DIVERSITY & EQUALITY SCHEME - Edinburgh's Telford College

DIVERSITY & EQUALITY 

SCHEME 

December 2009 - 2012 

Updated December 2011 

This scheme outlines the College’s commitment to embedding an ethos of 

equality and how we meet our legal requirements.

CONTENTS 

Foreword from the College Principal 1 

1 Background Information on the Scheme 3 

2 Background Information on the College 5 

3 Our Commitment to Diversity and Equality 10 

4 An Overview of the Changing Legal Context 8 

5 Roles and Responsibilities for Equality and Diversity 10 

6 Diversity & Equality Policy Aims 14 

7 Partnership Working and External Links 14 

8 Information and Evidence – Gathering 16 

9 Involvement and Consultation 17 

10 Equality Impact Assessment 20 

11 Procurement 21 

12 Equality & Diversity Training 21 

A List of Equality Partner Organisations 22 

B Equal Pay Statement 23

FOREWORD 

Hi there 

I’m Miles, the Principal of Telford College. 

I am still delighted to be a member of the learning community after 18 months of working with the 

College here in Edinburgh. At the heart of Edinburgh’s Telford College is the determination to ensure 

that we provide a platform that embraces all, a determination that allows each individual to be 

whatever they are able to be, a determination that we provide outstanding support in order to achieve 

these key objectives. 

We have embarked on our key strategic priority of “Working towards Excellence” by putting the Learner 

First. To do this well, we are personalising learning by reviewing the learner journey, looking at how 

best we can prepare all our learners for 

• Learning 

• College 

• Progression and next steps 

• Success 

• Employment 

• Higher Education 

Our College has an essential part to play in building a Scottish society based on fairness, transparency 

and on equality of opportunity. We are committed to improving equality for all and believe no one 

should be held back because of who they are or their background. 

We are champions of diversity and equality and will work on equality of opportunity and fair 

treatment for all taking into account people sharing “protected characteristics”. 

We welcome your feedback on this scheme and its application. You will find our policies, news and 

reports on the College website www.ed-coll.ac.uk 

Miles Dibsdall OBE 

December 2011 

Progress Report - December 2011 1

OUR EQUALITY 

SCHEME 

2 Equality and Diversity

1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE SCHEME 

The college has had a Diversity and Equality (D&E) scheme since 2006. This 3 year scheme has been 

developed collaboratively with external stakeholders, learners and staff, building on the original 

scheme, and importantly, learning from it. 

In producing this scheme we have involved internal and external stakeholders, and analysed a wide 

range of information and data we have gathered over the last 3 years. This has helped us to establish 

how well the first Diversity and Equality scheme enabled us to meet our duties, and to inform our 

next priorities and objectives. Our existing key objectives are in our annual progress report, which we 

currently publish in December along with a commentary on actions we have taken and outcomes and 

impact we have identified to advance equality, eliminate discrimination and harassment and foster 

good relations. 

In reviewing the previous scheme we looked at the evidence that we have of what impact our 

previous scheme made, much of which can be seen in the report on our website which was published 

December 2009. 

We have utilised Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) guidance on developing this single 

equality scheme, and will develop our future approach in due course, informed by the final approved 

guidelines on the Public Sector Equality Duty when these are published around April 2012. 

The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has established a systemic change approach that they hope will 

enable and encourage colleges (and universities) to address discrimination, and deliver enhanced 

equality and diversity outcomes. 


ASPECT 

Systemic Change and 

Integration 

ETC PRIORITIES 

• Systematic provision of equality relevant data and information at team 

level in the organisation to increase ownership, reach and impact 

• Clarification of reporting processes and rationalisation of annual 

reporting to EHRC and HMIe in December for all strands 

• Embedding equality impact assessment within mainstream processes 

• Evaluation of impact 

Equalities Leadership • Clarification of expectation, role and responsibilities for this at all levels 

in the organisation: from Board of Management to front-line staff 

• Greater visibility of equalities information, and activity 


Targeted development 

and capacity building 

Advice and 

Information 

• Annual programme of staff development to meet needs identified , 

informed by staff development and review, involvement and feedback 

from internal and external stakeholders 


• Clarification of points of contact, range of services and support 

• Evaluation of usage and impact 

4 

Equality and Diversity

2 BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE COLLEGE 

Edinburgh’s Telford College was established in 1968 and is the main provider of further education 

and training in North Edinburgh. It is one of three colleges serving the city, and with around 15,000 

enrolments each year (of which approximately 4250 are full-time, 10750 part-time) it is one of 

Scotland’s largest further education colleges 

The College operates mainly from a purpose-built campus in the Waterfront Development area of 

North Edinburgh, which is close to areas of significant social and economic disadvantage. In order to 

serve the needs of our community, the College has developed a range of innovative education and 

training opportunities for potentially excluded groups, often in collaboration with other statutory 

organisations (such as the City of Edinburgh Council) and community-based and voluntary agencies. 

