Mainstreaming: Equality at the Heart of Further Education Final Report

Mainstreaming: equality at the heart of further education
Final report

1 Background

The mainstreaming programme for Scottish colleges commenced in summer 2011. This report presents the progress and outcomes to date.

The overall aim of ECU’s programme was to develop institutions’ understanding and ability to mainstream equality across their functions and support the delivery of the aims and aspirations of the public sector equality duty (PSED) of the Equality Act 2010.

The PSED replaced the previous duties for race, gender and disability with one duty across the protected characteristics of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief (including lack of belief), sex and sexual orientation. The broad purpose of the duty is to make consideration of equality integral to the day-to-day business of public authorities. When carrying out its functions, an institution is required by the PSED to have due regard to the need to:

=eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Act

=advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and people who do not share it

=foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and people who do not share it

While the initial driver of the programme was legislative requirement, participation also provided colleges with valuable support for broader mainstreaming aims, such as:

=developing an inclusive culture and promoting an institution-wide understanding of equality issues

=improving the staff and student experience

=enhancing the institution’s reputation for employment and study

2 Programme overview

2.1 Defining mainstreaming

Work to address equality and diversity can be regarded as a well-established aspect of developing and delivering policies and practices in further and higher education. For many years further education has been recognised as a stronghold of inclusive approaches to learning, seeking to actively include and fully engage all students, whatever their background, culture or ability. Equality, diversity and inclusion are central to the mission and culture of further education. It is, by its very nature, inclusive.

This has been driven not only by legislation and government policy but also by the need to provide accessible, worthwhile post-16 education to a broad range of students and the recognition that a diverse and cohesive student body enhances students’ experience, is beneficial to the college and supports positive learning outcomes. Consequently, advancing equality and diversity has been a core part of college strategy, policy and delivery for some time.

Many colleges are already taking a proactive approach, delivering multiple activities to address equality and diversity issues including work to develop specific equality outcomes as part of single equality schemes. However, such approaches often focus solely on processes, procedures and specific, often isolated, interventions without making the most of their potential to deliver equality and diversity impact, for example greater equity in experience, progression and achievement for all groups of students and staff.

This is not necessarily because these processes, procedures and interventions are inadequate. It may be that they are being interpreted or implemented in an inappropriate or unintended way, or are not being used strategically to their best advantage. In addition, the focus of action is often only associated with certain areas of a college rather than considering equality and diversity across all facets of the college’s delivery, from learning and teaching to cleaning, catering and support services.

The Scottish college sector has already made significant progress in developing its approach to mainstreaming through inclusive learning and teaching, but it recognised that there is still work to be done both in the classroom and across other areas of activity and operation.

Mainstreaming may start with implementing effective processes and procedures, but it goes beyond this to challenge and question the status quo. This means changing people’s attitudes, the ways in which they behave, the language that is used and how messages are conveyed. It takes equality and diversity into the heart of an institution, moving it from a bolt-on aspect of delivery to an integral part of the way it thinks and functions.

Often referred to as a ‘journey’, mainstreaming is an organic process of change. This is challenging in itself, not least because changing behaviour is difficult; it doesn’t happen overnight and is often hard to express in terms that can be incorporated acceptably into institutional policy and strategy.

This programme therefore set out to provide a structure which would support colleges to develop their approach to mainstreaming, bringing new perspectives to addressing equality and diversity in their institutions and enabling them to take a co-ordinated, holistic approach to current activity and bring about sustainable change.

2.2 Programme framework

The programme for colleges took place from September 2011 to April 2012, following on from a similar programme for Scottish higher education institutions (HEIs). It comprised a research publication for colleges followed by a facilitated action learning programme to help participating colleges develop and implement mainstreaming initiatives.

2.3 Initial research publication

Research for colleges, containing approaches and tools developed and used in the further education sector throughout the UK, was published in September 2011. This was produced as a supplement to earlier research tailored for HEIs, published in May 2011.

Together, these publications consider our understanding of, and approaches, to mainstreaming and set out a framework for mainstreaming. They provide examples of tools that have proven to be effective in the further and higher education sector or elsewhere.

Both publications are available online:

2.4 Action learning programme

The action learning programme focused on supporting participating colleges in developing an initiative, testing different approaches to mainstreaming and applying some of the tools highlighted in the initial research publications.

