Athena SWAN
Athena SWAN is a charter scheme launched in 2005. It recognises a Higher Education institute’s commitment to the advancement of gender equality.
The charter was originally launched as an initiative to address the low numbers of women in STEM-based subjects. In May 2015, the scope of the Athena SWAN Charter was expanded to cover gender equality in the arts, humanities, social sciences, business and law.
For further information on the charter, visit the Athena SWAN website.
HR Excellence in Research
We received the European Commission HR Excellence in Research Award in February 2016, which recognised the University’s vigorous and transparent implementation strategy for improving the career development and management of researchers and our commitment to delivering research with impact.
Find out more about the HR Excellence in Research award.
Investors in People
The Investors in People (IIP) framework is structured around nine indicators, organised under three clear headings for high performance: leading, supporting and improving.
The IIP standard defines what it takes to lead, support and manage people well for sustainable results. Professional Services was first assessed in 2006 and currently has the Bronze award, valid to March 2020.
For more information, visit the Investors in People website.
Race Equality Charter
The Race Equality Charter aims to inspire a strategic approach to making cultural and systemic changes that will make a real difference to minority ethnic staff and students.
It covers professional, support and academic staff, as well as student attainment, diversity of curriculum and the progression of students into academia.
For further information on the charter, visit the Race Equality Charter website.
StandAlone Pledge
We provide continuous guidance and support to estranged students, raising awareness of their needs and enabling them to make the most of their time in higher education, as well as helping other higher education providers identify how best to support them.
We became one of the ‘Champion’ Universities across the UK to commit to the Stand Alone pledge in 2016 and in StandAlone's 2018 Excellence and Innovation Awards, we won in the ‘graduation and beyond’ category for our innovative approach in increased support for estranged students.
Find out more on the Stand Alone website.
TEF
The Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF) is a national exercise, introduced by the government in England. It assesses excellence in teaching at universities and colleges, and how well they ensure excellent outcomes for their students in terms of graduate-level employment or further study.
We have a bronze award, which means we deliver teaching, learning and outcomes for our students that meet rigorous national quality requirements for UK higher education. We received our award in June 2017.
For more information, visit the Office for Students website.