Our Principal, Miles Dibsdall OBE, joined Edinburgh’s Telford College in April 2010 and immediately 

initiated a review of the College’s strategy, management structure and operations. From this review 

the following key actions were taken: 

• Creation of a flatter organisational structure through the implementation of a matrix management 

approach 

• Placing learners at the centre of what we do and building professional services to support them 

throughout their studies 

• Driving Quality Improvement and Enhancement , including diversity and equality of opportunity, 

to provide the best learning experience for all our learners and staff 

• Empowering staff to enable appropriate and timely improvements to the learning experience 

• Development and implementation of new Strategic Drivers for the College, which for session 

2011-2012 are as follows: 

1. Learners First, Learners Focussed 

We will build key professional services to support the learner journey from enquiry to exit. The Learner 

Council and Student Union will ensure that the learner voice is at the centre of this initiative and 

support quality improvement and learner success. We will enhance learners’ lifelong employment 

prospects by developing their skills, knowledge and attributes through the College’s Personalisation of 

Learning initiative. We are committed to celebrating diversity and ensuring equality of opportunity. 

We will work in partnership to ensure we meet the needs of the Scottish Government’s priority groups 

and remove barriers to access where they exist. Being safe and supported will be an integral part of 

the learner experience. 

Objectives 

• Continue to develop and improve key professional services to support an efficient, flexible learner 

journey 

• Establish a range of prepared programmes (for college, learning, success, progression & citizenship) 

• Improve the integrity of learner recruitment to ensure learners are placed on the most appropriate 

course and SCQF level 

• Ensure 16+ Learning Choices and Personalisation of Learning is fully implemented across the 

College 

• Ensure all learners have the opportunity to develop a broad range of knowledge, essential skills and 

attributes for sustainable employment 


2. Developing the Curriculum 

We will develop our curriculum to ensure provision is coherent and relevant to local, regional and 

national skills needs. Our key focus will be preparing learners for careers in sectors of the economy 

that offer the best opportunities for employment. We will review the curriculum offering annually 

to ensure it meets the needs of employers and the wider economy, continues to offers quality-value 

for money and provides greater access, progression and positive outcomes for all learners. Changes 

in curriculum provision will drive the College’s Estates strategy and ensure the effective utilisation of 

assets and capacity. 

Objectives 

• Develop a curriculum offering that it is employer-led, future-focused, quality assured and 

financially viable 

• Develop the curriculum to ensure it provides clear progression routes and positive outcomes for all 

learners 

• Ensure all learners will have the opportunity to achieve nationally recognised awards or SCQF 

levelled and Credit Rated College entry programmes 

• Plan College Estate’s developments in-line with the outcomes from Curriculum review 

3. Quality Improvement 

We will continue to develop and improve the quality and equality of our learning experience for all 

our learners. We will achieve this through the development, evaluation and improvement of our 

teaching practice and by ensuring services are customer-focused and meet the expectations of all our 

learners. 

Objectives 

• Improve success rates (FE FT – 67%, FE PT - 80%, HE FT – 82 % and HE PT – 80%) 

• Develop enterprising approaches to learning and teaching to enable all learners to achieve their 

full potential 

• Fully embed and utilise the PAL role to drive the quality improvement cycle 

• Continue to develop and fully deploy the Learning and Teaching and Support Service Evaluation 

Models and use them to improve the learning experience 

• Achieve full audit compliance 

4. Investing in Professionalism 

We will ensure that all our staff have the skills to embrace the agenda for change and prepare for the 

challenges ahead. The new Professional Development Academy will provide supportive development 

linked to the quality improvement agenda of the learning experience. 

4. Investing in Professionalism 

We will ensure that all our staff have the skills to embrace the agenda for change and prepare for the 

challenges ahead. The new Professional Development Academy will provide supportive development 

linked to the quality improvement agenda of the learning experience. 

6 


Objectives 

• Implement the Professional Development Academy 

• Implement a staff objective setting and review process that provides clear and meaningful 

Individual Development Plans 

• Improve partnership working with staff and staff associations 

• Improve the College communication channels to ensure all staff have clear, relevant information 

and have opportunities to contribute to key decisions. 

• Continue to provide a safe, healthy and pleasant environment and ensure compliance to OHSAS 

18001 

5. Improve our Business Model 

Our priority is continued financial health and we will continue to improve our business operating 

model to ensure a sustainable College. We will continue to improve College Governance and invest 

appropriately to ensure success as an outstanding college. We will ensure that financial resources 

deliver success, drive innovation and maintain our position as a strong independent college. 

Objectives 

• Continuously improve financial sustainability of the College 

• Achieve a minimum surplus of 1% 

• Manage cash flow to meet the revenue and capital investment needs 

• Maintain appropriate internal controls to reduce risks 

• Implement best practice and comply fully with the requirements of external regulation 

• Increase staff utilisation and develop and implement a robust costing and delivery model 

• Deliver Best Value services through collaborative procurement 

A statistical breakdown of staff by disability, gender and race is provided in our annual progress 

reports. 

3 OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY AND EQUALITY 

We demonstrate by our key drivers, policies and values that we will proactively advance equality 

of opportunity, celebrate diversity and foster good relations and eliminate all forms of prohibited 

conduct, including by perception and association and harassment, including third party harassment 

that might occur in the College, and report annually on progress. 