Participation

Twelve Scottish colleges participated in the action learning programme:

=Anniesland College

=Borders College

=Cardonald College

=City of Glasgow College

=Clydebank College

=Edinburgh’s Telford College

=James Watt College of Further and Higher Education

=Kilmarnock College

=South Lanarkshire College

=Stevenson College Edinburgh

=Stow College

=West Lothian College

They represent the diversity of the Scottish college sector, varying in size, geographical location and student population. All participating colleges were keen to develop their approach to mainstreaming equality and diversity and build on the range of initiatives they were already delivering.

Three core functions were offered as areas of focus:

=governance and management

=student services

=staff development

Seven of the colleges focused on staff development, four on student services and one addressed both of these areas. Several are now replicating their approach in other functions.

Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) recommended that teams were made up of at least two staff members from the chosen function, including a senior manager or head of department and a middle manager or staff member responsible for delivery, along with a staff member with a remit for equality and diversity. It was also suggested that it would be helpful to include a member of staff from the college’s senior management team responsible for decision-making for the function.

It became clear as the programme unfolded that the inclusion of this range of staff, and particularly senior staff with authority and influence, was crucial to making progress.

Programme structure

=Initial interviews with teams
A telephone interview was undertaken with members of each team at the beginning of the programme to gather information on the current position of equality, diversity and inclusive practice in their college, and their strategic drivers (in addition to legislative requirements) for mainstreaming equality.

=Facilitated learning set days
These provided a forum for participants to:

–engage in discussion and debate

–exchange ideas

–access peer support

–make use of resources and expertise

The first learning set day took place in November 2011. In the session colleges were able to refine their institutional vision and develop a mainstreaming action plan for their initiative. The second meeting took place in February 2012 to assist development of strategies for implementing initiatives. The final meeting took place in April 2012 where colleges reviewed their progress and planned the next steps for their mainstreaming initiative.

=Reflective questions
Reflective questions followed each learning set day to help to gather evidence about the teams’ experience in delivering their mainstreaming initiatives at each stage of the programme. They were formulated to give participants the opportunity to consider their learning as teams and as individuals and delve further into their own knowledge and thinking regarding equality, diversity and mainstreaming. The questions provided an opportunity to reflect on the overall progress of initiatives and the development of approaches to mainstreaming.

=Ongoing support
Telephone and email support were offered by BSV Associates and ECU throughout the programme. A JISCMail list was created to facilitate knowledge-sharing and to encourage a community of practice across participating colleges.

Terminology

=Tools
The initial research publications refer to mainstreaming ‘tools’. This term encompasses actions, interventions and methods that can be used as part of an overall approach to mainstreaming and that can be adapted to meet the context of their application. On their own they are not the answer to mainstreaming, but are aspects of an integrated process of, and plan for, change.

=Initiative and vision
Teams were asked to start the programme with ideas about what they wanted to achieve (their initiative) and what success would look like (their vision). The initiative provided a shape to the process of mainstreaming from which teams developed a plan during the course of the programme. The vision provided teams with an aspirational goal toward which they could develop specific aims and objectives.

=Multipronged
Undertaking a range of actions simultaneously in different functions or departments or at different levels as part of a coordinated plan.

=Multimethod
Using different methods of delivery to achieve specific aims and objectives, for example building an evidence base through a combination of analysis of statistics, staff surveys and focus groups.

=Advocates and champions
Advocates speak, through their own job role, in support of equality and diversity and recommend a mainstreaming approach through evidence based argument. Champions take a leadership role in proactively promoting and defending the case for equality and diversity and a mainstreaming approach across the institution.

3 College mainstreaming initiatives

All participating teams came to the first learning set day having already made progress in the development and planning of their initiative for mainstreaming. Several teams built on previous or current equality and diversity activity as a starting point. However, from the outset all participating teams recognised that mainstreaming equality and diversity would not be achieved during the lifetime of the action learning programme and that it would be a continuous process of change.

3.1 Use of tools

Central objectives of the programme were to support the teams in the implementation of some of the tools detailed in the initial research publication, and to enable colleges to share their experiences of testing different approaches to mainstreaming.

Throughout the learning set days, teams were introduced to a range of tools and strategies for mainstreaming, some as examples for the teams to consider in the context of developing their plans and some as practical interventions as part of the learning set day agenda (see table 1 overleaf).

This provided teams with two specific benefits:

=developing their thinking about, and planning of, their mainstreaming initiative

=identifying and implementing the most appropriate tools and strategies to use to deliver, review and develop their mainstreaming initiative

‘The tools were very helpful. [They] help to think beyond what you normally do, help suspend your own perception.’

