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.

Policies

Our Values

Solihull College & University Centre (SCUC) embraces the changes brought by The Equality Act 2010.

SCUC has a set of five core values which underpin everything that we do. Equality and Diversity is embedded within the five values.

Our Values:

  1. Inspiring and supporting students to succeed.
  2. Striving for excellence exceeding expectations.
  3. Respecting each other.
  4. Recognising our responsibility.
  5. Caring, sharing and working together.

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:

Annual Reports

Where our 16-18 Full-time Students Travel In From

A significant number of SCUC’s full-time students travel in 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 2685 50%
North Solihull 542 10%
Other 407 8%
South Solihull 1053 20%
Stratford-upon-Avon 651 12%

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.

Introducing the Student Voice Executive Committee

Alina Amin

Alina Amin

Student Voice President

Committee Member

The purpose of my role is to lead the Student Voice Executive Committee in helping to make positive changes for all students.

My priorities this year are:

  • Work with the rest of the Executive Committee to plan a Student Conference.
  • Promote the student voice across the whole college.

Alina was the BAME Officer on the Student Executive Committee 2018/19

Joshua O’Brien

Joshua O’Brien

Disabled Students’ Officer

Committee Member

The purpose of my role is to ensure the views and opinions of students with disabilities are reflected throughout the whole college.

My priorities this year are:

  • To help students with disabilities to have a voice in college.
  • To improve any issues that students with disabilities experience when in college.
  • To raise awareness of Autism and organise an event for Autism Awareness Week.

William Pullen

William Pullen

LGBT+ Officer

Committee Member

The purpose of my role is to ensure LGBT+ students’ views and opinions are reflected throughout the whole college.

My priorities this year are:

  • To work with students and staff to educate about the different sexualities and how to be inclusive for their students.
  • To help make the College a comfortable place for LGBT+ students.

Marie McAlear

Marie McAlear

Women’s Officer

Committee Member

The purpose of my role is to ensure Women’s’ views and opinions are reflected throughout the whole college.

My priorities this year are:

  • Represent women in college and give them a voice.
  • To use this platform to support women in college including mothers who are returning to education.

Elliot McCulloch

Elliot McCulloch

Stratford-upon-Avon Officer

Committee Member

The purpose of my role is to ensure Stratford-upon-Avon students are represented and considered on all matters concerning the Student Voice.

My priorities this year are:

  • To represent the students at Stratford-upon-Avon campus in meetings.
  • Promote Student Voice at Stratford-upon-Avon college.

Catalin Bucur

Catalin Bucur

Vice President – Equality and Diversity

Committee Member

The purpose of my role is to support the Student Voice President and Student Voice Executive Committee and promote Equality and Diversity.

My priorities this year are:

  • Promote Equality and Diversity and ensure all students feel equal.

Ben Starkie

Ben Starkie

Digital & Communications Officer

Committee Member

The purpose of the role is to work closely with the Student Voice Executive to help raise the profile of the Student Voice and participation in its activities.

  • My priorities this year are:
  • Promote student safety online through events such as Safer Internet Day.
  • Support the rest of the Student Exec to communicate messages to students through a digital newsletter.

Fatima Mai-Bornu

Fatima Mai-Bornu

Black & Ethnic Minority Officer

Committee Member

The purpose of the role is to ensure BAME students’ views and opinions are reflected throughout the whole college.

Vacant

Vacant

Woodlands Officer

Committee Member

The purpose of the role is to ensure Woodlands students are represented and considered on all matters concerning the Student Voice.

Pete Haynes

Pete Haynes

Vice Principal HR & Student Services

Committee Chairperson

Barbara Hughes

Barbara Hughes

College Governor

Committee Member

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

 

Equality Objectives

Our equality objectives have been produced in conjunction with staff and students.

We have a strong commitment to equality and diversity and a strong track record in achieving its annual objectives many of which have been carried forward in to the next year with a view top achieving further successes.

We are proud of our achievements to date.

