Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at BPP
Difference is what sets us apart and diversity makes us stronger.
Our commitment to equality and diversity
Difference is what sets us apart and diversity makes us stronger. We celebrate these differences; bringing together people from different backgrounds, skillsets and perspectives to create an energising and dynamic community of students, learners, clients and employees.
Our commitment to diversity is at the heart of our mission statement, Building Careers Through Education, and at the core of each of our five values. Our inclusive culture promotes equality of opportunity, innovation and success.
As a leading education business, we have a detailed and robust Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy. We are proud of our credentials and achievements in this area, whilst setting ourselves ambitious targets for growth.
We are committed to creating an inclusive and safe learning environment for all students, learners and employees, challenging and eliminating unlawful discrimination and harassment. We embrace developments that promote diversity, as well as championing wellbeing, safeguarding and Prevent.
Our core diversity principles
For everyone
We have a zero tolerance approach to unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation. This includes homophobic behaviour and prejudicial behaviour because of race, religion, age, gender or disability. We encourage all employees, students and learners to challenge unacceptable behaviours
We anticipate, minimise or remove disadvantages which could be experienced by people due to their protected characteristics
We create and provide an environment which is accessible to all students, learners and employees, as much as practicably possible
We proactively take steps to meet the needs of people with certain protected characteristics
We work with key partner organisations to uphold and maintain our values and ethos
We monitor and record equality and diversity information about students, learners and employees on the basis of age, gender, ethnicity, disability and social background to ensure they are not discriminated against
For students and learners
We treat students and learners as partners
We commit to taking the time to understand the perspectives, experiences, expectations and needs of our students and learners. This incorporates initiatives including student diversity programmes, our reverse mentoring programme, a diversity ambassador and a buddies scheme, interfaith forums and our race and ethnicity support networks.
Inclusive and engaging learning and teaching
Our culture, programme design and learning and teaching are inclusive and engaging for everyone, promoting a culture of respect and dignity. We provide clear leadership on equality, diversity and inclusion, with all teaching staff undertaking enhanced diversity programmes. Subject and curriculum development is considerate of diversity and inclusion issues as appropriate and especially in relation to race, age, cultural and religious diversity, disability, gender and sexual orientation.
We celebrate and reflect
We encourage, listen to and support a wide range of perspectives and values. We work with all learners, students, employees and partners to celebrate the diversity of our learners, facilitating a national and international equality calendar of events fostering our internal and external partnerships. We proudly support the work of leading diversity organisations including Stonewall, NADP, Black Solicitors Network, Aspiring Solicitors, Lawyers with Disability Division, Mental Health Foundation, Access to Accountancy, Leadership Through Sport & Business and many more.
Social Mobility
We actively encourage applications from all backgrounds, providing enhanced support services and flexibility in the delivery of our programmes and courses. We collaborate with our students and learners to develop a deep understanding of the key barriers to education, implementing appropriate outreach projects with client partners, schools and colleges to overcome these. We also offer a scholarship fund of over £1m, ensuring we support the brightest talent, regardless of background and have developed suitable support structures to support retention and achievement.In addition:
All applicants are given equitable consideration, with all reasonable adjustments made to ensure a fair and meaningful experience of the process
We encourage disability disclosure and operate a Disclosure Policy, whilst providing learners and students with the opportunity to restrict with whom disability information is shared
Reasonable adjustments are made to assessment methods to meet the requirements of disabled students and those from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds
We have created apprenticeship programmes with enhanced support to increase accessibility for learners from diverse backgrounds
Safeguarding and prevent
We offer wide-spanning support for students and learners outside of academic guidance, from one-on-one mentorship and confidential issue management to diverse safeguarding support and international student-focused visa and immigration advice
We commit to clear and transparent reporting of safeguarding and Prevent issues to further improve our ability to tackle these challenging scenarios
For employees
We actively attract and select a diverse employee base through our links with charity and business partners
Throughout the recruitment and selection process, BPP does not discriminate against any candidate in line with The Equality Act 2010. BPP job descriptions are written to comply with the law and to attract the best talent
BPP does not discriminate unfairly against any individual subject to a criminal record check on the basis of a conviction or other information revealed
All applicants for roles within BPP are given equitable consideration, with all reasonable adjustments made to ensure a fair and meaningful experience of the process
Every employee undertakes a standardised annual review, the Performance and Career Development (PCD) process, providing a fair, equitable and evidence-based approach to talent identification and assessment
All BPP employees undertake mandatory training to fully understand and uphold their responsibilities and duties under the Equality Act 2010 and all teaching staff have enhanced diversity development programmes. This is complemented by a full schedule of awareness campaigns throughout the year to support key initiatives such as Mental Health Awareness Week and Black History Month
We have a range of employee diversity networks, driving engagement with a range of initiatives for various groupings
We will enhance the quality of our ED&I data by improving onboarding processes and by encouraging all employees to supply ethnicity data
Our equality credentials
Commended specifically for our diversity and inclusion work by Ofsted
Commended by QAA for best practice for Mental Health Support in 2018
Commended by the DfE for our regional Prevent Champion network which has been running for over three years, working to support students, clients and learners and integrate safeguarding at every level
In BPP’s most recent Culture survey with all employees, 83% of respondents felt BPP positively embraced diversity
Partnership with leading bodies such as Aspiring Solicitors
Ethnicity
We will revisit our recruitment processes to ensure we are attracting talent from Black and other representative groups and creating fair and equal interview panels and candidate lists
We will encourage a deeper understanding of the topic of race through our Leadership Development Training and introduce a more comprehensive ED&I curriculum for all employees
Gender
Since 2017 BPP has published its Gender Pay Gap Report on an annual basis. Narrowing our gender pay gap is a long-term initiative. Over the past 12 months, we have put in place a number of significant initiatives through our Talent Development programme that will have a positive impact over time
We will introduce a Gender Balance Initiative to encourage gender parity and allyship across BPP
Corporate Social Responsibility
As a leading provider of education, we recognise the role we play in our communities and the value of conducting business in a responsible manner. We have adopted values and expected behaviours that inspire how we act as a company and our corporate responsibility strategy aligns with these values, built around four key areas: