ANNUAL REPORT FROM THE EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY TEAM
2008-2009
1.
Context
Equality and diversity remain core values of the University of Bristol as articulated in
our Vision and Strategy1:
Diversity
We view the diversity of our staff, students and alumni as a great asset
Equity
We believe in the equitable treatment of all
We are committed to ensuring that we have the right people in place to achieve our
mission - to pursue and share knowledge and understanding, both for their own sake
and to help individuals and society fulfil their potential - facing the challenges of an
increasingly competitive marketplace, while upholding the University’s commitment
to ensuring equality, diversity and transparency throughout the organisation. Our
vision is to sustain a stimulating and supportive environment for all students and
staff, distinguished by a commitment to high standards, respect for the individual
and a strong sense of collegiality. Attracting and retaining academically gifted and
highly motivated students from a wide range of backgrounds, creating a diverse and
international University community, remains a key priority.
Our commitment to diversity remains a business priority despite the recent
economic downturn. Supporting the diversity of our staff is the foundation of our
Positive Working Environment initiative, for which we were recognised by the Times
Higher Leadership and Management Awards 2009 when we won the category of
Outstanding Human Resource Initiative. Employee engagement, motivation and
valuing the contribution that each individual makes are crucial to maintaining
organisational success during difficult periods. Ensuring that all employees feel
valued can result in increased productivity and loyalty – which for the University
means that we are more likely to retain our talent and our ability to respond flexibly
and innovatively to challenging times. This Report will set out work undertaken by
the Equality and Diversity Team during 2008/9 and also provides the results of
diversity monitoring undertaken during this period.
2.
Supporting Activity
The University’s ability to attract and retain high-calibre staff in all areas of the
organisation is vital to the creation of a sustainable workforce. The University’s
staffing priorities are to:
1
See http://www.bristol.ac.uk/university/vision/
Equality and Diversity Annual Report 2008/9
Page 1 of 18



recruit and retain first-class talent;
foster a high-achieving workforce that is competent, committed, creative and
capable of managing and responding positively to change;
develop a culture and an environment that motivates and enables people to
make an excellent contribution.
The activities of the Equality and Diversity Team throughout 2008/09 reflected the
organisation’s aim of providing a stimulating, supportive working environment
where staff can achieve their full potential. Our activity has also supported staff in
sustaining a positive student experience and has contributed to the implementation
of our Gender Equality Scheme, Disability Equality Scheme and Race Equality Policy.
The majority of our policies and initiatives over the past year were developed and
initiated with the valuable support of the Equality and Diversity Committee and
colleagues in Personnel Services, as well as the positive support of senior
management.
The work of the Equality and Diversity Team is both proactive and reactive. We work
towards legal deadlines in some areas (which forms the proactive part of our
activity), where we anticipate forthcoming legal changes and develop
policies/activity to better position the University to respond to these requirements.
However, there is also a need to retain high levels of flexibility to deal with the
increasing advisory or casework element, which is unpredictable and can in itself
lead onto the development of policy/activity across the organisation as necessary.
This unpredictability adds to the enjoyment of working in this area, and provides an
extremely diverse workload.
The nature of the enquiries and cases that we work on quite often influences the
policy/activity that we develop in any one-year and we must be in a position to
respond quickly and appropriately to requests for support and advice. The requests
that we receive relate to all manner of issues related to equality and have over the
past year involved advising on native language qualifications and admissions;
working with the University of Bristol Womens’ International Group to address
equality issues raised and subsequently broaden membership; advising Faculty on
religious observance and student attendance; working with the Multifaith Chaplaincy
on addressing equality issues arising from changes to membership of the Multifaith
Forum; and advising on issues connected to supporting trans staff and students.
Key achievements during 2008/9 included:

Establishing a Work and Family Buddy Scheme
In recognition of the range of caring responsibilities that is prevalent among staff
– including caring for disabled children, ill partners, or elderly relatives – an
‘employee support network’ was developed to provide staff with the opportunity
to share their experiences. Members of staff with a variety of caring
responsibilities volunteered to act as ‘buddies’ to staff in similar circumstances.
The network of buddies can be contacted directly to offer advice to colleagues on
balancing work with caring for dependants.
Equality and Diversity Annual Report 2008/9
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
Setting up a Russell Group Equality Forum
Through discussions with equality and diversity practitioners at other Russell
Group universities it became apparent that we were all working towards the
same objectives, in broadly similar organisations, and therefore facing the same
challenges. The Russell Group Equality Forum was subsequently set up to enable
us to share good practice and address common challenges in amore cohesive
manner. A network of equality and diversity practitioners from leading UK
research-intensive universities will now meet twice a year to discuss and
influence strategic and policy development, share data and best practice, and
respond to national issues relating to equality and diversity.

