Equality is a term used for ensuring everyone has equality of opportunity, which is protected by legislation under the Equality Act 2010. The Act protects people from being discriminated against on the grounds of any of the nine ‘protected characteristics’: age, disability, gender reassignment/ transgender, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. The Act also places a duty on employers and education providers such as the College to eliminate unlawful discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between different groups.
Diversity is about taking into account an individual’s personal differences, and therefore covers a wide range of conditions and characteristics. In terms of businesses and their workforces, it is about valuing and reaping the benefits of a varied workforce that makes the best of people’s talents whatever their backgrounds. Diversity encompasses visible and non-visible individual differences. It can be seen in the makeup of the workforce in terms of gender, ethnic minorities, disabled people etc. and about where those people are in terms of management positions, job opportunities or terms and conditions of employment. Diversity is also about respecting individual differences – people’s differences can be varied and not just confined to the protected characteristics, and can also include for example, their politics, socio-economic status, family background, health, values, and much more.
We also value inclusion, meaning that we aim to be inclusive in the way in which we operate as an education provider and an employer.
We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, working with partners and stakeholders by way of consultation and sharing best practice. We also have links with many of the faith organisations in Peterborough including Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist and Sikh. They all have nominated Associate Chaplains to work with us as part of the College Chaplaincy Team.
Peterborough College is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion as set out in our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy
Our Equality Objectives 2018-22
Our staff, learners, students, apprentices, Governors and stakeholders are all central to the achievement of our equality and diversity objectives, which are:
- Equality Objective 1 – To create, sustain and celebrate an inspiring working and learning environment which advances equality of opportunity for everyone and fosters good relations
- Equality Objective 2 – To eliminate inequality, harassment and victimization by removing or reducing disadvantages felt by people of different groups
- Equality Objective 3 – To identify learner and student groups with lower achievement, retention and pass rates and put processes in place to narrow gaps and exceed benchmarks
- Equality Objective 4 – To be representative of our community and seek to promote harmony and community cohesion and to work with other organisations across Greater Peterborough with respect to equality, diversity and inclusion
- Equality Objective 5 – To treat all learners, students, staff, apprentices, stakeholders and visitors with dignity and respect and to build a positive reputation in equality, diversity and inclusion
Furthermore we believe that the proactive management of equality, diversity and inclusion is key to:
- The College’s reputation – good reputation attracts people from all communities, helping to meet service delivery needs
- Building relationships with all stakeholders – which supports repeat business and community cohesion
- Retaining staff – valuing our diverse workforce enables the College to recruit and retain the best people for the job
- Retaining learners, students and apprentices – the promotion of a welcoming and supportive environment is attractive and key to their success
- Meeting our legal obligation – effective management of equality, diversity and inclusion limits the risk of legal challenges and costly penalties
- Exceeding Ofsted’s expectation – enabling the College to demonstrate to inspectors our embedded commitment to advancing the equality of opportunity, fostering good relationships and eliminating discrimination
As an employer, we are aslo proud to have gained Disability Confident Employer Scheme status