Our Mission “Transforming lives through learning” 


Our Values are now based on Human Rights values which align well with our educational purpose and 

mission: 

• Fairness 

• Respect 

• Equality 

• Dignity 

• Autonomy 

As part of strategic planning and organisational development, the College develops key strategic 

drivers on an annual basis, mapped against the Scottish Government and Scottish Funding Council 

priorities which both embed equality and diversity. 

The Scheme covers all aspects of the activities at our College including: 

• Recruitment and admissions of students; 

• Students’ assessment, progression and achievement; 

• Learning and Teaching 

• Planning and policy 

• Curriculum Development 

• Guidance and Learner Support 

• Human Resources 

• Marketing and Communication 

• Estates and Facilities 

• International Development 

• Financial Security and Best Value 

• Health & Safety 

• Quality Enhancement 

• Contractors and service providers, including procurement; 

• Visitors and other stakeholders 

4 AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHANGING LEGAL CONTEXT 

Edinburgh’s Telford College is defined as a public authority. This Diversity and Equality Scheme 

currently addresses the College’s obligations and legal duties to promote race, gender and disability 

equality under each of the individual Equality Duties in legislation pre October 2010. 

As we develop our approach to meet legislation for the new Equality Act 2010 as it applies to 

Education Providers, we will encompass our commitment to promoting and taking action on equality, 

diversity across the protected characteristics listed below: 

• Age 

• Disability 

• Race 

• Sex 

• Religion or belief 

• Sexual Orientation 

• Pregnancy and maternity 

• Gender re-assignment 

• Marriage and civil partnership 

8 


The College is ethically and legally committed to equality of opportunity in all of our organisational 

functions, in terms of our duties as an education and service provider and as an employer. 

This Single Equality Scheme at this point in time does not include our final objectives or actions 

specific to all the above protected characteristics, as the College, like other public sector organisations, 

awaits final guidance on our specific duties, known as the Public Sector Equality Duty, which is 

expected to be published around April 2012. In the meantime we are undertaking consultation and 

involvement activities to help inform the setting of our Equality Outcomes, which we will publish and 

report on in due course. 

In the meantime, the general duties for public sector organisations set out in the new legislation will 

supersede the previous main discrimination acts and will require public authorities, including colleges, 

when carrying out their functions, to have due regard to the need to: 

1. Eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation 

2. Advance equality of opportunity 

• Remove or minimise disadvantages 

• Take steps to meet the needs of persons who share a relevant protected characteristic that 

are different 

• Encourage persons who share a relevant protected characteristic to participate in public life 

3. Foster good relations 

• Tackle prejudice 

• Promote understanding 

The College recognises that the legislation set out in the Equality Act 2010 changes the definition of 

disability and gender re-assignment, direct discrimination and disability discrimination. 

As a provider of services and education, the College recognises we have a duty to make reasonable 

adjustments, including an anticipatory duty in service provision. We will take steps to review, plan and 

develop our duty in the light of these changes, and particularly in the following aspects 

• Admission of students 

• Provision of education 

• Access to benefits and facilities 

• Exclusion of students or staff 

• Harassment and victimisation 

• Specific protection for disabled students 


5 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY 

5.1 Human Resources (HR) 

HR has a first point of contact for all D&E issues. In addition, HR also has a an annual D&E action plan 

within their operational plan which is reviewed for impact and further development as appropriate. 

This prioritises: 

1. Staff Statistics 

• Bi-annual collation & analysis of D&E statistics 

• Action planning for areas of concern 

• Data capture of staff core personal details 

2. Communications, Engagement and Involvement 

• Further publicising Staff support 

• To increase staff awareness and participation in College D&E events 

3. HR D&E reporting in compliance with statutory law 

• Elimination of potentially discriminatory practice from core HR policies. 

• Equality Impact Assessment of agreed HR policies and practices 

4. Equality Impact Assessment 

• Recruitment and Selection 

• Maternity and Adoption Leave 

• Dignity at Work 

5. Learning & Development 

• Delivery of awareness sessions with regard to the Equalities Act 2010 and other identified 

training priorities 

6. External Organisation Links 

• Establishment of links with a broad range of organisations, with specific reference to 

reviewing our recruitment practices as per the above. 

7. Health and Safety 

• Promoting health and well-being for staff through an annual programme of initiatives 

5.2 Board of Management 

Our Board of Management have a governance role to reflect on and establish their confidence in 

the College’s arrangements for implementing Diversity and Equality legislation, and to take action in 

response to any concerns. The Board receive equality data and analysis within Quality Enhancement 

reports to reflect the mainstreaming equality within quality processes. 

The Board also scrutinise and approve our annual Quality Enhancement report to HMIe, which 

incorporates progress and outcomes for equality and diversity, which is embedded within the HMIe 

Quality Enhancement framework. 

The Board use such reports, survey and stakeholder reports and a range of other sources of 

information to evaluate whether the College has an effective and sustainable capacity to deliver the 

equality duties. 

