is the provision, in a supportive environment, of high quality, full-time academic and general education courses to meet the needs of young people who live in the Colchester area.
This Single Equality & Diversity Policy is a statement of intent regarding the College’s commitment to equal opportunities; anti-discrimination and safeguarding legislation and it affirms the College’s commitments to the values contained in the Equality Act (2006)and the Equality Bill (2010). The College therefore will encourage and support the development of a community in which:
- people's ability to achieve their potential is not limited by prejudice or discrimination
- there is respect for and protection of each individual's human rights
- there is respect for the dignity and worth of each individual
- each individual has an equal opportunity to participate in society, and there is mutual respect between groups based on understanding and valuing of diversity and on shared respect for equality and human rights
This policy should be read in conjunction with the following policies:
- Promotion of Racial Equality
- Protection from Bullying and Harassment
- Safeguarding
The following supplementary schemes address specific strands of equality and diversity and related areas:
- disability equality
- gender equality
- religion / belief equality
- age equality
- sexual orientation equality
- socio-economic equality
- Every Child Matters
Further policies will be developed according to legal requirements, College initiatives and needs.
Legal framework
The following legislation are central to our Single Equality & Diversity Policy. These are:
- Race Relations (Amendment) Act (RR(A)A) 2000
- Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 2005
- Equality Act 2006
- Equality Bill (2010)
The legislative context is contained in Annex A.
Policy Commitments
The College is committed to taking account of the diversity of the communities it serves and promoting equality of opportunity for everyone.
The College will treat students, staff, applicants, parents / guardians and members of the wider communities with dignity, respect and fairness. The College will provide an inclusive, personalised learning environment in which students are treated solely on the basis of their merits, abilities and potential and are valued as individuals.
The College is committed to safeguarding its students and to providing a safe and secure environment for all its members and visitors. Students and staff have a right to expect protection from harm.
The College will prevent unlawful discrimination against any individual or group within the College. The College values diversity in respect of race, ethnicity or national origin, gender, religion and belief, socio-economic background, marital status or family circumstances, political opinions and affiliations, physical attributes or appearance, disability, sexual orientation and age.
The College recognises that some students have been deprived of opportunities and assistance in early life and will therefore provide services to meet their educational needs and to promote their immediate welfare so that they can achieve their potential into adulthood.
The College will educate students and staff on the importance of equality and human rights.
The College will use all means at its disposal, including the procurement of goods and services, to promote equality
The College will consult regularly members of the College and local communities to develop and implement policies appropriate to this diverse society.
The College will monitor the impact of this Single Equality & Diversity Policy. The College is committed to analysing and publishing the results and to taking positive, corrective action where required.
What the College is Aiming to Achieve
The College is aiming to achieve:
- confidence in the quality and fairness of its provision
- satisfaction among the College community
- awareness among students and staff of the importance of equality and diversity issues
- equality of educational opportunity and achievement
- equality of opportunity in career development for all staff
- an environment which is free of prejudice, harassment and unlawful discrimination
- effective treatment of complaints
- a representative community of students, staff and Governors
- a community in which there are no unlawful differences in students’ and staff members’ experiences from entry to exit
- a College that consults its members and the local communities, and uses this information to improve its provision
Benefits
The College community will gain multiple benefits from continuous progress on equality and diversity. These include:
- enabling greater awareness of possible issues before they arise and helping the College to develop better policies
- more informed decision making
- appropriate targeting of policies and resources
- improving educational provision and meeting varied needs
- greater openness in policy making
- increasing confidence in the College’s provision
- eliminating incidents of unlawful discrimination
- improved morale, inclusion, satisfaction and productivity
- a population of students, staff and Governors that is representative of the local communities
- being recognised as an educational institution and employer of choice
How the College Will Achieve its Policy Commitments
The College will achieve its policy commitments by:
- embedding consideration of equality and diversity issues into all aspects of its provision
- consulting members of the College and local communities
- providing opportunities and resources for students and staff to engage with equality and diversity-related issues
- assessing the impact of policies on diverse groups
- integrating equality and diversity into its quality assurance procedures
- regularly monitoring and reviewing performance
- publicly reporting on achievements
- taking positive action where necessary
- providing training for all staff to raise awareness of legal responsibilities and to promote good practice
- providing equality of opportunity in career development for all staff
- continuing professional development, through which staff will meet their responsibilities relating to equality and diversity
- providing effective and trusted complaints procedures
- treating acts of unlawful discrimination as a disciplinary offence
- publicising and communicating the College’s work on equality and diversity, both internally and externally
Responsibilities
All members of the College share the responsibility to:
- create an environment within which progress can be made on equality and where there is genuine inclusion and respect for diversity
- comply with the law and work within the College’s Single Equality & Diversity Policy
The Governors are responsible for:
- reviewing and approving equality and diversity-related policies and Action Plans
- approving appropriate resource allocation
- reviewing impact assessments on equality
- taking the lead in equality and diversity, both internally and externally
The Principal is responsible for:
- providing leadership, acting as overall leader to ensure the policy is developed and implemented
- ensuring the development and fulfilment of the Single Equality & Diversity Policy and Action Plans which is integrated within the College’s strategic priorities
- publicising and communicating the policy, externally and internally
- strategic engagement with, and accountability to, the wider community for delivery on equality and diversity in all relevant activities
- ensuring that all staff fulfil their responsibilities with regards to equality and diversity
The Vice-Principal (Curriculum) is responsible for:
- ensuring that equality and diversity issues are embedded in learning and teaching strategies
The Assistant Principal (Equality & Diversity) is responsible for:
- ensuring the practical implementation of the policy
- ensuring students and staff act in accordance with the policy, providing necessary support and direction
The Equality & Diversity Co-ordinator and the Equality & Diversity Working Party are responsible for:
- enabling the College to translate this policy into Action Plans
- monitoring and reviewing teaching provision to ensure equality and diversity issues are embedded across the College
- drafting policies and strategies related to equality and diversity
Each staff member is responsible for:
- actively addressing equality and diversity issues in their day-to-day work
- ensuring her or his own behaviour meets appropriate professional standards
Each student is responsible for:
- ensuring her or his own behaviour does not contravene the principles of this policy
Monitoring, Reviews and Reporting
The College has a specific duty to monitor, review and report on its equality and diversity-related policies and practices, in order to measure progress in achieving agreed objectives.