However, there is always more we can do. We feel these objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. They have been designed to add value to existing initiatives and deliver outstanding performance. These objectives are live and will be reviewed regularly. The College invites its key stakeholders: students, staff, parents, governors, employers and community partners, to comment on any aspect of the objectives by emailing equality@solihull.ac.uk

See our equality objectives on page 72 of our latest available report.

Report

Objective

Following our merger with Stratford-Upon-Avon College, we will ensure the newly merged college shares across all areas high expectations and strong values in relation to equality and diversity, fundamental British Values and inclusivity.

We will do this by:

  • Ensuring appropriate membership of the Equality & Diversity Steering Group
  • to include students and staff from all campuses.
  • Reviewing current practices around Stratford events and enrichment.
  • Capturing and analysing data across the whole College to inform E&D
  • strategy and focus.

Objective

We will produce achievementrates that demonstrate the College’s commitment to equality and inclusivity.

We will do this by:

  • Using detailed equality analysis of student performance by age, gender, ethnicity and disability to identify and address any areas of underperformance.

Objective

We will continue to develop a comprehensive programme of enrichment events that celebrate the diversity of the College population.

We will do this by:

  • Working with curriculum areas to identify opportunities for celebration and inclusion in a curriculum context.
  • Further developing the wide range of cultural events within the College’s enrichment programme.

Objective

We will further advance the Solihull College & University Centre’s values around equality and diversity through a programme of learning and development.

We will do this by:

  • Encouraging staff to complete the online Disabled Go development mprogramme on the Equality Act and the 9 protected characteristics.
  • Making the Educare online programme available to all staff.
  • Ensuring staff are briefed on the Equality Policy 2012 and the Equality Act.
  • Ensuring SCUC’s induction programme includes briefings and development on the Equality Act.
  • By making online training programmes available to students.

Objective

We will develop marketing and mcurriculum promotion strategies which seek to address vocational areas of underrepresentation.

We will do this by:

  • Making use of success stories.
  • Sharing case studies of students in non- traditional vocational areas
  • Developing the Equality & Diversity microsite

Objective

We will ensure a consistent approach to successfully embedding E&D into the curriculum.

We will do this by:

  • Working with individual managers through a programme of development to identify and evidence good practice.
  • Ensuring consistency in demonstrating the embedding of Equality & Diversity on schemes of work.
  • We will continue to ensure a consistent approach to the evidencing and evaluating of Equality & Diversity practice in curriculum self-assessment reports.
  • Ensuring an E&D focus within the College’s evaluation of teaching and learning (eg learning walk themes).

Objective

We will seek to ensure that SCUC’s staffing profile more closely reflects the student profile.

We will do this by:

  • Our target for July 2019 is for the staff profile to consist of 17% from BAME groups.

Objective

We will embed the work of the Student Voice Executive into the SCUC’s Equality & Diversity Strategy moving forward.

We will do this by:

  • Members of the Student Voice group will represent students on the
  • Equality & Diversity Steering Group
  • Election of Officers to the Executive Committee into key E&D roles eg.
  • Equality & Diversity Officer, Women’s Officer etc
  • The Student Executive to undertake research & analysis of Equality &
  • Diversity within the student group and report to the Equality & Diversity
  • Steering Group.

Objective

We will undertake a review of accessibility of sites across the College and ensure necessary and reasonable adjustments are made.

We will do this by:

  • Disabled Go review of sites, including Stratford-upon-Avon
  • Carry out necessary works.

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:

Table of Upcoming Awareness Day Dates.
Month Days Weeks Months

March

1st – Zero Discrimination Day

3rd – World Wildlife Day

5th – Shrove Tuesday

8th – International Women’s Day

9th – Holi (Festival of Colours)

10th – Purim

13th – National No Smoking Day

17th– St Patrick’s Day

20th – International Day of Happiness

21st – International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

23rd – World Meteorological Day

25th – International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery & the Transatlantic Slave Trade

6th– 15th – British Science Week

16th– 22nd – Nutrition & Hydration Week

Women’s History Month

Don’t just take our word for it!