10 


5.2 Board of Management 

Our Board of Management have a governance role to reflect on and establish their confidence in 

the College’s arrangements for implementing Diversity and Equality legislation, and to take action in 

response to any concerns. The Board receive equality data and analysis within Quality Enhancement 

reports to reflect the mainstreaming equality within quality processes. 

The Board also scrutinise and approve our annual Quality Enhancement report to HMIe, which 

incorporates progress and outcomes for equality and diversity, which is embedded within the HMIe 

Quality Enhancement framework. 

The Board use such reports, survey and stakeholder reports and a range of other sources of 

information to evaluate whether the College has an effective and sustainable capacity to deliver the 

equality duties. 

5.3 Management responsibility 

In recognition of the importance we place on Diversity and Equality the College has established and 

maintained a lead management responsibility for this area within its flatter matrix management 

structure. Responsibilities of this post include the mainstreaming of equality and diversity, priorities 

for staff development, implementation and strategic level evaluation of how well we achieve our 

equality objectives and outcomes. 

Currently this post is designated Head of External Liaison, reporting to the Principal, who has ultimate 

accountability for this legislation on behalf of the College. 

The matrix management team have individual responsibility for Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) of 

the policies and practices that relate to their areas of responsibility. 

5.4 Diversity and Equality Steering Group 

The Head of External Liaison chairs this group, and membership comprises a core group of staff whose 

expertise or areas of responsibility are directly concerned with Diversity and Equality, and who have a 

recognised leadership role as a result. The areas of function represented include Learning and Teaching, 

Quality Improvement, Learner Development, Learner Services, (including Learning Resources) Estates, 

Marketing, Planning and statistical data analysis and Human Resources. 

We engage with learners via a newly established Learner Council, and with the Student Union, which 

incorporates a number of executive posts which target equality related activity. From August 2011 

the steering group has included a new post holder: Learner Engagement Officer and this has proved to 

be of real benefit. This post is aimed at establishing a sustainable and effective relationship between 

the College, the Student Union and our Learners Council. Having the participation of this proactive 

member of staff directly as a member of the Steering Group has helped us focus on hearing and 

responding to the learner voice and perspective. 

The main remit of this steering group is to monitor the progress and impact of actions we have 

published, review collated staff and student data and direct action, and scan externally for changes in 

legislation and practice the College should react to. 

The trades unions in College have an agreement to engage with this group, ensuring communication 

channels are in place to facilitate their involvement in Diversity and Equality matters. 


5.5 College staff teams 

All managers have responsibility for Diversity and Equality at local level. This means they have a lead 

role in developing an inclusive culture at team level, overseeing involvement with their staff and 

students and implementing our approach to equality impact assessment to improve services and the 

student and staff experience. 

All teams in College contribute to achieving our key objective: to create an Inclusive College. They 

can contribute via involvement in equality impact assessment, self evaluation and participation 

in experiential or development activity that is arranged to eliminate discrimination including by 

perception or association or harassment, including third party harassment and by promoting College 

values. 

As we continue to develop ownership, and improve provision of team level data, this will enable 

managers to evaluate how they are implementing all the Equality Duties, take appropriate actions, 

and evaluate the impact. Teams review progress and impact as part of their self evaluation activities; 

individuals who have responsibility for published actions report on progress and impact to the Head of 

External Liaison. 

The output from these reports is collated and contributes to our formal progress and impact reporting 

to external stakeholders, the Board of Management, EHRC and HMIe. 

5.6 Provision of Advice and Support for Learners 

Learner Services provide the lead contact in relation to equality matters for learners. This remit is 

established within the team, in the post of Learner Services Manager. Our structure has now brought 

several related areas of responsibility together to enhance the effectiveness of this role. 

During session 2010-11, the College developed and implemented a new College-Life engagement 

model in order to improve how we listen to learners. This model involved the re-development of 

Student Individual learning Plans and a Course Representative Handbook, which clearly communicate 

how the College will work in partnership with learners to ensure we continuously improve the learning 

experience. We have seen a significant impact in student participation in feedback and influence in the 

College environment and decision-making. 

5.7 Support for learners on courses 

The College has implemented a new post of Learning Development Tutor (LDT) as part of its strategic 

aim of providing consistent high quality support for all learners throughout their studies. These tutors 

are responsible for supporting learners in the development of Essential Skills. Learner development 

activity includes raising awareness of equality and diversity values, rights and responsibilities in the 

workplace or volunteering as part of employability training. The LDT role includes discussion on 

progress on course including core and transferable skills whilst supporting the student’s personal 

progress through tutorials and monitoring achievement of the Individual Learning Plan. 

12 


LDTs will be responsible for: 

• Providing pre-entry, on-course and pre-exit guidance and support to all students. 

• Providing structured on-going guidance to students either in groups or individually to ensure a 

positive learning experience and support retention and attainment. 

• Identifying student learning styles and support needs prior to enrolment and making appropriate 

referrals. 

• Facilitating the development of appropriate and effective learning techniques in conjunction with 

vocational lecturers. 

• Following up on absenteeism to improve learner attendance. 