The College will publish reviews of its equality and diversity provision in:
- an annual Equality & Diversity / Inclusive (Personalised) Learning Monitoring Report
- an annual Promotion of Racial Equality Monitoring Report
- an annual Learning Support / DDA Monitoring Report
- the College’s annual Self Assessment Report
Reports are available at: http://www.colchsfc.ac.uk/equality/ or on request from the College.
The Single Equality & Diversity Policy will be reviewed at least biennially or when required to comply with any changes in legislation.
What To Do If Things Go Wrong
The College regards very seriously any allegation of discrimination or harassment. The appropriate disciplinary action may result in sanctions up to and including expulsion or dismissal from the College.
If you are a student and you feel that you have experienced unfair treatment, discrimination, harassment, bullying, intimidation or abuse then please raise the matter with your Personal Tutor, Senior Tutor or the Assistant Principal (Equality & Diversity).
If you are a member of staff, please raise the matter with your departmental Equality & Diversity Working Party representative, or the Equality & Diversity Co-ordinator, or your line manager, or the Assistant Principal (Equality & Diversity).
If you are a parent / guardian or other member of the wider communities, please raise the matter with the Assistant Principal (Equality & Diversity) or follow the Complaints Procedure described in the Parent Handbook.
If necessary you can make a formal complaint. If you wish to do so, please contact the Vice Principal or follow the Complaints Procedure described in the Student Handbook, Charter and Diary, which is available on the College’s website.
If you would like to ask a question or make a comment regarding the College's equality and diversity provision, please email equalitymatters@colchsfc.ac.uk.
Consultation
The effectiveness of this policy is dependent on the support and co-operation of all members of the College. This version has therefore been agreed in consultation with the Student Council, staff representatives on the Equality & Diversity Working Party, Governors, trades unions and other relevant parties. This policy is, however, a working document and therefore is subject to constant review.
Annex A
The legal context
The following legislation is central to our Single Equality & Diversity Policy:
- Race Relations (Amendment) Act (RR(A)A) 2000
- Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 2005
- Equality Act 2006
- Borders, Citizen and Immigration Act 2009
- Equility Bill (2010)
1. Under the general duty of the RR(A)A, the College is required to have due regard to the need to:
- eliminate unlawful racial discrimination
- promote equality of opportunity
- promote good relations between people of different races.
2. Under the DDA, the College is required to have due regard to the need to:
- promote equality of opportunity between disabled people and other people
- eliminate discrimination that is unlawful under the Act
- eliminate harassment of disabled people that is related to their disabilities
- promote positive attitudes towards disabled people
- encourage participation by disabled people in public life
- take steps to take account of disabled people’s disabilities, even where that involves treating disabled people more favourably than others
3. Under the Equality Act, the College is required to have due regard to the need to:
- eliminate discrimination and harassment that is unlawful under the Sex Discrimination Act, and discrimination
- that is unlawful under the Equal Pay Act
- promote equality of opportunity between men and women
4. The College recognises that a commitment to equality and diversity requires consideration of issues in addition to the promotion of race, disability and gender equality. The College’s Single Equality & Diversity Policy therefore has been informed by the following legislation:
- Equality Bill (forthcoming 2010)
- Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009
- Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006
- Employment Equality (Sex Discrimination) Regulations 2005
- Disability Discrimination Act 2005
- Children Act 2004
- Gender Recognition Act 2004
- Employment Act 2002 (Dispute Resolution) Regulations 2004
- Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003
- Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003
- Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (Amendment) Regulations 2003
- Race Relations Act 1976 (Amendment) Regulations 2003
- Working Time (Amendment) Regulations 2002
- Special Education Needs and Disability Act (SENDA) 2001
- Part Time Workers Regulations 2000
- Sex Discrimination (Gender Reassignment) Regulations 1999
- Human Rights Act 1998
- Working Time Regulations 1998
- Data Protection Act 1998
- Public Interest Disclosures Act 1998
- Treaty of Amsterdam 1997
- Protection from Harassment Act 1997
- Employment Rights Act 1996
- Disability Discrimination Act 1995
- Children Act 1989
- European Equal Treatment Directive 1976
- Race Relations Act 1976
- Sex Discrimination Act 1975
- Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
- Equal Pay Act 1970
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