The College Merthyr Tydfil

Equality and Diversity Annual Monitoring Report

April 2012 – March 2013

Judith Mulry The College Merthyr Tydfil

2 The College Merthyr Tydfil

Contents Page Background 3 Introduction and statistical overview 4 Section 1 Staff Data 5 Age 6 Disability 6 Ethnicity 6 Sex 7 Religion or Belief 7 Sexual Orientation 7 Recruitment 8 Pay Differentials 8 Training 10 Disciplinary and Grievance 11 Section 2 Student Data 12 Age 12 Disability 13 Ethnicity 14 Sex 15 Religion or Belief 15 Sexual Orientation 16 Student Disciplinary 18 Section 3 Activities 18 Evaluation 20

Abbreviations:

CiD College Inclusivity & Diversity Steering Group EDSG Equality and Diversity Steering Group LAC Looked After Child LGB Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual MADF Multi Agency Diversity Forum MIS Management Information System (student data capture) PCVA Polish Community of the Valleys Association SEP Strategic Equality Plan

Background to the Annual Equality Report

This report is written against the backdrop of the new College Merthyr Tydfil which will reconfigure post-16 education and training in Merthyr Tydfil through the development of a tertiary college from September 2013.

Following extensive discussions with the Welsh Government’s then Department for Education, Children, Lifelong Learning & Skills (DCELLS), The College Merthyr Tydfil has been created through the merger of the existing Merthyr Tydfil Further Education College with 6th forms transferred from the County Borough’s secondary schools.

The aim is to transform education and training for post 16 learners in Merthyr Tydfil (and the wider Heads of Valleys region). This will be achieved through the provision of a greater choice of relevant learning and training pathways aimed at a much wider section of the community and delivered employing innovative teaching methodologies.

By these means, The College Merthyr Tydfil will become a leader in social and economic regeneration through the engagement of those sectors of the population whom, for various reasons have not previously participated in these activities. The aim is also to improve attainment in all sectors of post-16 learning.

The aim of The College Merthyr Tydfil will be to raise the aspirations of all our young people and the community in general – and will make a real contribution to the regeneration of Merthyr Tydfil as an attractive and vibrant place to live, study and work.

The remedial planning work has been underway for some considerable time and necessarily involves new organisational structures including teaching, professional and support staff structures. In addition, new methods of data capture including a staff e-recruitment system and updated MIS student information software packages will be implemented during the next two years.

A short video highlighting the brand new college facilities is available at http://www.merthyr.ac.uk/content/about-us

Equality and Diversity Annual Monitoring report

April 2012 – March 2013

1 Introduction

The College Merthyr Tydfil is a member of the University of South Wales Group.

Public Sector Duties of the Equality Act 2012

1.1 April 2011 saw the introduction of the public sector equality duty. The public sector duties are underpinned by the specific duties which in Wales set out the expectations of the Welsh Government for the implementation of the Equality Act 2010. The specific duties require public sector authorities to establish equality objectives for the nine protected characteristics of age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, and marriage and civil partnership. Over the last two years, the College Merthyr Tydfil, as part of the University of South Wales Group, has considered both qualitative and quantitative evidence to inform the setting of equality objectives. Consultation with appropriate stakeholders had previously taken place through staff and student equality groups at the college and through wider participation in the ‘Community Conversation’ events linked to the local Community Cohesion Strategy. Subsequently, the College has been working with the local Magnet Project which engages with local people at community level (see para. 19.4). College objectives identified were subsequently drawn together into an action plan under the University of South Wales Group’s Strategic Equality Plan (SEP) which was ready for publication by April 2013. The SEP and associated action plan can be found at http://www.merthyr.ac.uk/content/equality-and-diversity-0

1.2One requirement of the specific duties is that public authorities publish reports on how they are complying with the duties. This second annual report aims to fulfil this requirement for the year April 2012 – March 2013.