In addition, a team of Student Services Officers offer advice, assessment and practical support through 

the delivery of individual support packages and the development of relevant services, information and 

partnerships. 

This Team also offer advice and support to academic staff to ensure that students’ learning needs are 

met. Each teaching team has a named Student Services Officer to facilitate two-way communication, 

sharing of information and collaborative working between staff. 

All students accessing support will have a named Student Services Officer and an agreed and 

negotiated Personal Learning Support Plan which is reviewed and monitored throughout their course. 

In addition the Learner Services Team offers access to a range of additional services and 

information for learners including: 

• Personal Problems Advice and Information Service 

• The Spiritual Care Team – developing pastoral links across cultures and the promotion of multicultural 

celebration and values 

The College assists students who require any type of learning support by the provision of an extensive 

range of services which are delivered through the Learner Services Department, including Learning 

Resources. 

Support for students with a disability covers a wide range of services and includes: 

• Specific budget provision to promote inclusion 

• Communication for the deaf and one to one communication support workers 

• Training a number of College front line support staff in British Sign Language to assist in the 

support of deaf students 

• Additional funding support through a College trust fund which includes criteria for students with 

disability 

• Dyslexia screening 

• Reading & scribing 

• Enabling technology and equipment loan 

• Provision of ‘one to one’ workers for class and study support 

• Support for blind students and accessible services for guide dogs 

• Setting up a new partnership with SAMH to develop support materials for students with mental 

health difficulties 

• Assessment arrangements 


5.8 International Learners 

The College has developed a bespoke International Zone providing support to meet the needs of the 

growing number of International students from all over the world who come to study here. 

6 DIVERSITY & EQUALITY POLICY AIMS 

Diversity & Equality policies 

The College has an Equality and Diversity Policy which outlines the College’s ethical commitment 

to equality and also how the College will deliver on legal duties and responsibilities. Our revised 

policy aims to prevent and eliminate all forms of unfair discrimination, including by perception and 

association or harassment, including third party harassment that might occur in the College, advance 

equality of opportunity and foster good relations. 

The Equality and Diversity policy includes reference to all Protected Characteristics and this policy 

signposts its readers to further related policies or procedures for example Fair Access, Student 

Discipline, Staff Grievance, our Dignity at Work policies and practices. 

7 PARTNERSHIP WORKING AND EXTERNAL LINKS 

The College is committed to promoting and developing partnerships of a formal and informal nature 

to support us in the development of excellent, customer services which are accessible and inclusive. 

Formal partnerships which help us build our capacity to impact on equality are in place with the 

following organisations: 

Scottish Funding Council Initiative 

The College has been working with Scotland’s Colleges, BRITE and SKILL SCOTLAND to develop an 

online resource for young people with complex needs, and their families, to effectively support post 

school transitions. In addition, a College manager is on the national steering group for the Scotland’s 

Colleges Project to provide Support for Learners with Profound and Complex Needs 

City of Edinburgh Council Health & Social Care Day Services, to jointly develop and support the 

curriculum and learning opportunities for students with learning disabilities. Via this partnership 

the College integrates students from local mainstream schools and a number of special schools into 

College in a range of different ways. 

City of Edinburgh Council Education - In October 2009 we signed a partnership agreement to work 

closely with Stevenson and Jewel and Esk Colleges and Secondary Schools to maximise our response 

and services for Edinburgh Secondary Schools, and take forward the School College partnership across 

the city collaboratively. 

Edinburgh Council lead the Edinburgh Literacy Partnership (within City of Edinburgh Community 

Learning and Development) in the city. ELP funding enables more students across the College and 

in the local community to benefit from core skills development and literacy and numeracy support. 

These learners come from a wide range of backgrounds, with the main beneficiaries on vocational 

14 


courses below Intermediate 2 / SCQF level 5. These courses contain learners whose entry level of 

core skills puts them at risk of low attainment and withdrawal at College and at a considerable 

disadvantage in the labour market. 

Edinburgh Colleges Equality Forum 

We formed a collaborative partnership with Stevenson and Jewel and Esk colleges to improve how 

we undertake external involvement with equality related organisations, and reduce involvement 

fatigue. To do this we jointly agreed an initial database of equality related organisations from all of our 

previous experience, and launched this initiative in June 2009. We publish newsletters annually from 

the events to share changes we have made from this engagement, and continue to gain insight into 

how we can improve what colleges offer thanks to this involvement. 

The careers service within Skills Development Scotland offer enhanced access to career guidance 

and planning for potential and enrolled students. 

Pathfinders Psychological Services, to develop improved support structures in College for care 

leavers. 

International Partnerships: The College has a network 75 agents located in 23 countries worldwide 

and has links with institutes in a number of countries including India, Nepal, China, Bangladesh, UAE, 

Libya, Philippines, South Korea and Sri Lanka. Recognised as one of the leading Scottish Colleges for 

international operations, with global partnerships (outside EU), ETC is a key player in international 

student recruitment and enhancing the diversity of ethnicity in the College. The College has achieved 

5 national awards including International Star awards from SQA for its international operations and 

student support and from the Scottish Council for Development and Industry Award for ‘Outstanding 

International Achievement in Scotland’s Colleges’. 