Supporting the Racial Diversity Advisory Group
Work over the last year included advising on training events (such as Cultural
Awareness); reviewing the draft staff policy and procedure on bullying and
harassment; forming links with UH Bristol’s Black and Minority Ethnic Workers
Forum; and considering mentoring/job shadowing for black and minority ethnic
members of staff (this will be taken forward over the coming year). The Chair of
the Group is a member of the Equality Challenge Unit’s Race Equality Forum
that addresses issues affecting black and minority ethnic staff working in the
higher education sector.

Supporting the Disabled Staff Network
Work over the last year included reviewing the Forum website and making
improvements to content; reviewing the Disability Equality Scheme; advising on
the content of a Staff Guide on Disability, which will be consulted upon more
widely over the coming year; inviting the Deputy Director of Personnel Services
to a meeting for a successful ‘Question Time’ event; and reviewing and advising
on the policy on Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans.

Providing an advisory service to staff
The Equality and Diversity Manager advised on a broad spectrum of equality
issues as they affect our staff, our students, our policies and visitors to the
University. Several ‘case conferences’ were convened involving academic and
support colleagues to determine how the needs of individual students could best
be met.

Delivering diversity training
The Diversity Trainer delivered a total of fifty-five diversity-related training
events during 2008-09, supplemented by one-to-one advice and guidance and
mainstreaming activities. The general pattern of activity was a shift away from
central training sessions to more tailored and bespoke events, particularly
around cultural awareness, as well as on-line provision which we will continue to
publicise over the coming year.

Expanding the SET Mentoring Circles model
The successful Mentoring Circles model for women in the Faculties of Science,
Engineering, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, and Medicine and Dentistry was
expanded to include more women.
Equality and Diversity Annual Report 2008/9
Page 3 of 18

Raising awareness of job opportunities to local communities
Personnel’s Recruitment Team has developed a successful partnership with the
Jobcentre network with a particular focus on inner-city areas of Bristol. Activity
during 2008/9 included an on-going series of open days dedicated to University
jobs in local jobcentres and attendance at job fairs targeting deprived local
communities.

Publicising committee vacancies via the Governance/ Opportunities website
The Governance/Opportunities website was introduced in 2007/8 to assist our
efforts to increase the diversity of our decision-making bodies by openly
publicising opportunities to all staff; this was in direct response to equality issues
raised by senior women in relation to appointments to University committees.
During 2008/9, twelve members of staff were appointed to positions on seven
University committees; out of those twelve, nine were women, four were black
and minority ethnic staff and one disclosed a disability. We will continue to
monitor the success of the Governance/Opportunities website over the coming
year.

Launching the Equality Risk Assessment process
The process of equality risk assessment was launched across the whole
University, whereby decision-makers are encouraged to consider the impact of
any existing or proposed policy/activity on people from diverse backgrounds and
circumstances in an effort to ensure that such policies/activities are inclusive.
During 2008/9 over thirty policies and fourteen capital projects were subject to
this process.

Policy development activity
An annex on disability equality was developed for inclusion in the University’s
Code of Practice for the Assessment of Students on Taught Programmes to
encourage a consistent approach to this element of the student experience. To
support the policy on Student Mental Health, guidelines for academic staff on
supporting such students were developed and subject to widespread
consultation. A new Disability and Employment policy and accompanying Staff
Guide on Disability were developed and are currently being consulted upon.
Additionally, a Maternity Handbook for Women was developed, along with
Information for Working Fathers, and a Managing Maternity and Paternity
Handbook for Managers.

Supporting the University Family Life initiative
This initiative has been re-branded as the Work and Family initiative and a new
improved website will be launched during 2009/10. A series of workshops were
held under the Work and Family umbrella during 2008/9 including Managing
Maternity and Paternity, Emergency Aid for Babies and Young Children, and
Navigating the Maternity Maze.

Continued involvement with the Race for Opportunity (RfO) campaign
Personnel’s Recruitment Manager continued to represent the University at RfO
meetings in the South West region, which is a Business in the Community
Equality and Diversity Annual Report 2008/9
Page 4 of 18
initiative (BiTC). We are currently actively engaged in discussions to ensure that
BiTC continues to facilitate links between local employers and BME communities.