2 Statistical overview

2.1 The specific duties stipulate that public authorities must report on employment information on each of the protected characteristics together with other relevant equality information. At present the College collects information on most but not all of the protected characteristics and currently the University of South Wales provides the Human Resources function on behalf of the College. A new e- recruitment system has been installed and this will improve data capture into the future. The College Merthyr Tydfil also has plans to install a new e-ILP for students (LEAP) by 2014 which will also contribute to improved student data. Implementing such systems has taken time; the next report will contain improved data.

2.2 The following report gives more information on each of the protected characteristics and is separated into different sections for staff and students. Brief information on some of the activities which have taken place to support equality objectives is also included at the end of the report.

3 Section 1 Staff Data

3.1 The College historically collected employment information on the characteristics of age and sex. In Sept 2011 an updated, electronic staff survey was undertaken to gather information on all protected characteristics. Staff were encouraged to complete the survey, but it remained voluntary. Seventy staff completed the electronic questionnaire. The staff survey has not been repeated since September 2011; however there are plans for an updated electronic staff survey which will reflect the new structure and staff cohort. This should improve future data capture.

3.2 The following statistics are based on employment information gathered on 192 core staff at The College Merthyr Tydfil as at 31 March 2013 for age and sex whilst the survey undertaken in Sept 2011 has been used for all other protected characteristics. This currently excludes all casual and hourly paid staff.

3.3 The College Merthyr Tydfil

Sex: 53% are female, 47% male

Ethnicity: 100% white ethnicity

Disability: 8.6% have declared a disability

Age: 45.3% of staff are aged over 50 2.6% of staff are under the age of 25

Religion or Belief: 62.3% Christian religion

26% no religion or belief

5.8% follow another unspecified religion

Sexual Orientation: 94% heterosexual 5% preferred not to say and

1% declared that they were gay

The above statistical data relates to an overall divide of 50% academic and 50% professional and support staff.

4.1 As the graph below illustrates, the highest percentage of staff are between the ages of 50 and 54. Only 2.6% of staff at the college are under 25 years of age. The abolition of the default retirement age came into effect in April 2011 and this may have an impact on succession planning and the age profile of staff in years to come.

Fig 1. Staff Profile

5 Disability

5.1 Of those staff who completed the latest survey, 8.6% considered that they are disabled. This could be seen as a relatively high rate of declaration, but needs to be compared against the local statistical data. Figures from the 2011 Census state that 23% of the population in Wales have a long term health problem or disability. In Merthyr Tydfil this figure rises to 27%.

6 Ethnicity

6.1 Of those who completed the survey all are of a white ethnicity and are of a British nationality. It is useful to compare these statistics with those for the wider population. The 2011 Census records that 4% of the minority ethnic population of the UK live in Wales, but that this figure varies across the country. The largest minority ethnic population live in Cardiff compared to 2.4% of the population currently living in the Merthyr Tydfil. Although all staff completing the survey declared a white ethnicity, the college does have staff who were born outside of the UK, the next annual monitoring report will contain more specific information on nationality and ethnic background of staff.

 Of the total staff, 53% are female and 47% are male

7.1 Whilst there are similar numbers of females to males overall, there are different proportions of females to males in the different occupational groups. The table below gives numbers and percentages of staff employed in academic and professional and support areas. Statistics show that the highest percentage of females to males has been identified within the professional and support category, where just less than 60% are female.

Fig 2. Percentage of Males to Females by Occupational Group

Males to Females by Occupational Group

g 49 a

t 43 n e c r e P

MALE FEMALE MALE FEMALE ACADEMIC PROFESSIONAL AND SUPPORT

7.2 35.4% of staff at the college work on a part-time basis.

8 Religion or belief

8.1 Of the 70 members of staff who declared their religion in the staff survey, 62% stated that they followed a Christian religion with 26% stating that they did not have a religion or belief; just under 6% declared that they follow another unspecified religion; whilst 6% preferred not to say. The survey data now held for students is more recent than that for staff. It is worth noting that the most recent reporting period shows a major shift downwards in student numbers identifying as Christian from 50.1% to 41.6%. The data from the newly installed staff e-recruitment software is showing 40.6% of applicants identified as Christian. It is therefore expected that the figures from the next staff survey will show a decrease in identification as Christian.

