August 2020.

We know people are interested in the pace of progress towards our goal of achieving a University which is anti-racist in every respect. We’d like to share with you some updates on the work we are actively engaged in, which we hope demonstrates our commitment and ambitions.

A better place for all

How we’re making the campus a better environment in which to study and work:

• We have worked with our staff and students to define the different forms of racism and the impact this has on people.

• Students can now report incidents of racism through the new 'Report and Support' portal.

• We’re appointing specialist staff with the skills to understand and support students who are experiencing racism.

• We’re reviewing the roles of our campus security staff - adding explicit reference to demonstrating cultural and diversity awareness when carrying out their duties.

• We are revising recruitment and selection practices to address issues of Black, Asian and minority ethnic representation at senior levels. This year we have also published data on the ethnicity pay gap.

• Early outcomes of the revised academic promotions process have resulted in doubling the number of Black, Asian and minority ethnic appointments at senior academic levels. We are continuing to explore and implement interventions that will help us to build on this small but significant progress.

Learning and Educating

The learning that we, as an institution, are undertaking, as well as the education we're making available for our staff and students:

• We believe understanding Black history is a critical part of any approach to challenge and change culture. We have funded the development of a comprehensive anti-racist training programme, based on critical race theory and the history of racism. The continuing impact today is a central theme.

• We offer a range of anti-racist resources and training, which we continue to develop. We have recently hosted 20 webinars for staff on ‘Being an Active Bystander’ and ‘Combatting Micro-incivilities’.

• In the last year, our senior leaders have attended training on racism, its impact and their role as leaders in challenging racist behaviours and embedding anti-racist practice in their day-to-day work. We will continue this work over the coming year with workshops on inclusive leadership.

• The Students’ Union has carried out valuable work on the decolonisation of the curriculum, funded by the University. We now have a report and are reviewing the recommendations.

• We are organising workshops to share best practice that has come out of this work and to develop an approach that embeds de-colonisation into curriculum design and classroom culture across all faculties.

• To support and develop teaching staff we are holding regular sessions on anti-racist teaching practices facilitated by WIHEA anti-racist pedagogy learning circle.

Making more happen

Clear actions we have taken/are taking and our roadmap for the future

• Widening participation is an important element in our commitment to supporting Black students. We're currently looking at how we might improve our practice in this area and look forward to discussing this with student representatives in the new academic year.

[A significant number of students receiving Warwick Scholarships identify as being Black but we’re aware that not all Black students fall into this category and that a more holistic approach is required for a successful student experience.]

• To drive and monitor this work, we're working very closely with the Race Equality Task Group, comprising academics, students and professional services staff who share their personal and professional experience and understanding of racism.

• The Race Equality Task Group also oversees the work of the Race Charter Group. Making a submission to the Race Charter is an opportunity to undertake a systematic review of the University's current performance on anti-racist practice, outlining how further interventions will be resourced and implemented, helping us benchmark what we do and provide an evidence base to drive future change.

• All of our actions are embedded within our Social Inclusion Strategy, which categorically makes race equality a priority. There are several staff and student groups working to ensure that this work continues to be developed and embedded within Warwick’s systems and culture.