Inclusive education and practice

We will further contextualise our Transformative Education Framework (as described in section 8 of our Race Equality Charter application) by sharing future Race Equality Charter data dashboards with the Education Strategy Group to create synergy between the  Transformative Education Framework and Race Equality Charter.

As our Transformative Education Framework evolves, it will be critical to share future Race Equality Charter data dashboards.

Our Race Equality Charter findings have already been shared in the development phases of the Transformative Education Framework and have helped shape it, our focus for next steps is to build on this. Race Equality Charter survey: Around half of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students agreed that issues of ethnicity and race are included in academic discussions.

1. Ensure representation from the Education Strategy Group is reflected in strategic groups overseeing Race Equality Charter action plan
2. Produce the data dashboard and share it annually with our Education Strategy Group.

Race Equality Charter framework and data requirements embeded into Transformative Education Framework, creating an alignment between Race Equality Charter findings and future requirements with the Transformative Education Framework. 

We will determine what "inclusive awarding" looks like for our context and improve our data in this area at granular level. 

At present we consider awarding/attainment through the lens of one characteristic, however, we aspire to be more accurate in the future by reviewing data intersectionally.

To understand our attainment/ awarding data, we need to understand this at a more granular level.

1. Develop departmental and Faculty dashboards and share them with the Education Strategy Group annually.
2. Work with our students and staff to develop a shared understanding on what the term "inclusive awarding" looks like in our context.

1. We are more informed about our granular attainment/ awarding gaps through annual updates.
2. A shared understanding of the term "Inclusive awarding" and what it means in our context is developed and embedded into our practice.

We will facilitate opportunities to share emerging practice around inclusive education through the lens of anti-racism.

Gap analysis (pages 180-183) shows that there is much variation across our Faculties (and within the different disciplines within the Faculty as well) in the way in which they include race equality within course content.

1. Use good practice examples (and tutors who have successfully developed their curriculum and pedagogy) as mentors to others seeking to make the change.
2. Look outside the institution to find examples of good practice elsewhere in the sector e.g. decolonising architecture at the University of Bath. This would help in terms of closing the gaps we found in the Feb 2021 “gap analysis” we refer to in the Race Equality Charter application (pp 180–83).
3. Continue to roll out the Decolonising Toolkit, and student–led Anti-racism Projects, referred to in the application – as a way of incrementally opening out the curriculum beyond racism/slavery.

Good practice is sourced and shared leading to an improvement in student feedback in our 2025 Race Equality Charter survey. 

We will evaluate the impact of the ongoing decolonisation work.

We have commenced our decolonising journey and see this as ongoing work that we will continue to engage with and address through curriculum, programme reviews, awarding gaps data and through recognition and redress of structures of inequality.

1. Use in–module pulse surveys and end-of-module questionnaires to evaluate student experience of our decolonisation work (through adding a specific question on our decolonising activity) including areas for improvement and of good practice (for consideration locally and via the University’s Education Executive Group thereby addressing concerns about uneven engagement).
2. Systematic and priority review of annual NSS responses (specifically, comments in the narrative section) which will allow us to track positive/negative responses to “Racism/Equality” at the Faculty/Dept/Campus–level and to develop a measure for annual improvement.

Feedback data received to be incorporated into further developing our University Decolonising Toolkit. 

We will continue to address concerns raised by students regarding ethnicity and race in academic discussions.

Race Equality Charter survey: Around half of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students agreed that issues of ethnicity and race are included in academic discussions.

Some students noted challenges when discussing issues related to race and ethnicity due to being in predominately non-Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic settings.

This varied by subject area,and some good examples provided included film studies integrating race and ethnicity discussions.

1. Staff training to address the awkwardness of some of the discussions reflected on in the students’ comments, and also enhance understanding of the possibilities and opportunities that come from anti-racist teaching and learning.
2. Use our Quality Assurance (programme and module approval and revision) processes to systematically review and develop our practice in relation to ensuring broad and integrated consideration of race and equality.
3. Continue our efforts to diversify our staff and student body as outlined in Priorities 2&3.
4. Draw on the University’s Global Strategy and Education Strategy, to develop and disseminate approaches to racism/equality in an international context e.g. drawing on good practice with global partners and international case studies and exemplars.

Review impact of actions through pulse checkers and feedback through Race Equality Charter survey 2025.