9 Sexual Orientation

9.1 Of those who answered this question on the staff survey, 94% stated that they were heterosexual, 5% preferred not to say and 1% that they were gay. The question has not been asked on staff surveys previously and is obviously seen as sensitive data. However, the specific duties (Wales) of the Equality Act 2010

require all public authorities to gather data on this protected characteristic and the question will therefore be included in future surveys. Again, the relatively low rate of return for the staff survey may have skewed the results. The results contained within the monitoring report for 2014, which will include the updated figures for staff, may better reflect the staff profile.

10 Recruitment

10.1 The specific duties of the Equality Act 2010 require public authorities to monitor and report on the numbers of people who apply to work at the College and those who start employment at the College. The University of South Wales’ Human Resources Department manages the administration of the College’s recruitment process. The new e-recruitment system now means that the college has access to equality data relating to applications. It is expected that the data capture will improve year on year.

10.2 The total number of staff joining the college during the reporting period was 17. Nine of the joiners were male and 8 were female. Of the new posts 13 were professional and support staff whilst 4 were academic. It is anticipated that this profile will change within the next reporting period given that the college will become tertiary from September 2013. This will inevitably impact upon the staff profile with the need for expertise in new teaching areas.

10.3 The total number of staff leaving the college during the reporting period was 9. Full time members of staff made up 100% of the leavers; 55% of the leavers were male.

10.4 From the e-recruitment data available 8.2% of applicants declared that they were born in a country other than the UK. The age profile of applicants shows a more even spread than the current profile of employees.

Fig 3. Age Profile of Applicants

10.5 The new data also reveals that the majority of applicants were female (53.9%) although there are no figures available at this point in relation to the split between academic and professional and support posts. The percentage disability

9 The College Merthyr Tydfil among applicants for the reporting period is given as 9%, which mirrors the actual disability figure for staff at 8.6%.

10.6 The applicants who responded to the questions relating to sexual preference identified as follows:

Gay woman/lesbian 1.08% Gay man 1.8% Bisexual 1.8%

11.1 Pay Differentials

11.1 The statistical data available to the college in relation to the salary distribution for the reporting period highlights differences between academic and professional and support grades and between male and female employees.

11.2 In Fig 4. below for teaching staff, MG relates to main-scale threshold teaching grades whilst the UP 1, 2 and 3 relate to post-threshold teachers. The threshold teaching grades show a fairly even distribution between the genders. The post- threshold grades of UP 1 & 2 begin to show a divide in favour of female teachers. However, the highest paid salary band UP3, has double the number of male teachers as compared to female.

Fig 4. Academic Staff Salaries by Gender

Salary Comparison (Academic) s r e b m

u 20 N 10 11 13 9 8 10 5 MG POINTS UP 1 UP 2 UP 3 1-6 Grades Female Male

11.3 There is no significant difference in the numbers of male and female staff in academic posts cross college, however, there is an identifiable difference between the genders within the upper pay grades. As noted in 11.2 above there are twice as many males receiving UP 3 salaries.

11.4 Fig 5. below shows the salary distribution for non-teaching staff by gender. Grades 1 and 2, the lowest grades, show a higher proportion of female staff whilst the higher grades between 4 and point 34 have higher proportions of males within the bandings.

Fig 5. Professional and Support Salaries by Gender

Salary Comparison (Professional & Support) s r 8

b 6 8 4 3

m 24 8 u 7 3 7 N 3 2 G 1 G 2 G 3 G 4 G 5 G 6 PT 25-34 Grades

Female Male

Fig 6. Percentage of Males to Females in Lower Grades

Grade 1,2&3

29% Female Male 71%

11.5 Although it is acknowledged that there are more females than males in support roles within the college i.e. 57% female, nevertheless, females make up just under ¾ of the lowest paid members of staff in the college.

