Race Equality Policy Statement

Bedfordshire Schools' Training Partnership’s vision is to extend opportunity, promote inclusion and the achievement of high standards of learning, research and training. We aim to meet the aspirations of our diverse student/trainee body and to support and empower all of them to fulfill their potential. Therefore, our policy is that no person is discriminated against, either directly or indirectly, on the grounds of their race, colour, ethnic or natural origin or nationality, gender, marital status, age, disability, sexual orientation, religious or political beliefs, or – whenever possible - offending background.

Bedfordshire Schools' Training Partnership will take all necessary steps to tackle racial discrimination by ensuring that formal and informal policies and procedures are not discriminatory, and by promoting equality of opportunity and good race relations between people of different racial groups.

The Consortium Board, Joint Coordinators, the schools involved and all colleagues who manage and support students/trainees will be proactive in promoting racial equality and good race relations and in tackling unlawful racial discrimination through their responsibilities. Bedfordshire Schools' Training Partnership aims to ensure that the treatment of trainees, staff and applicants is based solely on merit, ability and potential in recruitment, selection, training, development, assessment and promotion.

Aims of the Race Equality Policy

The aims of the Race Equality Policy are:

• To ensure that students/trainees and staff from all racial groups are encouraged and to support them and provide opportunities to help them achieve their full potential in their chosen areas.
• To promote good relations between different racial groups
• To respect and value differences between people from different racial backgrounds and make the partnership’s schools places where individuals feel valued irrespective of their race, colour, ethnic or national origin.

Responsibilities

The Consortium Board, through the Joint Coordinators, is responsible for ensuring that the Policy and its related procedures, strategies and arrangements, are implemented, monitored and continuously reviewed according to the requirements of the RRAA 2000.

All colleagues and schools who work within Bedfordshire Schools' Training Partnership are required to comply with this policy and have a duty to avoid and to challenge practices which may discriminate against certain racial groups.

Bedfordshire Schools' Training Partnership has to take account of its duty to promote race equality when working in partnership with all external organizations – particularly its partner schools. Therefore, colleagues responsible for each partnership will be expected to ensure that their implementation meets this general duty.

Training

Training will be provided to increase awareness of individuals' rights and responsibilities under the Race Equality Policy, as well as encouraging good practice. Appropriate support will be provided to enable them to fulfill these responsibilities and to enable the identification and challenge of racial bias and stereotyping.

Complaints Procedure

Complaints about racial discrimination against staff or students/trainees are taken very seriously and could, on full investigation, provide grounds for disciplinary action that may lead to dismissal or expulsion from Bedfordshire Schools' Training Partnership’s courses. Furthermore, individuals may render themselves liable to prosecution under the Race Relations Act 1976 and the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000.

Assessing the Impact of Policies

Bedfordshire Schools' Training Partnership will assess the impact of existing policies on students and staff from different racial groups as required by the RRAA. 2000. The purpose of the assessment is to see whether the Partnership's policies help to achieve race equality, are not gender biased and whether they take into account the needs of those with disabilities.

The assessment will be carried out as follows:

• All the existing policies will be assessed and reviewed and recommendations will be made with regard to both general and specific duties.
• For this ongoing assessment, relevant monitoring data will be collected. Data will be collected by racial groups, gender and disability and on needs, entitlements and outcomes.
• The Joint Coordinators have oversight of staff compliance and will present data and other information collected about staff and trainees to the Consortium Board as required for analysis.
• If this ongoing analysis indicates that a particular policy is affecting some racial groups differently, the relevant committee will seek reasons for the differences from relevant source. Where the explanation cannot be justified on non-racial grounds, the Consortium Board will recommend what changes are to be made to the policy, the policy aims and related targets and strategies.

Monitoring

Monitoring will be embedded in the Partnership’s existing monitoring and quality assurance mechanisms.

Bedfordshire Schools' Training Partnership will monitor, by racial group, recruitment, progression or promotion, and achievement in order to measure the effectiveness of the Race Equality Policy. The arrangements for this monitoring will continue to be those detailed in The University of Bedfordshire’s Policy on Equality of Opportunity in Employment.

The ethnic monitoring categories recommended by the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) will be used as this will enable the Partnership to collect comprehensive data to accommodate everyone's needs. Consequently, applicants, students and staff are encouraged to declare their ethnic category when this information is requested.

If the monitoring reveals that some racial groups are under represented in the Partnership the Consortium Board may recommend that positive action taken to target recruitment and promotion efforts at those groups. However, colleagues are advised to note that positive action does not allow discrimination when deciding who will be offered a job or a training placement.

The Consortium Board will assess the monitoring information to evaluate the progress the Partnership is making towards meeting its race equality targets and aims. It is expected that the assessment will help to:

• highlight any differences between trainees/students of the partnership from different racial groups
• look for reasons for the differences
• review how effective the aims of the Policy are
• research and decide what more can be done to improve the recruitment and progression of individuals from different racial groups
• review and set targets in the relevant strategic plans.