Transitions for People Leaving Care (TLC) Project 

The TLC partnership project was funded by the Scottish Funding Council to increase the proportion 

of this particularly vulnerable group of young people to move in to Further and Higher Education via 

an integrated service, before, at the time of leaving school, and subsequently thereafter – widening 

access and opportunities, and aiming to provide personal support to redress institutional inequality. 

Partners include the three Edinburgh colleges, Skills Development Scotland, the City of Edinburgh 

Council (the Through Care and Aftercare Team), Capital City Partnership and voluntary organisations. 

Time for Talking 

A counselling service which supports staff at all levels 

Epilepsy Scotland 

Access to Work 


Remploy 

The College is signed up as a referral agency to help people with Learning Disabilities or people with 

mental health problems to find work 

Dyslexia Scotland 

Formal internal College partnerships are in place with Trade Unions, including UNISON and the EIS. 

Good links have been forged with our own Student Union body, and the NUS. Our aim is to provide 

useful and consistent advice and information for students by sharing relevant information, and to hold 

joint events where appropriate. 

In addition to the formal partnerships outlined we regularly consult with and involve other partner 

organisations with an interest or link to the work of the College, in order to develop and maintain 

best practice wherever possible. Our partnership working includes links with local and national 

organisations, community groups, equality focused organisations and networks. (See Appendix B). 

8 INFORMATION AND EVIDENCE – GATHERING 

The College collects and analyses a range of information for staff and students, for a variety of 

different purposes, including the assessment of our performance against strategic aims and objectives 

and performance indicators. This includes indicators to measure progress with diversity, equality and 

inclusion. 

We use statistical data drawn from: 

• The College Student Records System 

• The Scottish Funding Council Further Education statistics database 

• The HR information database 

Data is currently gathered on race, gender and disability equality for students, and includes 

information on: 

• Recruitment 

• Retention 

• Achievement 

• Application to enrolment 

(Note: The figures for “Achievement” are based on those students who either completed their course 

successfully, completed a course which was not designed to be assessed, or progressed on to the next 

year of study. These are compared with the total number of students who enrolled for that course, 

excluding only those who enrolled but did not turn up for any part of their course.) 

Data is gathered on race, gender and disability equality for staff and includes information on: 

• Recruitment and selection 

• Disciplinary Cases 

• Grievances 

• Leavers 

16 


Staff and Student Experience of the College 

Information is currently collected and monitored through a range of mechanisms including: 

• Student and staff satisfaction surveys which include questions relating to equality issues, as well 

as being analysed by equality groupings 

• Focus meetings or involvement activities 

• The College Learner Council which is made up of “super reps” elected to inform our priorities and 

how to improve things for all learners 

• Programme Area Leader and learner representative meetings 

• Formal meetings with recognised Trades Unions 

• Student Services and Learning Resources User Feedback forms 

• Self Evaluation and Self-Assessment activities 

• Quality Improvement team activities 

• Staff Pioneer group to provide solutions to pernicious problems 

• Complaints and grievances 

We recognise the importance of survey, information and data gathering and analysis to inform future 

actions and will continue to seek improvements in this area to assist with the identification of key 

issues, such as gender bias in courses, occupational segregation and issues relating to race, disability 

or gender based harassment. In addition, data gathering continues to help inform our progress on 

application, recruitment, retention and achievement and in the identification of any equality based 

differences or potential negative impact. 

9 INVOLVEMENT AND CONSULTATION 

We continue to seek ways of improving the way we involve and consult with students, staff and 

stakeholders. 

Formal involvement with students, staff and stakeholders: 

Students 

The Learner Services Department takes lead responsibility for the involvement of students from all 

equality groups in gathering feedback on their College experience. We report not just to comply 

with our legal obligations, but also to showcase the many examples of good practice and successful 

initiatives designed to enhance the experience of students. 

We involve students in support groups (e.g. dyslexia support group) to ask them to tell us: 

1. Whether they have encountered any barriers to full participation in any aspect of College life and 

how and if these issues have been eliminated. 

2. What has, or what would, make a positive difference to students. How have we, or could we, as a 

College, enhance their student experience? 

We use this information to review priorities and plan for the next equality outcomes. 


Method of involvement 

All members of the student services team facilitate 1-1 and group sessions with students from all 

equality groups, and we have had success in setting up support groups, where we have identified a 

need. This has led us to set up for example a parents support group , to engage them in helping us 

equality impact assess our policy and practice from their perspective. 

Staff 

HR involves staff from as many equality groups as possible to ask them to tell us: 

1. Whether they have encountered any barriers to full participation in any aspect of College life and 

how and if these issues have been eliminated. 

2. What has, or what would, make a positive difference to staff and the students they deal with. 

How have we, or could we, as an organisation, enhance the experience of College life for staff? 

We use this information to review priorities and plan for the next equality outcomes. 

Methods of Involvement 

Staff in HR and managers raise awareness amongst staff with regard to the available support that can 

emerge from disclosure and to canvas for interested parties from appropriate equalities groups to 

participate in focus groups to discuss relevant issues. 