11.6 For staff in management positions the gender divide is less pronounced. Figure 7 below shows that 47% of staff in management roles are female.

Fig 7. Percentage of Males to Females in Management Roles

Staff in Management Positions

47% 53%

Female Male

12 Training

12.1 The specific duties also stipulate that employers should report on training taking place at work or courses which are supported through employment. The College offers a comprehensive range of internal staff development courses which can vary from short half day sessions and one day courses through to longer, more formal, academic courses. Staff can also apply for financial support to enable them to attend accredited courses run either internally or externally in order to develop their skills and knowledge related to their occupation.

12.2 From the available data there were 75 training opportunities during the course of the year attended by 172 staff. A larger number of academic staff attended training than did professional and support staff; and more females than males.

12.3 The College plans to upgrade the methods of recording for staff training opportunities to allow for improved reporting and manipulation of data.

Fig 7. Training Opportunities for Staff

Academic/Support Ratio of Training Applications

30% Academic

Professional & 70% Support

12.4 Despite 75% of training opportunities being taken up by female staff members they remain among the lower paid in academic and professional and support areas.

13 Section 2 Student Data

13.1 In September 2012 students were asked to complete an equality questionnaire during enrolment. The questionnaire asked detailed questions relating to protected characteristics. The survey is optional but was completed by approximately 1200 students. The survey has now been built into the annual planning process for enrolment.

13.2 The categories included in the on-line questionnaire were specifically age, disability, ethnicity, sex, religion or belief, and sexual orientation. In support of the wider statistical data required by the college the questionnaire also collected information relating to the numbers of Welsh speakers, modes of transport to and from college in relation to sustainability and marketing data.

From the students who completed the questionnaire:

Sex: 54% are female, 46% are male. Ethnicity: 3.1% ethnicity declared Disability: 8.5% have declared a disability Age: 82.5% of students are under the age of 30

Religion or Belief: 41.6% of students stated that they are Christian, 57.5% either have no religion, are atheist or preferred not to say. Muslims make up 0.3% of the student cohort along with other major religions i.e. Sikh 0.3%, Buddhist 0.3%

Sexual Orientation: 96.1% described themselves as heterosexual, 1.4% identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) with 2.5% preferring not to say.

14 Age

 82.5% of the students who completed the survey are between the ages of 16 and 29 years  16.8% of students are aged between 30 and 59  The remaining 0.7% of students are over the age of 60

14.1The table below shows the numbers of students studying at the college by age. It is not surprising, in an Further Education environment, that the age profile reveals the majority of students are between the ages of 16 & 19 years. Although the College continues to attract people well into their seventh decade the numbers of students accessing the college between the ages of 20 and 39 has reduced. The cause may be a change in funding initiatives which has resulted in a decrease in the number of part time, post 19 courses being offered. It should be noted however that the figures quoted represent the students who completed the survey and not necessarily the whole college profile.

Fig 8. Student age profile

15 Disability

 8.5% of the student cohort who completed the survey has declared a disability. This compares to 8.6% disability declared by staff.

15.1 It should be noted that the figure quoted is representative of those students who completed the survey and not of the numbers enrolled. Further changes to the enrolment process will result in improved data capture in future reports.

15.2 The following table shows the numbers of students who have declared under the different categories of disability. The most common disability to be declared relates to a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.

Disabilities List Count Autistic Spectrum Condition/Asperger’s Syndrome 5 Behavioural, emotional & social difficulties/ADHD 11 Dyslexia/Specific learning difficulties 32 Hearing Impairment/deaf 2 Moderate learning difficulties 9 Multi-sensory impairment; 1 Physical and/or medical difficulties 28 Severe learning difficulties 1 Speech & Language difficulties 4 Visual impairment/blind 7 Total who declared a disability 100

15.3 The college offers opportunities to disclose disability throughout the academic year and this is reflected in a closer analysis of the disability data held by the college for 2012-2013. Dyslexia/SpLD remains the most prevalent disability,

however disclosures for Autistic Spectrum Condition/Asperger’s syndrome increased throughout the year.