Supporting the University’s commitment to the Athena SWAN Charter
The Athena SWAN Charter is an initiative that recognises excellence in
employment in science, engineering and technology. The Department of
Physiology and Pharmacology won a silver SWAN award in recognition of its
success in recruiting and retaining women and developing an innovative staff
review and development programme designed to encourage more women to
advance their careers; the University’s Equality and Diversity Manager was
invited to sit on the national judging panel for the Athena SWAN Awards; and the
University featured as an example of best practice in several sector-wide guides
for its success in recruiting, supporting and retaining women in science.
3.
3.1
Results of Monitoring
Disability
Students
Disability Status
No Disability
06/07
07/08
15812 (92.30%) 16300 (92.3%)
08/09
16679 (91.93%)
Disabled
1137 (6.64%)
1253 (7.1%)
1228 (6.77%)
Not Known
183 (1.07%)
107 (0.6%)
237 (1.31%)
Year Total
17132 (100%)
17660 (100%)
18144 (100%)
Disability Name
06/07 07/08 08/09
Autistic Spectrum Disorder / Asperger Syndrome
6
9
9
Blind / Partially Sighted
36
32
24
Deaf / Hearing Impairment
59
63
51
Learning Difficulty
627
730
750
Mental Health Difficulty
30
47
60
Multiple Disabilities
15
25
28
No Disability
15812 16300 16679
Not Known
183
107
166
Other Disability
129
141
127
Unseen Disability e.g. Diabetes, Epilepsy
217
183
156
Wheelchair User / Mobility Difficulty
18
23
23
Dyspraxia
-
-
2
Information Refused
-
-
69
Grand Total
17132 17660 18144
As with previous years, dyslexia (now categorised as ‘learning difficulty’) was the
disability that was most prevalent among our students. We continue to see an
increase in disclosure of mental health difficulties and it is anticipated that the
guidance for academic colleagues on student mental health will enable staff to
respond appropriately when trying to support such students. It should be noted,
however, that such students can sometimes require a great deal of additional
Equality and Diversity Annual Report 2008/9
Page 5 of 18
support. To address any gaps in provision or policy, it would be helpful to have
information on the experiences of current disabled students and their suggestions on
any improvements that might be made to current practice. It is anticipated that this
information can be provided by the Vice-President Welfare and Equality, Students’
Union. It is further recommended that the Equality and Diversity Committee
receives the Access Unit’s annual report for information purposes.
The University continues to support disabled overseas students who are ineligible for
Disabled Students Allowance through considering applications to the Disability
Resource Fund. During 2008/9 the Fund supported seventeen students and three
members of staff.
Staff
During 2008/9, the Higher Education Statistical Agency (HESA) introduced changes to
the way in which disability among staff should be monitored. Specific categories of
disability were introduced and Personnel Services invited staff to update their own
personal data accordingly. As a result, we have seen an increase in the numbers of
staff identifying themselves as having a disability – an increase of 103 staff compared
to 2007/8 as demonstrated in the following table – and our disabled staff population
now stands at 2.86%.
DISABILITY (head count)
Disabled
No disability
Not disclosed
Total staff
2006/7
65
(1.2%)
5711
(98.48%)
23
(0.40%)
5799
2007/8
63
(1.08%)
5729
(98.52%)
23
(0.40)
5815
2008/9
166
(2.86%)
5603
(96.67%)
27
(0.47%)
5796
Monitoring staff by disability description has enabled us an insight into the types of
disabilities that are prevalent among staff. It should be noted however that staff can
disclose more than one disability, so the following table is not equivalent to head
count, but to the numbers of disabilities disclosed by members of staff. This will not
equate to one disability per person, as some individuals may have multiple
disabilities.
Disability Description
No known disability
Specific learning disability (such as dyslexia or dyspraxia)
General learning disability (such as Down's syndrome)
Cognitive impairment (such as autism)
Long-standing illness or health condition (such as HIV, cancer)
Mental health condition
Physical impairment or mobility issues
Deaf or serious hearing impairment
Blind or serious visual impairment
Other type of disability
Disability not disclosed
2008/9
5603
20
0
0
73
17
33
17
5
18
27
Equality and Diversity Annual Report 2008/9
Page 6 of 18
We will be discussing the results of our monitoring over the coming year with
members of the Disabled Staff Forum to identify action that we might take to better
support staff with specific impairments. We also intend to set equality objectives in
