Race Equality Week takes place once a year and aims to generate action to address race inequality in the workplace. This year’s theme is #EveryActionCounts, highlighting the importance of small, everyday actions by individuals and teams that collectively create meaningful change towards a more inclusive and equitable workplace.

There’s already lots of work happening across King’s. However, we understand it can sometimes be difficult to identify the best course of action, or to know what will have the most impact. This is why King’s has produced its Race Equality Maturity Model. This tool is designed to evaluate King’s progress towards race equality and to help inform strategies and action plans more locally.

A guidance document is available to support your use of the model. King’s staff can also request a tailored briefing for their team. These briefings:

• introduce the model, outlining its purpose, development, and practical application.
• support evaluation of your faculty or directorate’s progress on race equality.
• help identify actions to advance race equality within your area.
• provide a space for discussion, including questions specific to your faculty or directorate.

We can add a tailored briefing to an existing team meeting or arrange a more in-depth session lasting one to two hours, depending on your needs. Request a briefing via the Maturity Model briefing request form.

You can also use our resources to assist with your own learning. Visit our Race Equality SharePoint page and explore the training we offer.

The Race Equality Charter Mark recognises institutions that demonstrate excellence in their commitment to race equality. Established in 2015, it helps institutions understand and advance race equality in higher education. The charter covers staff and students across STEMM, the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and professional services. Unlike Athena Swan, it accepts submissions only from entire institutions, not individual departments or faculties.

You can find out more about the Race Equality Charter on the Advance HE website.

King’s has adopted the Race Equality self-assessment framework as a rigorous and transparent means to understand and advance race equality across the university.

King’s is proud to hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze Award recognising our commitment to addressing issues of race and racism.

The Race Equality Maturity Model is a framework to evaluate King’s progress in the context of race equality and to identify priority areas of work. It is designed to be used organisationally, and so is targeted at faculties and directorates rather than individuals. It is based on our Race Equality Action Plan.

The aims of the Race Equality Maturity Model are to:

• Transform the experience of students and staff from racially marginalised groups by providing support, guidance and steer to the organisation
• Enable cross-university activity to be mapped and measured against clear success indicators
• Provide a framework to enable best practice, which moves away from ad-hoc style of working towards being anticipatory and innovative
• Enable evidence led priorities to direct King’s resources towards the work that will have the most impact and to achieve the success measures as outlined in the Race Equality Action Plan (REAP)
• Educate and engage the entire King’s community and create shared responsibility to drive change, whilst providing a level of autonomy for individual faculties and directorates
• Provide inspiration for innovative activity that helps progress King’s ambition to be an anti-racist university

Why should I use the model?

Students and staff from minoritised ethnic backgrounds often experience King's differently from those who aren't, which can impact student satisfaction and staff retention. Progressing race equality and tackling racism are strategic priorities at King's (Thriving staff community and enabling student success) and, whilst there is lots of great work happening in this space, we know that there’s still more to do. The model is intended as a supportive document to enable progress across King’s, acknowledging that different areas will be at different stages of their journey.

How do I use the mode?

The model can be used to:

• Evaluate progress (or maturity) in the context of race equality
• Identify priority areas of work
• Shape race equality (or EDI) strategies and action plans

We acknowledge that a “one size fits all” approach won’t work, and that teams are the experts of their local area. If King’s (or an area of King’s) identifies a more appropriate way of delivering one of the indicators, then they are encouraged to try it.

Where appropriate, responsibility for actions should sit with the individual/team whose remit under which they fall.

Our guidance document below provides further advice and examples for each indicator.

How will progress be monitored?

It is up to leaders how they wish to hold their areas to account, for instance, a faculty may decide to report back on progress at a Faculty Executive meeting. The model does not replace external frameworks, such as the Race Equality Charter or Athena Swan.

How was the model developed?

The model was developed following an initial consultation with EDI practitioners and faculties. It was then open for feedback from all staff and students. Subsequent drafts were then developed in collaboration with experts in this field, including Leverhulme Visiting Professor Camara Jones, Professor Sally Everett, Professor Sam Smidt, Chinelo Igboayaka, Yeme Onoabhagbe, Professor ‘Funmi Olonisakin, Dr Ellen Clark-King, Lorraine Kelly and What Works.

What support will be available?

There is a guidance document to help you use the model, as well as an opportunity to request a tailored briefing for your team. You can request a briefing via this form. 

You can also use our resources to assist with your own self education. Explore our race equality SharePoint and take a look at the training we offer.