15.4 During the year seven students underwent an independent educational psychology assessment funded by the college and received learning support in line with recommendations. In addition, the college funded the translation of an educational psychology report from Polish into English in order to provide a school leaver enrolling at the college with the appropriate educational support.

15.5 Within the reporting period the college also paid for specific technical equipment to allow access for students with disabilities

16 Ethnicity

 2.8% have declared an ethnicity of Black, Asian, Chinese or a mixed/other ethnicity;  96.9% are of a white ethnicity with 0.3% who preferred not to declare.

16.1 The 2.8% ethnicity declared by the students completing the survey, whilst small in number, compare favourably with that of the local population taken from 2011 Census which declared at 2.4%

Ethnicity Percentage Asian Bangladeshi 0.1% Asian Indian 0.4% Asian Other background 0.2% Asian Pakistani 0.1% Black African 0.5% Black Caribbean 0.1% Black Other background 0.2% Chinese 0.2% Mixed Other background 0.3% Mixed White and Asian 0.2% Mixed White and Black African 0.3% Other Ethnic background 0.4% Prefer not to say 0.3% White 96.9%

16.2 In recent years Merthyr Tydfil has seen a large increase in Polish and Portuguese migrant workers settling in the community. Polish and Portuguese students are not necessarily identified within the ethnicity return for the student cohort.

16.3 During the reporting period the college attended the official launch of the Polish Community of the Valleys Association (PCVA). We have a member of staff who is a trustee of the association. A college representative sits on the

Merthyr Tydfil Multi Agency Diversity Forum (MADF), the Migrant Workers Forum and two members of staff are currently trustees of the annual Merthyr Tydfil Global Village event which celebrates its 9th Anniversary in May 2013.

17 Sex

 54% of the student cohort is female  46% of the student cohort is male

17.1 From the number of students who completed the survey, the gender balance is 54% female to 46% male. This differs from the local data which shows 51% of the local population is female and 49% of the local population is male.

17.2 The table below offers only the basic detail of the gender of those studying at The College Merthyr Tydfil. The survey does not ask for mode of attendance.

Fig 9. Gender by Year

18 Religion or belief

18.1 Statistics relating to religion and belief were collected for the first time in September 2011. The response from the September 2012 cohort for religion or belief shows a surprising difference to figures from 2011.

18.2 The graph below gives an indication of the student cohort for the year 2012- 13. The cohort, for the first time, is no longer predominantly Christian. Those identifying as having a Christian faith make up only 41.6% of the student cohort whilst 57% now has either no religion, identified as ‘other’ or preferred not to say.

18.3 There is also representation, although percentages are small, of the other major world religions. Muslim students have decreased in number this year from 1.1% to 0.3% of the cohort which is the same percentage as Sikh at 0.3% and Buddhist at 0.3%.

Figs 10. Students identifying by religion or belief

Student Religion Profile 5.9% 3.9% Other None 41.6% 47.2% Christian Prefer not to say

Annual Comparison Religion/Belief

47.2% 50.1% 41.6%

24.5% 4.8% 3.9% 19.0% 5.9%

OTHER NONE CHRISTIAN PREFER NOT TO SAY 2011-12 2012-13

19 Sexual Orientation

19.1 A declaration of the sexual orientation of the student cohort had not been asked prior to the survey in September 2011. The respondents who answered the questionnaire in September 2012 show a reduction in the numbers declaring they are bisexual, lesbian or gay.

19.2 Of those students who responded to the questionnaire 1.4% identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) 2.5% preferred not to say, compared with 5% of the staff who preferred not to say, while 96.1% described themselves as heterosexual.

19.3 The latest figures have raised an interesting scenario for the College in that the number of students who preferred not to say in 2011/12 has decreased by almost 2 percentage points. The assumption that there would be a corresponding increase in the numbers identifying as LGB proved unfounded. The increase was in the numbers of students identifying as heterosexual which rose from 93.3% to 96%.

