We have signed up to a number of national equality schemes, which reflect sector practice and our commitment to making BU a welcoming place to work and study.
Disability Confident
We have achieved Disability Confident status, a quality mark awarded by the Department of Work and Pensions for our positive commitment to the employment, retention, training and career development of disabled employees.
You can find out more about our commitments under this scheme on the government website.
Mindful Employer charter
We signed this charter in 2010 and take our commitment as an employer who is positive about mental health seriously. By joining this scheme, we demonstrated our open and accessible policies, and showed that we value the contribution of every one of our employees.
Learn more about what it means to be a Mindful Employer on the scheme’s website.
Stonewall
We have become a Stonewall Diversity Champion because of the commitment at BU to being an inclusive organisation.
Being a member of Stonewall provides the university with the tools to take a strategic and structured approach to LGBT equality initiatives globally.
Find out more about Stonewall.
AccessAble
We work closely with this organisation to provide detailed accessibility information about all of the university’s campuses, buildings and facilities.
The AccessAble website has comprehensive accessibility listings for the university.
Athena SWAN
We are a member of the Athena SWAN Charter, a scheme that recognises excellence in employment across the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (STEMM) in higher education.
In 2015, Athena SWAN expanded its charter to recognise work in Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Business and Law. We hold a Bronze Award from Athena SWAN, recognising our commitment to tackling gender inequality in higher education.
You can read the full charter principles and find out more about the three levels of Athena SWAN awards (Bronze, Silver and Gold) on the Equality Challenge website, or read more about our commitment to Athena SWAN.
Race Equality Charter
BU became a member of the Race Equality Charter in 2016.
It is an initiative managed by the Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) and aims to improve the representation, progression and success of minority ethnic staff and students within higher education.
In recognition of our efforts to promote race equality at BU, we were awarded a Race Equality Charter bronze award in August 2023.
Business Disability Forum
We are a member of the Business Disability Forum, which is a not-for-profit organisation that exists to create a disability smart world by linking businesses, disabled people and government.
BU became a member of the Forum to ensure that our policies and services are accessible and inclusive.
The Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers
The Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, commonly known as the Researcher Development Concordat, is an agreement between stakeholders to improve the employment and support for researchers and researcher careers in higher education in the UK Vitae). In March 2022, BU was successful in retaining the HR Excellence in Research award and is now one of many Vitae UK member institutions who hold this award. Visit the Concordat site to read our internal review, our 2023-26 action plan and key achievements.