The Equality Charters - Good Practice Initiatives

The new, evidence-based Good Practice Database is for those working to advance gender and race equality in higher education through Athena Swan and the Race Equality Charter.

The database aims to celebrate the breadth of gender and race equality initiatives taking place across the higher education sector and to provide Advance HE members with practical ideas and encourage them to trial new initiatives adapted to their contexts. The initiatives are drawn from recent analysis of selected successful applications. 
Race Equality Charter

Onboarding the Race Equality Charter Journey

06 Oct 2020 | Dr Sammy Li and Sheena Griffiths
 Read the blog

Use the search filters below to find Athena Swan and Race Equality Charter initiative application types.
REC Good Practice Initiative Image
De Montfort University: Development Initiatives
De Montfort University
Initiative Theme: Career development, Promotion
Target Group: Academic staff
Development initiatives and opportunities for UK BAME staff
REC Good Practice Initiative Image
De Montfort University: Growth strategy
De Montfort University
Initiative Theme: Recruitment
Target Group: Academic staff
Growth strategy for the recruitment of BAME Lecturers
REC Good Practice Initiative Image
De Montfort University: BAME participation
De Montfort University
Initiative Theme: Marketing, Outreach
Target Group: Undergraduate students
Increasing BAME participation on an international experience programme
Athena Swan Good Practice Initiative Image
Warwick Medical School: Gender balance
University of Warwick
Initiative Theme: Culture, Gender balance
Target Group: Academic staff, Postgraduate students, Undergraduate students
The School aimed to develop initiatives which would highlight female role models and better reflect the male/female ratio among its staff.
Athena Swan Good Practice Initiative Image
Warwick Medical School: Diversity training
University of Warwick
Initiative Theme: Culture
Target Group: Academic staff, Professional and support staff
With the aim of improving overall staff awareness of equality and diversity issues, the School set up online equality and diversity training for all staff; modules included 'Diversity in the Workplace' and 'Recruitment and Selection'.
Athena Swan Good Practice Initiative Image
University of Exeter Medical School: Parental leave policies
University of Exeter
Initiative Theme: Accommodating caring responsibilities, Career development
Target Group: Academic staff, Professional and support staff
Providing quality maternity, adoption or paternity options for its staff was clearly an important goal for the School, which set up confidential parental entitlement meetings.
Athena Swan Good Practice Initiative Image
University of Exeter Medical School: Female professors
University of Exeter
Initiative Theme: Gender balance, Promotion, Recruitment
Target Group: Academic staff
The Medical School was conscious to increase the number of female professors it employed and aimed to achieve this through the inclusion of female profiles in the recruitment campaign for the expansion of the School's professoriate, in order to further encourage applications from potential female candidates.
Athena Swan Good Practice Initiative Image
University of Exeter Medical School: My Career Zone
University of Exeter
Initiative Theme: Career breaks
Target Group: Postgraduate students
The School's employability team launched its own career development tool, labelled "My Career Zone", designed for postgraduate research students.
Athena Swan Good Practice Initiative Image
University of Exeter Medical School: University policies
University of Exeter
Initiative Theme: Career development
Target Group: Academic staff, Professional and support staff
An initiative was put in place to make staff more aware of relevant university policies which could support them during their career.
Athena Swan Good Practice Initiative Image
University of Exeter Medical School: Work/Life balance
University of Exeter
Initiative Theme: Accommodating caring responsibilities, Work/Life balance
Target Group: Postgraduate students, Undergraduate students
The School offered easily accessible information on support mechanisms for students who juggled family and/or child care responsibilities alongside their studies.
Athena Swan Good Practice Initiative Image
The John Innes Centre (JIC)
John Innes Centre
Initiative Theme: Promotion
Target Group: Academic staff
A self-evaluation of the institute's promotion data found a strong gender bias against women; during 2010-2013, fourfold fewer women were promoted.
Athena Swan Good Practice Initiative Image
School of Pharmacy
Queen's University Belfast
Initiative Theme: Accommodating caring responsibilities, Culture
Target Group: Academic staff, Professional and support staff
The school displayed a clear desire to increase attendance to its general meetings as it was suggested that increased staff attendance would contribute to a more inclusive work place.