Fig 11. Sexual preference

Sexual Preference

2.4% 2.5% 1.4%

2011/12 2012/13

LGB Prefer not to say

19.4 The College is in the process of setting up links with a new 3rd sector project, ‘Magnet’ (Merthyr Achieving Greater Networking & Engagement Together). One of the strands of Magnet called ‘Visible’ has been specifically established to engage with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people living in Merthyr Tydfil. Its aim is to provide support, bring people together and promote the voice of LGBT communities within Merthyr Tydfil. The aim is to invite the Magnet project to work closely with the college in engaging LGBT students and encouraging collaboration.

20 Student Disciplinary

20.1 There were 9 student disciplinary investigations during the reporting period which resulted in 3 x exclusions, 3 x final warnings, 1 x first written warning, 1 x suspension and 1 x apology.

21 Section 3 Activities

The College has a good equality record including being awarded the national Fforwm Award for Equality and Diversity in June 2006. In subsequent years the college has held cross college events to commemorate the bicentenary of the abolition of slavery and supported events to raise awareness of disability and domestic violence. During 2012/13 the college has worked with the Chaplaincy service at the University of South Wales to strengthen links and support plans for a college chaplain. The Chaplaincy service is an open and inclusive service to the whole college community. It offers confidential and non-judgmental support to staff and students irrespective of faith, culture, gender or sexual orientation. Embracing diversity is a fundamental principle of the Chaplaincy’s ethos. A short film celebrating diversity is available at http://chaplaincy.southwales.ac.uk/

The College is within an area identified as having a high level of deprivation, during 2012/13 the college has worked hard to ensure a smooth transition into college for those applicants who may need additional financial support and advocacy. The college has plans in place to improve application data capture and is working with partner agencies to support Looked after Children (LAC), care leavers and young carers. The College is putting together a strategy and action plan in preparation for a formal application for the Buttle UK Award.

The College has worked in partnership with South Wales Police and Colegau Cymru in supporting the Prevent and Safer College Campuses initiatives. The College is one of the 3rd party reporting centres for Merthyr Tydfil and encourages respect of diversity through support and education.

The College liaises closely with Cwm Taf Health Board and Health Promotion Wales in ensuring access for vulnerable students in what are traditionally seen as hard to reach groups.

The College has a well established Inclusivity and Diversity Steering Group (CiD) which meets on a termly basis and has wide ranging cross college attendance including student representation directly from the Learner Assembly. The CiD Steering Group drives the equality agenda at the College and is the overseeing committee for the SEP and accompanying Action Plans. CiD also monitors the Well- being survey which has been conducted annually since the autumn term 2010. The 2012/13 survey included student groups studying on courses from entry level to level 3 and involved 10 tutorial and classroom visits followed by a learner conference, involving approximately 150 students.

During the reporting period 67 further education students received educational support because of a disability or medical condition. Eleven higher education students were supported through the Disabled Students Allowance in line with the

20 The College Merthyr Tydfil equality duty to make reasonable adjustments for disability. The Learning Coach team offers a tailored package of in-class, tutorial and small group support dependent upon individual student need. It is anticipated that numbers for both FE and HE will increase substantially during the next year due to the new tertiary college.

In 2011, the College began its Design and Access planning meetings with staff, students and external partners to discuss and plan the accessibility of the new college building. The group has met regularly throughout the reporting period to inform the planning process as the college nears completion. The college is also working very closely with Merthyr Tydfil Housing Association on the Redhouse/Old Town Hall Hen Neuadd y Dref renovation project which will house the College’s Creative Industries Department from September 2013, opening fully to the public by March 2014. Both partners have been working very closely to offer an excellent, inclusive environment in which to work, study or visit.

The college is a long serving member of the Merthyr Tydfil Multi Agency Diversity Forum (MADF), a strong partnership of local statutory and voluntary organisations working together to raise awareness, deliver equality initiatives and celebrate diversity.

