Equality, Diversity
& Inclusivity
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, 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.
Our Values
Our guiding principles are a commitment to be:
Inspiring
Motivating others to excel
We recognise and celebrate achievement, and empower staff and learners to exceed their perceived potential.
Innovative
Transforming our ideas
We seek continuous improvement, and use innovation to adapt to change.
Responsible
Making things happen
We are open, honest, and take full responsibility, individually and collectively, for our decisions, actions, performance and results.
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.
Collaborative
Working together to achieve shared goals
We operate as one team, valuing the contribution each of us makes.
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.
AoC EDI Charter: Our College Pledge
At Solihull College & University Centre, we are dedicated to fostering an environment of equality, diversity, and inclusivity. Our AoC EDI Charter College Pledge outlines our commitment to these values and our ongoing efforts to create a supportive and inclusive community for all.
See our pledge:
Equality & Diversity Annual Report
Since 2012, 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:
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 Residence | Number of Students | Percentage of Students |
|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | 2861 | 50% |
| North Solihull | 534 | 9% |
| Other | 533 | 9% |
| South Solihull | 1174 | 21% |
| Stratford-upon-Avon | 647 | 11% |
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.
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
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 is around 37% Ethnically minoritised background students. Our staff profile is currently at 22%.
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 22% Ethnically minoritised background, our mgmt profile at 12.50%.
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.
Objective
To continue to develop staff awareness of LGBT+ inclusive practice.
Why
Anecdotally, students feel that whilst the College, provides a safe environment, there is more work to do around tutor awareness around trans people, for instance in the use of pronouns, and our expectations of staff in creating an inclusive environment.
Objective
To further develop cultural awareness
Why
Whilst the College has given a focus to cultural events over the past two years, such as the staff Iftar event and inclusion focused whole college development days in October 2024 and March 2025 we need to explore with staff ways in which we can further develop cultural awareness and create a fully inclusive environment. We need as a College to be responsive to local and national EDI considerations and the impact on our staff and students.
Objective
To continue 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
Objective
New for .
To focus on SEND provision in respect of
- raising its profile in marketing and website information and
- embedding SEND into quality processes to ensure consistency of support to all learners
Why
Feedback from prospective learners and their parents has highlighted that more can be done to inform them of how the College can support learners with additional needs. The website needs to provide more information in an accessible format to aid transition.
Quality processes do not have a particular focus on the use of ISPs and how tutors and learning support assistants work together to meet learner needs.
Objective
New for .
To achieve the UK Feminista accreditation.
Why
Achieving the award will demonstrate a committed, whole-college approach to challenging gender inequality and embedding inclusive, respectful behaviours across the organisation.
Objective
New for .
To improve focus on EDI data at school and team level to fully embed our focus on inclusion eg performance, attendance etc.
Why
Whilst we proactively review performance and other EDI data at College level, it is important that we focus on schools, qualifications and qualification levels to ensure consistency in support for all learners.
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 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.
Useful Links
Useful Links for Parents
Stonewall
Stonewall answer frequently asked questions by parents of LGBT+ young people.
Birmingham Parents Support Group
Birmingham Parents Support Group (BPSG) is a voluntary organisation of parents of gay and lesbian children. BPSG offer support to other parents and families when they discover a family member or friend is gay. The group meet bi-monthly at New door, Oliver Bird Hall in Solihull.
FFLAG
FFLAG is a national voluntary organization and registered charity who offer support to local parent’s groups and contacts in their efforts to help parents and families understand, accept and support their lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members with love and pride. FFLAG volunteers are parents of lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans children supported by other volunteers.
Birmingham LGBT
Birmingham LGBT’s objectives are to raise awareness of the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people in Birmingham and beyond, to advocate for their needs to the wider community and to promote opportunities to LGBT people in Birmingham and beyond to enable them to fully participate in the lives of their community.
Gendered Intelligence
Gendered Intelligence work with the trans community, and those who have an impact on trans lives. They specialize in supporting young trans people aged 8 to 25.
Mermaids
Mermaids support transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse children and young people until their 20th birthday, as well as their families and professionals involved in their care also offers support for parents of trans young people. They also offer a web chat support service to students up to the age of 25.
The Armed Forces Covenant
Solihull College & University Centre is proud to have signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant and will endeavour in our business dealings to uphold its key principles, which are:
- no member of the Armed Forces Community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen
- in some circumstances special treatment may be appropriate especially for the injured or bereaved.
Our Commitment
Solihull College & University Centre recognises the value Serving Personnel, Reservists, Veterans and Military Families bring to our business. We will seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, by:
- Promoting the Armed Forces: promoting the fact that we are an Armed Forces-friendly organisation, to our staff, customers, suppliers, contractors and wider public. We will encourage our supply chain partners to embrace the Armed Forces Covenant, recognising that it is good for business.
- Veterans: supporting and advocating support for the employment of veterans, recognising military skills and qualifications in our recruitment and selection process, advertising vacancies with the Career Transition Partnership for Service leavers.
- Service Spouses & Partners: supporting and advocating support for the employment of Service spouses and partners, advertising vacancies with Forces Families Jobs, and providing flexibility in granting leave for Service spouses and partners before, during and after a partner’s deployment.
- Reserves: supporting our staff who are members of the Reserve Forces, granting additional leave for annual Reserve Forces training, supporting any mobilisations, actively encouraging membership of the Reserve Forces from within our workforce.
- Cadet Organisations: supporting our staff who Cadet Force Adult Volunteers, granting additional leave to attend annual training camps and courses, actively encouraging membership of cadet organisations, supporting local Cadet Units.
- National Events: supporting Armed Forces Day, Reserves Day, the Poppy Appeal Day and Remembrance activities.
- Education: support the young people of serving military families with access to continuing their post-16 education through relocation.