relation to disability in collaboration with our Disabled Staff Forum which will assist
us in measuring progress in terms of staff recruitment and retention.
3.2
Gender
Students
We continue to monitor representation of undergraduate, postgraduate research
and postgraduate taught students by gender.
Gender
06/07
07/08
08/09
Female
8947 (52.2%)
9258 (52.42%)
9494 (52.33%)
Male
8185 (47.8%)
8402 (47.58%)
8650 (47.67%)
Year Total
17132 (100%)
17660 (100%)
18144 (100%)
Over the last three years the split between female and male students has held
steady at 52% and 48% respectively. This is representative of the HE sector where
female students now outnumber male students across all types of institutions. By
Faculty, the gender breakdown of our student population is as follows:
Faculty
Female
Male
Year Total
Arts
2017 (60.94%)
1293 (39.06%)
3310 (100%)
Science
1618 (44.51%)
2017 (55.49%)
3635 (100%)
Engineering
363 (15.55%)
1972 (84.45%)
2335 (100%)
Medical & Veterinary Sciences
1196 (69.01%)
537 (30.99%)
1733 (100%)
Medicine & Dentistry
1392 (60.03%)
927 (39.97%)
2319 (100%)
Social Sciences & Law
2908 (60.43%)
1904 (39.57%)
4812 (100%)
Year Total
9494 (52.33%)
8650 (47.67%)
18144 (100%)
As in 2007/8, women represent the majority of students in every Faculty, with the
exception of Engineering and Science. We are still seeing a high proportion of
female medical students, in accordance with the national picture where more than
half of all medical students are female. In terms of how this translates into the
profession, women already make up 40% of all doctors, 28% of all consultants and –
on present trends – are likely to become the majority of GPs by 2013, and the
majority of all doctors some time after 20172.
Engineering remains an area where women are under-represented, although this
maps onto national trends where women represent only 15% of those taking
Engineering and Technology in higher education; following completion of their
degree, only 5% of women go on to work as Engineering professionals3.
2
3
Women and Medicine THE FUTURE, Royal College of Physicians, June 2009.
SET Women, ETB Briefing Paper, June 2008.
Equality and Diversity Annual Report 2008/9
Page 7 of 18
It is recommended that, for future reports, these data are supplemented by the
results of monitoring applications and success rates by gender and by Faculty. This
will be taken forward by the Equality and Diversity Manager with the Student
Systems and Information Office.
Staff
Total numbers of male and female staff in relation to job family are provided below:
Head
count
Female
Male
Total
% by job
family
Female
Male
% age of
staff total
Female
Male
Academic
Research
Clinical
Admin
Tech
Operational
394
771
1165
Academic
511
532
1043
Research
77
143
220
Clinical
1380
533
1913
Admin
296
260
556
Tech
413
444
857
Operational
34%
66%
49%
51%
35%
65%
72%
28%
53%
47%
48%
51%
Academic
6.84
13.40
20.24
Research
8.88
9.25
18.13
Clinical
1.33
2.49
3.82
Admin
23.98
9.26
33.24
Tech
5.14
4.52
9.66
Operational
7.18
7.72
14.9
Total
3071
2683
5754
Totals
53.35
46.64
100%
As with previous years, the highest concentration of male staff is found in the
academic job family and the majority of women are found in administrative and
professional roles. However, the data indicates an upward trend over the last three
years in the representation of women in academic and teaching roles, while
representation of both genders in research posts remains consistent.
Academic male
Academic female
Research male
Research female
2006/2007
72%
28%
51%
49%
2007/2008
68%
32%
52%
48%
2008/2009
66%
34%
51%
49%
GENDER OBJECTIVE 1: to ensure that the percentage of appointments of women
to Grades L and M (Administrative and Professional staff) is within the range of
40% to 60%
Administrative and
Professional Roles
Grade M - female
Grade M - male
Grade L – female
Grade L – male
Grades M and L – total female
Grades M and L – total male
As at 31/07/08
15
37%
26
63%
51
40%
68
60%
66 [41%]
95 [59%]
As at 31/07/09
16
36%
29
64%
51
43%
67
57%
67 [41%]
96 [59%]
Equality and Diversity Annual Report 2008/9
Page 8 of 18
Representation of both men and women at these levels has remained constant in
comparison to 2007/8. The percentage of new appointments of women to Grades L
and M (administrative and professional staff) during 2008/9 was 50%, equivalent to
the rate of appointment during 2007/8, and well within our target range. We have
made positive progress against this objective, although recognise the importance of
keeping this under review to ensure balanced representation of men and women at
these senior grades.
GENDER OBJECTIVE 2: to increase the proportion of women at the Senior Lecturer
grade to reflect the proportion of women at Lecturer grade by the end of 2008/9
As at 31/07/08 As at 31/07/09
Senior Lecturer/Reader - Female
135
146
32%