The College is also a member of the Migrant Workers Forum, a sub group of the MADF which has a varied representation from local agencies and works specifically to identify and respond to the needs of the new communities living and working in Merthyr Tydfil.

The College is one of the founder members of the Merthyr Tydfil Global Village, now in its 9th year and also a sub group of the MADF. Two members of staff are trustees of the prestigious and high profile Global Village event and are currently officers of the organising committee which meets monthly throughout the year. The college has an official presence at the event by staffing a stand within the main marquee as part of the widening participation agenda. The event is free to the public and celebrates the culture and diversity of our area through music, dance, film, workshops and cuisine. The event is staffed entirely by volunteers and staff and students are encouraged to give their time during the day.

For the last four years a very successful course-related project has been in operation between the College’s Media Department and the Global Village organising committee. The BTEC National and Foundation Degree students are commissioned to make short, relevant films to be premiered at the event. In 2011 one of the student films, ‘We Are People Too’ won the best short film category at the Zoom Cymru film festival. The film is available to watch via You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=OsTjgx5jlao

Further information on the Merthyr Tydfil Global Village can be found at http://merthyrtydfilglobalvillage.org.uk

A short film highlighting the May 2013 event which was in the planning stage during the reporting period can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=zGsLuNDjns0

The College is one of Merthyr Tydfil’s 3rd party reporting centres for hate incidents and continues to work closely with MADF members to encourage the reporting of incidents.

The College has worked with partners to publish electronic Welcome Packs for new communities living within the County Borough. The college is continuing its work with partners to engage with and support migrant communities and will work with the newly established Magnet Project (para. 19.4) to support the 7 strands as they pertain to protected characteristics.

21 Evaluation

The college has made major improvements in equality data capture in recent years. Previous paper based systems have been replaced by electronic surveys which allow for ease of access and greater manipulation of data. In addition, the breadth of information sought has widened with religion and sexual orientation being included alongside age, gender, ethnicity and disability.

The introduction of the equality survey in September 2011, as part of the enrolment process and the planned annual electronic staff survey allows for improved and more timely data capture allowing for better advice and support to students and staff. The planning for tertiary provision and the physical move to a brand new college building has delayed the implementation of an updated staff survey, this will be completed within the time frame of the 3rd monitoring report. Further work with staff and an adjustment to simplify the survey will encourage a higher return on the annual staff survey.

Additional improvements are planned to the student survey, and it is expected that numbers completing the survey will increase year on year. Statistical evidence is important in informing action and the current data has allowed better management and support of protected characteristics, for example, disability support.

The administration of the staff application/recruitment process at the University has been improved by the introduction of an electronic system. More detailed data has become available for the 2nd annual report and it is expected that data will continue to improve in its capture and analysis as the system is embedded. Further work at the college will enable closer scrutiny of continuing professional development, internal progression, appointments and resignations.

Student data capture is good from the submission of the application form. This year has seen an improvement in that the LAC cohort is being supported from the application stage. Data collected at the first point of contact will need further work to enable reporting on the conversion rate from first contact to academic completion.

The College is currently going through a transitionary period and will become a tertiary college from September 2013. The existing building will be demolished and the college will open in a brand new building on the same site during July/August 2013. The academic, professional and support staffing structures have been under review during the reporting period. Plans are in place to amalgamate student support teams which will have a positive impact on the ability of the College to report on staff and student data. Further analysis of pay differentials and information on future planning will be included in future reports. It is anticipated that the new College will utilise the pay differential data which is now more readily accessible, and will detail progress within the next two reports.

The Annual Equality Monitoring Report falls within the remit of the CiD Steering Group. This group also monitors the SEP and Action Plan and has a direct link to the College Executive Team and Board of Directors. Representatives from CiD attend the Equality and Diversity Steering Group (ESDG) at the University of South Wales and contribute to the two way exchange of information between the two institutions.

The 2014-15 report will include detailed information in relation to the new tertiary college.