Facilitating a Healthy and Inclusive Student and Colleague Community

A review of current practice across the institution is underway, lead by our EDI team and working closely with our Success For All strategy team.

The University’s Athena SWAN institutional silver award was awarded in May 2024. The University's Gender Equality Group will monitor progress against our new 2024-28 Gender Equality Action Plan.  

The University of Exeter secured a RECM bronze award in 2022 and is moving forwards with delivery of the comprehensive action plan that was created as part of our application. The Self-Assessment team have been monitoring progress on actions around development of anti-racism training, improving our data on ethnicity and shaping projects for Inclusive recruitment and progression.

Review existing guidance to ensure compliant with Office for Students guidance. 

In partnership with the Education Incubator, WICC is supporting The Student-led-anti racism, inclusivity and gender safety project fund, supporting delivery of projects that focus on either anti-racism and inclusivity or gender safety within the student journey.

One of the key recommendations from the SMHR outlined the requirement for the university to achieve the University Mental Health Charter (UMHC). The UMHC is a set of principles that universities commit to working towards to improve the mental health and wellbeing of their communities by encouraging universities to achieve a whole-university approach. WICC supports the achievement of the principles outlined in the UMHC framework, which aim to improve mental health and wellbeing outcomes for our staff and students.

» Follow our work to achieve the University Mental Health Charter

The Student Mental Health & Wellbeing (SMHR) review took place in 2022/23, focusing on a “whole institution” approach in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our students. The outcome informed 22 strategic recommendations, with a delivery plan detailing implementation commencing in August 2023. Progress against the 22 recommendations is ongoing and is overseen and supported by WICC.

Student-led gender safety projects, embedding Bystander training for students.

The three key priorities of the Fair Employment for All (FEFA) programme are:

  1. Increase the use of permanent contracts of employment, recognising that fixed term contracts will be appropriate in a limited range of circumstances, such as cover for study leave and family leave.
  2. To reduce the University’s use of ad hoc working arrangements, including ensuring all of our regularly timetabled teaching is delivered by colleagues employed on standard contracts of employment.
  3. To improve the working arrangements for Postgraduate Research Students employed as Postgraduate Teaching Associates. 

The creation of a new Pay Gaps Advisory group for 2023/24 is supporting WICC’s continued focus on reducing pay gaps through actions across progression, starting salaries and positive action. The new group will take a University-level perspective, and an intersectional view, on the progress we are making towards narrowing the equality pay gaps and the effectiveness of our actions.

A review of existing staff benefits system and agree next steps. 

Work is continuing on workload allocation and equity across our professional services divisions. Initial work has taken place to identity key challenges and solutions. 

Supporting the People, Culture and Environment activity in line with research strategy, building towards REF 2029.