34%
Senior Lecturer/Reader - Male
288
288
68%
66%
Total – Senior Lecturer/Reader
423
434
Lecturer – Female
94
83
43%
43%
Lecturer – Male
127
108
57%
57%
Total – Lecturer
221
191
Female representation at Senior Lecturer/Reader level during 2008/9 increased by
2% in comparison to 2007/8. Although the proportion of women at the Senior
Lecturer/Reader grade does not reflect the proportion of women at Lecturer grade,
we have observed a steady increase in the percentage of female representation at
both Lecturer and Senior Lecturer/Reader levels since we introduced this objective in
2004 as evidenced in the following table:
Women
Senior
Lecturer/Reader
Lecturer
2004/5
2005/6
2006/7
2007/8
2008/9
25%
28%
29%
32%
34%
39%
39%
42%
43%
43%
Since the introduction of this gender objective, representation of women at Senior
Lecturer/Reader level has increased by 9%; at Lecturer level this increase is 4%.
Consideration will now be given on whether we continue to monitor progress in this
area as a specific gender objective or whether this objective needs to be reframed
following the introduction of the Academic Career Pathways. It is recommended
that in any case the Equality and Diversity Committee should undertake to monitor
promotion and progression (including accelerated progression) by gender on an
annual basis, sharing the results with Faculty as appropriate.
Equality and Diversity Annual Report 2008/9
Page 9 of 18
GENDER OBJECTIVE 3: to reflect at Level c the proportion of women at Levels a and
b in the Faculties of Science, and Medicine and Dentistry by 2010
SCIENCE
Researchers levels a & b –
Female
Researchers levels a & b – Male
Researchers level c - Female
Researchers level c - Male
As at 31/07/08
As at 31/07/09
103
38%
169
62%
12
24%
37
76%
92
36%
165
64%
12
27%
34
74%
In percentage terms 2008/9 saw a 3% increase in the representation of women at
Level c in the Faculty of Science, while at Levels a and b there was an overall 2%
decrease in representation. The opposite was true for male representation with a
2% decrease at Level c, and a 2% increase at Levels a and b. There is now a 9% gap
between female representation in Science at Level c in comparison to Levels a and b;
this gap was at 14% during 2007/8. It is encouraging that in percentage terms
representation is moving in the right direction in order to achieve our objective to
equalise proportions of women at these levels over the coming academic year.
MEDICINE AND DENTISTRY
Researchers levels a & b Female
Researchers levels a & b – Male
Researchers level c - Female
Researchers level c - Male
As at 31/07/08
As at 31/07/09
124
73%
47
27%
24
56%
19
44%
147
77%
44
23%
25
57%
19
43%
In the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry female representation at Levels a and b
increased by 4% during 2008/9 in comparison with 2007/8 data. Representation at
Level c increased by only 1%, but it is encouraging to note that there are significantly
more women than men at this higher level. We will continue to monitor progress
against this objective over the coming year.
Equality and Diversity Annual Report 2008/9
Page 10 of 18
GENDER OBJECTIVE 4: to see a steady increase in representation of women at
Grade M Professorial level
Professor - Female
Professor - Male
As at 31/07/08
As at 31/07/09
61
15%
338
85%
61
15%
335
85%
At the 31st July 2009, 15% of professorial staff (including clinicians) was female. This
represents a steady state from July 2007, with an increase of one female professor
per year. We have seen no overall percentage increase in female representation at
professorial level since 2007, which is somewhat disappointing. We will need to
review carefully how this proceeds during the coming year and will consult with
appropriate parties on what further measures might be taken to enhance
opportunities for women to move up to the professorial level.
The introduction of a new pay and grading structure for professorial staff was driven
by the need to develop a process that is transparent and consistently applied, and
therefore more equitable. Professorial staff are now assimilated onto a pay and
grading structure that is divided into three separate ranges, as illustrated in the
following chart.
60%
40%
Males
Females
20%
0%
Range 1 Range 2 Range 3
Male/female distribution across Grade M, Professorial, Ranges 1-3
University of Bristol Professors are appointed, or internally promoted, to an
academic position with the title of Professor as recognition of academic distinction
meriting that title. Within the professorial job family, ranges exist to assist in
providing a transparent and equitable way of allocating salaries to Professors who sit
on Grade M of the University’s pay spine. The ranges provide appropriate reward for
continuing scholarly attainment and achievement, academic leadership, and