Informal staff and student engagement are both very high priorities in the College. We have regular 

forums and hold various events across the academic year to provide opportunities for us to gather 

their views, in a variety of contexts. This enables us to complement the formal information gathering 

from surveys and focus groups, and provides opportunity for stakeholders to contribute their views 

and influence. 

Learner Council 

The Learner Council is made up of twenty or so ‘Super Class reps’. They meet twice a month with 

decision-making staff, including the College’s Principal, to give them the chance to discuss their 

experience of all aspects of the ‘learner journey’. Before the meeting super reps will speak to the class 

reps in their area to make sure their views are also represented on the Learner Council. 

In parallel, class reps meet once per month with their respective Programme Area Leader where they 

have the chance to raise any course related issues they or their classmates may have. The Programme 

Area Leader will also ask them to attend course team review meetings with delivery staff at prescribed 

intervals throughout the session. 

18 


D&E calendar for staff and students 

Themed events can provide an opportunity to raise awareness, celebrate diversity, and promote 

mutual understanding and confidence or challenge assumptions. 

e.g. Health and Well Being week in December involves a wide range of support and health agencies, 

providing advice and support to all students, embedding specific individual needs relating to equality 

groups (mental health, sexual orientation, etc) 

A number of calendar dates are highlighted on plasma screens for a range of festivals (e.g. Diwali, 

Ramadan) or to promote reflection (e.g. Anti-bullying or LGBT History Month). 

External organisations taking part in previous events have included e.g. those representing LGBT Youth, 

Edinburgh Interfaith, Caledonia Youth, YWCA, Respect Me, Young Scot, organisations offering support 

such as the local Police Community Support Team, counselling organisations and Depression Alliance 

Scotland. There have also been workshops on basic sign language communication and on the use of 

assistive technology 

We also use technology and social networking media to encourage feedback, comment and discussion 

amongst students about learning and teaching issues. 

Fresher’s Fayre 

We invite equality organisations into our welcoming launch at the beginning of the new session, 

providing us with an opportunity to engage with them, and simultaneously providing new students 

from minority groups (ethnic, (in) visible disability or LGBT/transgender related, for example) early 

access to appropriate contact and support. 

Charity events as part of developing Citizenship 

The College raises funds for charities initiated by staff or students within a range of curriculum 

programmes. These have been very successful events, involving a range of students, including those 

with disabilities, the Student Union, staff, departments and sections, working together for good 

causes. This is part of our promotion of positive attitudes towards disability. Fund-raising activities 

have included healthy walks, food production and selling, stalls, arts and crafts, raffles and a collection 

across the College. 

Student Union (SU) 

We work with our Student Union in a variety of ways. This includes regular liaison to maintain 

communication and capture issues and ideas. The SU Executive includes the posts of Disability Officer, 

LGBT Officer, Mature Students Officer and other equality related posts. Collaborative work is taken 

forward in partnership with the Operations Team Leader in Learner Services with responsibility for 

learner engagement. 


Decision making and allocation of resources 

The College allocates both staff and financial resources to ensure we are prepared to implement our 

anticipatory duty, to assist us in conducting involvement activities and to contribute to ensuring their 

effectiveness. 

10 EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT 

Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) Processes 

The College has learned from its experience of the last 3 years. We recognised that we had a number 

of areas where we were implementing equality impact assessment that had not been recognised as 

such by staff, and continue to raise awareness in the organisation of the importance if equality impact 

assessment in everyday practice and decision-making, moving this into the mainstream of our work. 

We have involved a number of staff in developing our previous approach. As we are now engaging 

in merger discussions with Stevenson and Jewel and Esk colleges, we have established a short life 

working group to map and review our existing approaches and to recommend a single approach that 

we can then implement consistently. 

Health and safety 

We have embedded equality impact assessment more explicitly within our approach to Health and 

safety risk assessment. The College has raised the profile of Health and safety over the last 2 sessions, 

and the revised proforma provides a method of tracking equality related actions and impact, and 

gathering information to inform Estates priorities. 

Self evaluation 

Equality impact assessment has also been embedded explicitly in our self evaluation and curriculum 

review procedures for learning and teaching and support teams, who are asked to evaluate the 

impact of their services on learners. Every course team has a student profile embedded within their 

course team log which provides a breakdown of students by disability, ethnicity and gender for 

the current and previous 2 session , as well as a student quality profile which shows the retention 

and achievement rates of their disabled and ethnic minority students in particular. This promotes 

awareness of the diverse nature and needs of our student community. 

Critical Friend Model- Learning and Teaching and Assessment 

We have established a supportive model to review the effectiveness of learning and teaching 

practices in relation to equality and protected characteristics. This model incorporates an evaluation 

of equality and diversity in the classroom and is used to identify and share good practice and inform 

staff development activity. Specific initiatives to tackle issues and innovate are led by the Curriculum 

Development and support manager and the staff in the Quality Improvement Unit. 

