University College Plymouth St Mark & St John

We now have one equality scheme encompassing the nine protected characteristics:-

• Age
• Disability
• Ethnicity
• Marriage & Civil Partnership
• Maternity & Pregnancy
• Religion & Belief
• Sex
• Sexual orientation
• Transgender

Our scheme reviews past work, current practice, equality data and feedback from staff and students about the equality challenges here at UCP Marjon and sets out an action plan to tackle the issues.

The Equality & Diversity Scheme will be developed further in the future but is available to view on our equality & diversity policies pages.  Your involvement is a necessary part of future development of our equality work.  We therefore look forward to hearing from you with your thoughts on our current scheme or any other aspect of our equality work.  Any feedback can be sent to me at ltout@marjon.ac.uk.

Lynda Tout

Inclusion Co-ordinator

Each year in January, we will be publishing a report about equality at UCP Marjon.  The report will show our equality data, it will outline the engagement we do with our students and staff and what we have learnt from this, as well as reviewing the work we have done in the area of equalities over the past year.

As well as publishing this report for your information, we will use the detail and analysis of our data and feedback to inform our future equality objectives.  It will also be used by us to gauge how our new Equality & Diversity Scheme is operating and to check whether our equalities action plan (within the Equality & Diversity Scheme) is still sufficient.

Our first report which was prepared in June 2011, is attached below...

During the academic year September 2011-July 2012, we will be taking the opportunity to celebrate some important 'equality' dates in our calendar.  Last year that included LGBT month, International Women's Day and Disability Day.  So far this year, we have celebrated Black History Month in October through student and staff activities, storytelling, looking back at our own 'Black' history through our archives, setting an Ayo challenge and championship, attending the Plymouth Respect Festival and holding two drama productions (Albert & Equiano).  We have also raised disability awareness by holding a Disability Day in December in support of the UN's 'International Day of Disabled Persons'.  During the Disability Day we held a quiz on disability, had a stand in the dining hall showing people our work and had two students complete an access map of the campus. Through February (LGBT month) we highlighted LGBT resources to staff once again as part of our continuing staff development and reminded students of the support in place through our Counselling Centre and in the Student Union through the LGB society.

We aim to continue celebrating dates that are of importance to those within our community.  If you have any suggestions for equality dates that you feel the University College should mark, or you would like to get involved in those we are already planning we would love to hear from you.  In the first instance, please contact Lynda Tout, Inclusion Co-ordinator at ltout@marjon.ac.uk .