contributions to the life and work of the University community. Based on these
established criteria, the new structure ensures that individual professorial salaries
are fixed, according to principles that are more transparent, fair and consistent, and
more in accord with Reward and equal pay principles.
Equality and Diversity Annual Report 2008/9
Page 11 of 18
The following table provide a breakdown by gender of professorial Grade M staff by
range:
Grade M Professorial Staff
As at 31/07/09
Range 3
As a % within the range
As a % of total Grade M Professorial, Ranges 1 – 3
Range 2
As a % within the range
As a % of total Grade M Professorial, Ranges 1 - 3
Range 1
As a % within the range
As a % of total Grade M Professorial, Ranges 1 - 3
Male
38
93%
13%
151
83%
52%
99
83%
35%
Female
3
7%
6%
31
17%
56%
20
17%
38%
It is acknowledged that the levels of men and women as a percentage of total grade
M professorial staff are broadly similar at ranges 1 and 2, with a drop in the
representation of women at level 3.
It is recommended that the views of male and female professorial staff are sought on
the possible reasons for this, with a view to identifying whether there is particular
support that can be provided for women at the top of range 2. We will continue to
monitor gender representation on each of the professorial ranges to supplement the
data on the total professoriat in future reports.
GENDER OBJECTIVE 5: to see a steady increase in the representation of women at
Head of Department level
For the academic session 2008/9, the University had one female Pro Vice-Chancellor
(out of 4) and no female Deans (out of 6). Female representation at Head of
Department level was at 12%, a 3% increase from 2007/8, which although
encouraging only represents an actual increase of one appointment.
It is recommended that further consideration is given to why we have so few female
Heads of Department and that the views of former and current male and female
Heads of Department are sought on this issue.
3.3
Ethnicity
Students
We continue to monitor representation of undergraduate, postgraduate research
and postgraduate taught students by ethnicity.
Ethnicity
06/07
07/08
08/09
White
13104 (75.64%) 13366 (75.69%) 13520 (74.51%)
BME
2873 (15.17%)
3019 (17.1%)
3093 (17.05%)
Not Known
1155 (9.01%)
1275 (7.22%)
1531 (8.44%)
Year Total
17136 (100%)
17660 (100%)
18144 (100%)
Equality and Diversity Annual Report 2008/9
Page 12 of 18
Based on data for 2007/8 BME representation across the HE sector was at 17.2%. A
more detailed breakdown of ethnicity reveals a rise in the numbers of students
within the ‘not known’ category, and we will further examine the reasons for this
over the coming year.
06/07 07/08
08/09
African - Black or Black British
Ethnicity
206
210
210
Bangladeshi - Asian or Asian British
30
31
38
Caribbean – Black or Black British
62
54
58
Chinese - Asian or Asian British
942
974
920
Indian - Asian or Asian British
468
499
483
Information not yet sought (old code)
-
-
-
Information refused
896
1261
1234
Irish Traveller (old code)
3
-
9
Mixed White and Asian
215
238
281
Mixed White and Black African
43
41
39
Mixed White and Black Caribbean
35
52
59
Not Known
264
14
297
Other Asian background
416
452
476
Other Black background
15
12
15
Other ethnic background
190
184
228
Other mixed background
147
158
158
Other White background
1019
1026
721
Pakistani - Asian or Asian British
106
114
128
White
-
12340 12626
White British (old code)
11834 -
-
White Irish (old code)
178
-
113
White Scottish (old code)
67
-
51
Year Total
17136 17660 18144
As in previous years, Asian or Asian British constitute the highest numbers of black
and minority ethnic students; this is congruent with representation across the sector,
where the largest BME group is Asian or Asian British. Representation at Faculty
level for undergraduate, postgraduate taught, and postgraduate research students
was as follows:
Ethnicity 2008/9
White
BME
Not Known
Year Total
Arts
2812 (84.95%)
303 (9.15%)
195 (5.89%)
3310 (100%)
Science
3056 (84.07%)
401 (11.03%)
178 (4.90%)
3635 (100%)
Engineering
1584 (67.84)
477 (20.43%)
274 (11.73%)
2335 (100%)
Medical & Veterinary Sciences
1433 (82.69%)
219 (12.64%)
81 (4.67%)
1733 (100%)
Medicine & Dentistry
1628 (70.20%)
551 (23.76%)
140 (6.04%)
2319 (100%)
Social Sciences & Law
3007 (62.49%)
1142 (23.73%)
663 (13.78%)
4812 (100%)
Year Total
13520 (74.51%)
3093 (17.05%)
1531 (8.44%)
18144 (100%)
Equality and Diversity Annual Report 2008/9
Page 13 of 18
Representation of BME students across our Faculties is broadly reflective of national
data where BME groups at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels are much
better represented in some subjects (particularly medicine, computer science,
engineering, law and business)4.