20 


11 PROCUREMENT 

The College recognises the requirement to address Diversity and Equality considerations within our 

procurement function. The College is a member of APUC, the body for Advanced Procurement for 

Universities and Colleges. We have equality impact assessed and updated our procurement processes 

and procedures to incorporate best equality practice for the sector, as recommended by APUC. 

12 EQUALITY & DIVERSITY TRAINING 

The College recognises that equality-related training and development of staff is a key element in 

ensuring that: 

• There is good awareness and understanding of Diversity and Equality issues across the College and 

an appreciation of the College’s policies, values and commitment 

• To assist in ensuring unlawful discrimination, including by perception and association and 

harassment, including third party harassment is eliminated 

• Our proactive role to promote and advance equality and diversity is widely understood and 

implemented 

• Staff and learners understand their role in fostering good relations 

We review priorities for equality-related training on an annual basis. 

New staff attend a Diversity and Equality induction session with the Head of External Liaison. 

There is in addition a requirement to complete a mandatory online programme covering: 

• Equal Opportunities and Diversity Essentials; an introduction for all staff 

• Exploring Equal Opportunities & Diversity ; an in-depth look at the legislation for staff with 

responsibility for others 

• Managing Diversity; for managers with responsibility for organisational planning 

Completion rates of this training remain at almost 100% and are checked on an on-going basis to 

maintain that level. This bespoke online training was well received by staff and is being updated in 

line with new legislation, and additional face to face sessions to help staff - “Putting equality into 

everyday Practice”. 

We have developed an online staff development programme to support staff and raise awareness and 

responsibilities for implementing QELTM guidelines (Quality and Equality in Learning and Teaching 

Materials) which is followed up by internal audit and support from Learning Resources. 


APPENDIX A – LIST OF EQUALITY PARTNERS 

Organisation 

Access To Industry 

Action Group 

Age Concern 

Autism Initiatives 

Barnardo’s 16+ project 

CORE (Previously Black Community Development Project) 

Capability Scotland 

Careers Scotland 

Catholic Church representative 

Chambers of Commerce 

City of Edinburgh Council 

Children and Families 

City Of Edinburgh Council 

Health and Social Care 

Learning Disability 

City of Edinburgh Council 

Secondary School 

Community learning & Development 

North Edinburgh 

Directions in Diversity 

E.L.Comm. Learning Disability Team 

EDG (Edinburgh Development Group) 

Edinburgh Inter Faith Association 

Edinburgh and Lothian Racial Equality Council 

E.S.L. Edinburgh Supported Living 

East Lothian Voc. Ops Scheme ELVOS 

Employment Opportunities 

Enable 

Forward Mid 

Greenhall Centre 

Local Area Coordination Team 

LCIL (Lothian Council for Integrated Living) 

LGBT Youth 

Lothian and Borders Police 

Safer Communities Unit 

Men in Mind 

Nari Kallyan Shangho 

N.H.S. Lothian 

Pathfinders 

Remploy 

RNIB 

Description 

Multiple Strands 

Disability 

Social Exclusion/Barriers 

Disability 


Race 

Disability 


Culture or Religion 

Multiple strands 


Physical Disability 


Disability 

Learning Disability 

Culture or Religion 

Race 

Disability 

Disability 

Disability 

Disability 

Disability 



Disability 

Gender 


Race 

Race 

Multiple strands 

Disability 

Disability 

Disability 

22 


Organisation 

Employment/Training Centre 

RNID 

Saheliya 

Scottish Association for Mental Health 

Scottish Refugee Council 

Scottish Resource Centre for Women in Science Engineering & 

Technology 

Shakti Women’s Aid 

Sikh Sanjog 

Skillnet 

Stonewall 

The Welcoming 

Transition Team (part of Health and Social Care) 

Working Together 

Description 

Disability 

Disability 


Mental Health 


Gender 


Race 

Race 

Gender 

Race 

Complex Support Needs 


APPENDIX B 

EQUAL PAY POLICY STATEMENT 

Edinburgh’s Telford College is committed to the principle of equal pay for all our employees. We aim 

to eliminate any sex bias in our pay systems. 

We understand that equal pay between men and women is a legal right under both domestic and 

European law. 

It is in the interest of the organisation to ensure that we have fair and just pay systems. It is 

important that employees have confidence in the process of eliminating sex bias and we are therefore 

committed to working in partnership with the recognised trade unions. As good business practice we 

are committed to working with trade unions/employee representatives to take action to ensure that 

we provide equal pay. 

We believe that in eliminating sex bias in our pay system we are sending a positive message to 

our staff and customers. It makes good business sense to have a fair, transparent reward system 

and it helps us to control costs. We recognise that avoiding unfair discrimination is a key point of 

maintaining high morale and efficiency. 

This equality and diversity scheme is published on the College website at www.ed-coll.ac.uk and is 

also available in other formats. Advice and support in accessing this document in a variety of formats 

is available via Head of External Liaison. 

barbara.lawson@ed-coll.ac.uk 


24 



Edinburgh’s Telford 

College 

350 West Granton Road 

Edinburgh 

EH5 1QE 

www.ed-coll.ac.uk 

0131 559 4000

DIVERSITY & EQUALITY SCHEME - Edinburgh's Telford College

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?