Equality and Diversity as Functional Skills

1. Fircroft has bid successfully to NIACE for an Equality and Diversity Innovation Fund project. The title of our project is… Equality and Diversity as Functional Skills

2. You can read more about EDIF and the other projects at http://www.equalitiestoolkit.com/ Materials produced by our project will be shared here

3. This sums up the aim of our project……… Just as they need Functional English and Maths, our learners must now leave with a sound understanding of Equality and Diversity in order to function successfully at work and as citizens in a diverse society. Over the 13/14 academic year, this project will properly test 3 different strategies for ensuring our curriculum delivers this, with a particular focus on the LGB and T strands.

4. Our training session on 18th November happened to be…… 10 years to the day since Section 28 repealed #S28pink Ofsted now judge whether:“teaching learning and assessment promote equality and support diversity” The political context has shifted to the point that….

5. Our annual impact survey gives a good baseline for the project, because it tells us…………… % of learners agreeing they have“ a better understanding of equality and diversity” as a result of coming to Fircroft • 10/11 45% • 11/12 54% • 12/13 32% opps not sure what happened last year!

6. % of learners agreeing they have“ a better understanding of equality and diversity” as a result of coming to Fircroft • 10/11 45% • 11/12 54% • 12/13 32% • 13/14 100%? We’re not seriously thinking that the 100% of learners will agree this year BUT the mindset of the project is that our curriculum should be ensuring that 100% of learners really should be coming out of Fircroft with a better understanding

7. Thanks to everyone who replied to Simon’s questionnaire mapping how our teaching Values Diversity and Promotes Equality. Here’s a link to his mapping on our G drive. Most equality groups are covered, but not to the same degree. Coverage is better on the Access course than on Short Courses, although age isn’t really covered and is an issue

8. Our EDIF project can cover any of the protected groups. However it has a particular focus on LGBT groups. Click on this report to read why o The greatest barrier reported for learning was ‘insensitive curriculum content’.

9. Our project has support from this forum: https://sgforum.org.uk/ If you register for their activity space you can watch this short video clip which shows how empowering it could be for LGBT learners if we pink our curriculum:

10. And here’s feel for what that might look like!

13. Our EDIF project will try 3 different ways to increase understanding of quality and diversity 3 strategies (and outputs and products) • Classroom embedded: Development of embedded materials across each of 4 short courses • Classroom discrete. Development of specific sessions for 26 learners • Residential: Observation of interactions through 3 enhancement activities There’s a clear parallel with Functional Skills here. Some learners know they need to develop English/Maths/E&D and sign up for discrete courses. Others have a different primary learning goal but we have a responsibility to help them develop the same skills through naturally occurring opportunities.

14. Here’s one very simple way we’re using the residential environment. During the training we concluded that the college lacks visuals and positive statements. While EDIF is focused on the curriculum this needs backing up by a whole college approach

15. During the training we flip-charted the following anxieties about the project: • Individual students may not be ready • Perceived conflicts between protected groups (eg religious and LGBT) • Fall-out when we foreground one group’s experience • Extent of our own knowledge • Having to respond very quickly on complex issues • Risk when we ourselves belong to the protected group

16. And some partial solutions: • Signpost new emphasis in pre-course materials so learners aren’t surprised • Reinforce this with displays • Has to be naturally occurring and not forced • Can’t be about sharing our own experience. Need case-studies and links to published material • Need some specialist training on the groups and we each lead on groups we are more confident about • Need to reflect on how we manage classroom discussions • Use residential events to showcase and celebrate the project

17. Methodology Here’s how the project will be organised. It runs for the academic year and we’re already a bit behind! The good news is that we’ve had a really positive response to the survey setting up the LGBT reference group. • Briefing and some training for Tutors • Recruit LGB and T Reference Group • Milestone is mapping to ensure that coverage is complete by December 13. • Implementation of 3 strategies. December 13 to completion by end of May 14. • Evaluation. • November 13. Design and check robustness • Evaluate individual programmes as they complete. • End of May 14. Write up for final on-line report • September 14. Follow-up individual learners using Impact Survey, compare strategies and benchmark against previous years • March 15. Impact assessment follow-up for NIACE • Dissemination • 3 national NIACE events June/July • November 14 Fircroft one day event for other providers and partners. Post-event email to non-attenders linking to materials on-line

18. What really excited NIACE about our project was that it was about equipping learners with skills as well as knowledge. That’s not going to be easy, but one starting point would be to try this little exercise Challenge from NIACE How to make this about skills and not just awareness? For one of your courses: • Write down an additional learning outcome. “By the end of this session in relation to Equality and Diversity, learners will be able to……. • Think how that could be measured?

19. Challenge from NIACE How to make this about skills and not just awareness? Additional Learning Outcomes we came up with on the training: Able to describe the impact of gender identity on life choices Able to interpret equality data to support a given viewpoint Able to demonstrate how own opinion can set up barriers with others Able to make a service more accessible Able to present the same information to different groups in a way which is helpful for each Assessment activities included: Producing a poster or booklet Commenting on a scenario

20. Our bid was for £16K which includes time for VTs working on the project. In additional NIACE are helping with… Resources We’re planning some specific training around Trans issues. In preparation for that, some tutors have committed to work through the Gender Identify Equality course on the forum’s Moodle: http://www.moodle.sgforum.org.uk/ • 16K • Research officer at NIACE • the forum (including on-line modules) • UCU officer and chair on LGBT • Previous projects • What else do we need? An EDIF project at Brighton Friends Centre produced some very practical LGBT resources which you can access here