Embedding Equality and Diversity into Everyday Practice

This pack covers everything from the basic concepts of equality and diversity, the equality profile in the sector and the legal picture. It then goes on to look at the quality processes of inspection and self assessment before looking in detail at embedding equality and diversity in teaching and learning and learning support.

Often, ‘front-line’ workers express concern as to how to challenge and help to change the behaviour of others. After all, there is a vast range of training and support to enable us to ensure that our own personal and professional practice is of the highest standard. This pack provides outstanding support of this kind but goes further to identify the kinds of behaviours which we need to challenge in others and strategies for successfully so doing.

The information and resources provided within the pack are excellent and the activities (signposted throughout and grouped at the end of the pack) provide a wonderful range of opportunities for training and development for ourselves, our teams and our learners.

Contents

This pack:

• takes you through the equality characteristics of the further education sector workforce and the learners that depend on it, the drivers of change, the moral, legal and business cases for embracing equality and diversity and the dangers of institutional discrimination
• helps you to piece together the demands of equality legislation, Ofsted requirements and government policy, and put them into words to produce meaningful and effective policies
• provides useful tips on integrating equality and diversity into planning and delivery, including collecting equality information, engaging with stakeholders and learners, undertaking equality analysis and setting equality objectives, and ensuring staff have the knowledge and skills they need through continuing professional development
• examines the features of an effective self-assessment process, how to incorporate the learner voice in your development and implement review processes
• explores personal good practice and dealing with a range of challenging behaviours from resistance to strong views and discriminatory behaviour, and how to handle reported rather than witnessed behaviour
• offers practical hints and tips on mainstreaming equality and diversity and designing, planning and delivering inclusive programmes
• looks at what action is required by law, including protection from discrimination, harassment and victimisation, provision for learners with special educational needs and disabilities, making reasonable adjustments, the role of learning support staff, pastoral care and specialist provision and aids, along with ideas for general good practice that are likely to benefit everybody
• provides Appendices on Further Information, listing useful publications that will allow you to explore the issues discussed in further detail and good practice appendices on Dealing with Harassment and Bullying, Creating Accessible Learning Materials and Creating Accessible Physical Environments.

The information in the pack is supplemented by a range of activities to help you test your understanding and apply your learning to your own situation and learning environment. Many of the activities will kick start the preliminary thinking, planning and information gathering processes you will need to embed equality and diversity into your area of work.