James Watt College

Developing thinking and confirming approach

All team members had a good awareness of equality and diversity issues and the need for it to be embedded as part of the way in which a college operates, particularly with regard to providing education and services to students. They were committed to the concept of inclusion and mainstreaming and to improving equality and diversity outcomes for all staff and students.

During the course of the action learning programme participants were able to explore these concepts further and develop their thinking about how mainstreaming can take place. This was achieved through open debate, discussion and sharing ideas and experience across the teams at the learning set days and was regarded as an important aspect of the programme.

Teams identified that although they had a good knowledge and understanding, the programme enabled them to develop new perspectives and consolidate their position within their college for moving forward with mainstreaming.

‘The team have reflected on their own development and have found this a truly developmental and satisfying experience.’

Edinburgh’s Telford College

‘[The programme] has ensured that we are moving in the right direction and has given clear leadership and confidence that colleges are meeting and going beyond their duties.’

Kilmarnock College

All teams agreed that if mainstreaming is to be successful, any initiative needs to work to ensure that the culture of the institution embraces – rather than just accepts – equality, diversity and inclusion. This principle informed both the approach to mainstreaming and the actions taken by each team. It helped them to clearly define what successful mainstreaming would look like in their own college and contributed to the development of the teams’ mainstreaming plans.

‘It has led to a reassessment of the levels of buy-in and the recognition that compliance is no longer enough.’

James Watt College

Table 1: Tools to develop thinking and confirm approach to mainstreaming

Rich picture / An exercise to develop thinking by expressing mainstreaming through the visual depiction of an inclusive institution.
Through drawing and sharing their vision of an inclusive college, teams were able to discuss and debate what successful mainstreaming would look like. It underlined the importance of being able to clearly articulate the vision in a meaningful and engaging way.
Appreciative inquiry / A positive and inspiring tool to stimulate and manage change, providing a framework for researching or evaluating different forms of professional practice through building on what already works well.
By discussing a positive experience of a project, this tool enabled teams to think about investigating where good practice exists and demonstrating its impact. Appreciative inquiry can also be used as an analytical tool and an engagement tool. A number of colleges incorporated it within their initiatives for a variety of purposes.
Privileged identity exploration / A tool that provides an opportunity to explore the way that some positions and perspectives of difference, discrimination and equality issues are often accepted rather than challenged.
The discussion of typical defensive responses (eg denial, benevolence, deflection, false envy) to situations of discrimination or inequality enabled teams to consider the impact of power and inequality in society and within their own college. It helped them to identify strategies for dealing with and changing attitudes and behaviours towards minority groups.

‘One of the most helpful parts of the programme was bringing teams together and sharing views of an ‘inclusive college…. This was helpful in highlighting the scale but also the many dynamics and key drivers.’

Stow College

Teams were able to develop their thinking to identify that to achieve and demonstrate mainstreaming they needed to improve their current monitoring processes, for example the use of management information, and also not to rely on these as the only means to chart progress. They recognised the need to develop an approach which incorporates qualitative as well as quantitative measurements of the impact of activity and demonstrating a change in attitude and behaviour.

The learning set days themselves acted as an engagement tool to facilitate the progress that teams made during the programme (see table 2).

Table 2: Role of the learning set days as an engagement tool

Involving a range of stakeholders / Teams were made up of staff from different backgrounds and different levels, including practitioners and senior managers. All teams included at least one member of college staff with a remit for equality and diversity as part of their job role. The remaining team members would not normally have been involved in the development of equality and diversity work.
Creating advocates or champions / The inclusion of staff not previously involved in the development and delivery of equality and diversity work in the teams led to the creation of advocates or champions within the core functions. There has been an element of professional development for these staff which has engaged them in promoting equality and diversity as an integral part of their areas of work.
Facilitating dialogue / The learning set days gave teams the opportunity to:
engage in open and honest debate about the nature of mainstreaming equality and diversity
challenge their own and their colleagues’ thinking
formulate a clear understanding of how to approach mainstreaming in their own institutional context
Promoting and sharing effective practice / By bringing together teams from twelve colleges, participants were able to exchange ideas and effective practice and learn from each other. It also enabled teams to share common issues and build peer support.

The learning set days provided benefits for both teams and individuals.

‘[The programme] demonstrated how equalities can have improved learner outcomes as well as being used to improve processes and examine how effective they are.’