It is recommended that further information on the home/overseas split of our BME
student population is obtained over the coming year. It would also be beneficial for
the Equality and Diversity Team to form closer links with the Widening Participation
Office to gain further insight into their activities in terms of increasing applications
from under-represented groups. Consideration will also be given to attainment
levels of our BME students in relation to examination outcomes for black and
minority ethnic students on a Faculty basis.
TOTALS
Operational
Technical
Admin/
Professional
Clinical
Academic
other
Research
Academic
Staff
Our staff profile by ethnicity during 2008/9 was as follows:
WHITE
White British
White Irish
774
612
9
170
1670
483
710
4428
21
17
1
4
28
3
6
80
247
252
17
23
100
31
30
700
Total number of appointments
1042
881
27
197
1798
517
746
5208
Total % of appointments
89.21
83.75
93.10
89.95
94.04
92.99
87.05
89.90
Black or Black British - Caribbean
2
1
0
0
10
1
9
23
Black or Black British - African
2
2
0
0
6
1
14
25
Other White Background
BME
Black Other
1
0
0
0
1
0
6
8
17
27
2
8
16
6
5
81
2
7
0
1
4
1
0
15
1
3
0
1
3
0
0
8
Chinese
13
60
0
2
10
3
8
96
Asian Other
Mixed - White and Black
Caribbean
11
20
0
2
2
7
15
57
Asian or Asian British - Indian
Asian or Asian British - Pakistani
Asian or Asian British Bangladeshi
0
1
0
0
5
1
1
8
Mixed - White and Black African
0
1
0
0
2
0
1
4
Mixed - White and Asian
4
4
0
0
9
0
2
19
Other Mixed Background
8
7
0
2
8
0
3
28
Other Ethnic Background
15
11
0
3
8
0
7
44
Total number of appointments
76
144
2
19
84
20
71
416
6.51
13.69
6.90
8.68
4.39
3.60
8.28
7.18
11
8
0
2
3
9
33
66
39
50
19
27
0
0
1
3
27
30
10
19
7
40
103
169
Total % of appointments
NOT KNOWN/REFUSED
Not known
Disclosure of ethnic origin
declined
Total number of appointments -
4
Equality in Higher Education Statistical Report 2008, Equality Challenge Unit
Equality and Diversity Annual Report 2008/9
Page 14 of 18
NOT KNOWN/REFUSED
Total % of appointments NOT KNOWN/REFUSED
4.28
2.57
0.00
1.37
1.57
3.42
4.67
2.92
During 2008/9 we engaged in on-going activity to strengthen links with local
communities and increase awareness of the University as a major local employer
with a diverse range of job opportunities.
More information is provided as
commentary against our ethnicity objectives below.
RACE OBJECTIVE 1: to increase the proportion of staff of BME origin in support staff
job families to 5.2%, to reflect the proportion of people of BME origin in the
economically active population locally.
Admin & Professional
White
BME
UK Nationals
Overseas Nationals
Admin & Professional - Not Known
Admin & Professional - Information
Refused
Technical
Technical – White
Technical – BME
UK Nationals
Overseas Nationals
Technical - Not Known
Technical - Information Refused
Operational
Operational – White
Operational – BME
UK Nationals
Overseas Nationals
Operational - Not Known
Operational – Information Refused
Applications
Shortlisted
Appointed
As at
31/07/08
As at
31/07/09
9636
1782
664
1118
110
839
70
51
19
2
230
14
13
1
2
1743
73
60
13
3
1783
82
70
12
4
0
0
0
29
26
809
420
77
343
11
0
156
13
5
8
0
0
59
3
1
2
0
0
559
21
8
13
10
11
516
20
8
12
9
10
976
263
69
194
15
0
149
24
9
15
2
0
39
7
3
4
1
0
728
75
25
50
32
6
741
70
24
46
33
7
The proportion of staff of BME origin for all support staff job families combined,
which has seen a steady increase over recent years, has increased slightly from the
previous year to at least 5.2% (taking into account that some staff choose not to
disclose their ethnicity to the University). When this is broken down to individual job
families the BME proportion of technical staff and operational staff have increased
slightly (to 3.9% and 9.4% respectively); whilst the proportion of administrative and
professional staff has increased quite significantly to 4.6%.
The proportion of applicants of BME origin for support vacancies has seen quite a
sharp increase in recent years, but has fallen from a highpoint of 20% in 2007/8 to
17.6% this year. This includes significant numbers of overseas nationals (who may or
Equality and Diversity Annual Report 2008/9
Page 15 of 18
may not be currently resident in the UK), reflecting the increasingly international
labour market; however, an increased proportion was from UK nationals of BME
origin (5.8% compared to 5.2% in 2007/8).
Personnel’s Recruitment Manager continued to represent the University at RfO
meetings in the South West region, which is a Business in the Community initiative
(BiTC). We are currently actively engaged in discussions to ensure that BiTC
continues to facilitate links between local employers and BME communities.
The University has a successful partnership with the Jobcentre network with a
particular emphasis on inner-city areas of Bristol; including an on-going series of
