Policy Statement
STA Excel is committed to ensuring that all courses that we offer are inclusive and accessible to all learners, from initial access to the course right through to assessment decisions. All who represent STA Excel are responsible for implementing and adhering to this policy, ensuring all staff and learners are treated fairly, with dignity and respect, regardless of their age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.
Purpose
- Ensure that STA Excel courses offer equal opportunities
- Ensure all courses are inclusive and accessible to all learners
- State that any unfair treatment and/or unlawful discrimination will not be tolerated within our centre
- Promote fair access and minimise any barriers to learning or assessment through implementing the relevant awarding organisation reasonable adjustments and special considerations policy
- Ensure that learning opportunities and fair assessment is open to all, without compromising the integrity of qualifications
- Provide relevant training for centre personnel surrounding this policy and procedures
- Ensure that all centre personnel and learners are treated with dignity and respect regardless of their age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation
- Ensure compliance with current legislation included within the Equality Act 2010.
Responsibilities
Centre Co-Ordinator
The centre personnel are responsible for ensuring that this policy is abided by throughout course resources and delivery for the courses offered. Responsibilities include:
- Ensure that staff and learners are aware of their rights as per the Equality Act 2010
- Provide the relevant training/updates for staff to allow them to remain current with their rights and responsibilities under this policy
- Ensure tutors and assessors are aware of how to offer feedback and register complaints
- Ensure learners are aware of how to offer feedback and register complaints
- Monitor any feedback and/or complaints regarding equality and diversity and any impact on individuals or groups
- Implement an effective complaints policy to resolve any complaints surrounding discrimination.
Tutor
The tutor is responsible for ensuring that they personally abide by this policy and making sure learners are made aware of this policy and procedures. Responsibilities include:
- Remain up-to-date with current legislation, relevant awarding organisation policies and STA Excel policies
- Promote positive practices and equality, ensuring content and language of all delivery is non-discriminatory and free from any bias or stereotypical wording
- Ensure equal learning opportunities and fair assessment for all learners without compromising the integrity of qualifications, utilising the reasonable adjustments and special consideration policy as necessary
- Refer complainants to the procedures within this policy as necessary
- Feedback any concerns or issues to the centre co-ordinator.
Assessor
The assessor is responsible for ensuring that they personally abide by this policy and making sure learners have been made aware of this policy and procedures. Responsibilities include:
- Remain up-to-date with current legislation, relevant awarding organisation policies and STA Excel policies
- Promote positive practices and equality, ensuring content and language of all assessment is non-discriminatory and free from any bias or stereotypical wording
- Ensure fair assessment for all learners without compromising the integrity of qualifications, utilising the reasonable adjustments and special consideration policy as necessary
- Refer complainants to the procedures within this policy as necessary
- Feedback any concerns or issues to the centre co-ordinator.
Internal Quality Assurer (IQA)
The IQA is responsible for ensuring that they personally abide by this policy and making sure learners have been made aware of this policy and procedures. Responsibilities include:
- Remain up-to-date with current legislation, relevant awarding organisation policies and STA Excel policies
- Promote positive practices and equality, ensuring content and language of all assessment is non-discriminatory and free from any bias or stereotypical wording
- Ensure fair assessment for all learners without compromising the integrity of qualifications, utilising the reasonable adjustments and special consideration policy as necessary
- Keep current, valid quality assurance records
- Refer complainants to the procedures within this policy as necessary
- Feedback any concerns or issues to the centre co-ordinator.
Procedure
Informal Complaint
Where any person within the centre or any prospective learner feels they have experienced an issue surrounding equality and diversity, they are encouraged to discuss their concerns with a member of the centre personnel. This may be through face-to-face contact, email, letter, phone call to the tutor, assessor or centre co-ordinator. Where possible the centre staff will offer help and guidance on how to overcome the problem, alternatively they may refer the complainant to the complaints policy.
Formal Complaint
Where the issue is a significant breach to this policy, or centre personnel are unable to come to an agreed solution with the complainant, it may be more suitable to refer to the official STA Excel Complaints Policy for further investigation.
Monitoring and Review
This policy and its implementation will be reviewed annually or at the point of any inequality or discrimination claims or changes to legislation relating to the Equality Act 2010. We are committed to ensuring that the procedures are fit for purpose and that we are meeting and surpassing the expectations of our learners. Where a claim of inequality or discrimination relates to the structure of the qualification rather than delivery, STA Excel will follow the relevant awarding organisation’s policy on the learner’s behalf.
Supporting Information
- Complaints Policy
- View Policy
- Safety Training Awards Website
- Visit Website
- Equality Act 2010
- View Legislation