open days dedicated to University jobs in local jobcentres and attendance at job fairs
targeting deprived communities.
A number of organisations also work with Jobcentre Plus to implement the
Government's Welfare to Work programme helping targeted groups, including
encouraging them back into the workplace and contacts are being facilitated with
operational managers across the University. Promotional materials on jobs at the
University also continue to be displayed at community centres in areas with high
BME populations.
RACE OBJECTIVE 2: the proportion of UK nationals of BME origin in Research and
Teaching posts to increase towards the proportion of people of BME origin in the
economically active population.
The current proportion of people of BME origin in the economically active population
is 7.3%. Although staff of BME origin account for 9.9% of research and teaching staff,
a large proportion are overseas nationals with only 3.1% accounted for by UK
national’s of BME origin (slightly down on the figure of 3.5% for 2007/8).
Applications
Shortlisted
Appointed
As at
31/07/08
As at
31/07/09
Academic
White
BME
UK Nationals
Overseas Nationals
Not Known
Information Refused
836
466
55
411
38
0
132
21
6
15
8
0
42
2
0
2
3
0
1020
77
41
36
11
38
1019
75
39
36
11
38
Research
White
BME
UK Nationals
Overseas Nationals
Not Known
Information Refused
2073
2499
227
2272
65
0
373
114
25
89
4
0
134
32
6
26
1
0
879
141
33
108
10
18
887
144
31
113
7
20
Equality and Diversity Annual Report 2008/9
Page 16 of 18
Academic Unknown
White
BME
UK Nationals
Overseas Nationals
Not known
Information Refused
454
235
32
203
9
0
46
8
2
6
0
0
11
3
1
2
0
0
41
3
0
3
1
0
36
2
0
2
0
0
It is recommended that this objective be reviewed in terms of whether it is
achievable taking into account our position as an international organisation that is
keen to attract the best possible talent worldwide to fill roles in this job family –
essentially, our recruitment pool for these staff is global, and not local. Further
discussion will take place on this over the coming year.
RACE OBJECTIVE 3: the University should monitor the relative retention,
progression and promotion rates for BME and white staff across different staff
groups, investigate any variance and take appropriate action to address.
This is a new objective for which monitoring systems and supporting actions are
being put in place. Further action to address the refocused aims and objectives,
particularly where further progress is required, will be the priority for the coming
year.
4.
Looking Ahead
Over the coming year we await proposed changes to the legal landscape through the
anticipated introduction of the Single Equality Act, which is intended to harmonise
the current fragmented equality legislation (we currently operate in a complex legal
framework of nine major pieces of legislation, 100 statutory instruments and over
2,500 pages of guidance and Statutory Codes of Practice).
The University is
currently in a position to respond appropriately and flexibly to these changes.
The nature of the work of the Equality and Diversity Team can make it difficult to
plan as balancing the proactive and reactive requirements of the job can be quite
challenging and priorities can often change on a weekly or even daily basis,
depending on the nature of the casework that we are engaged with. However, over
the coming year and with the support of the Equality and Diversity Committee we
anticipate the following policies/guidelines to reach committee approval:






Disability and Employment Policy
Staff Guide on Disability and Employment
Guidelines for Academic Staff on Student Mental Health
Disability Equality Scheme (review required – legal deadline December 2009)
Gender Equality Scheme (review required – legal deadline April 2010)
Student anti-bullying and harassment policy
Equality and Diversity Annual Report 2008/9
Page 17 of 18
Through the implementation of continued activity to support the diversity of our
staff and students, we will seek to sustain a productive and positive environment
where everybody feels valued, is supported to reach their full potential and
contributes towards the broader aims and aspirations of the University.
This report was produced by the Equality and Diversity Team: Tracy Brunnock
(Equality and Diversity Manager) and Rhian Harris (Equality and Diversity
Administrator)
If you require this Report in an alternative format (for example in
Braille) please contact us
by email at [email protected]
or by telephone (0117) 33 18087
Please note that the report is available on the Equality and Diversity website at
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/equalityanddiversity/annualreports/
Equality and Diversity Annual Report 2008/9
Page 18 of 18