Belonging, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

The RNCM recognises that music is in every culture. We are committed to building a diverse community of staff and students.

At the RNCM we believe in providing everyone with an opportunity to fulfil their potential. Our Strategic Plan describes a welcoming, supportive and collegial environment, that is ‘inclusive, respectful, open and accessible’ extending to all of our community; staff, students, partners, visitors and the wider community. We recognise that continuing to draw on the widest and most diverse range of talent for our staff and students is essential to the continuing success of the College and the future of music.

The RNCM inspires our graduates to become ‘Change Ambassadors’ taking these values with them into their professional careers.

The RNCM expects that all staff and students will contribute to and actively support the College in working towards the elimination of discrimination and harassment, promoting equality of opportunity in terms of access to the College’s services, employment opportunities and support for students in their welfare and education.

We are committed to treating all people with dignity and respect equally irrespective of the protected characteristics:

• Age
• Sex
• Disability
• Race
• Gender reassignment
• Marriage / Civil partnership
• Religion or belief
• Sexual orientation or re-orientation
• Pregnancy and maternity

In addition, via RNCM Engage and our commitment to Access and Participation, we are also committed to removing social and economic barriers to music education.

RNCM Objectives

The RNCM is committed to implementing the following BEDI Objectives, categorised by Community, Staff and Students, which can be found in our Policy on Belonging, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (BEDI):

Community

• That the entire RNCM community is aware of the BEDI policy and related policies and their responsibilities in relation to it.
• The procedure for making a formal complaint (staff, student or visitor) or making an anonymous report, via the ‘Zero Tolerance’ reporting webpage, is publicised and accessible.
• That the BEDI policy is considered, where appropriate, in the development of strategies, policies, procedures and programming to ensure that they strive for equity, demonstrate diversity and promote belonging and do not unlawfully discriminate against anyone in our community.
• Staff, students and Trade Union Representatives are provided with appropriate forums to discuss issues and raise any concerns, relating to BEDI.
• There is sufficient resources in place to implement the BEDI policy effectively and that the annual report, which monitors and highlights progress is submitted to the Board of Governors.

Staff

• That Managers and staff are provided with appropriate training and development.
• Procedures are in place for the fair appointment, promotion, pay and development of staff, free from unjustifiable discrimination and that outcomes are monitored and reported.
• All new staff are made aware of their responsibilities in respect of the policy through the induction process, our Culture and Values and that compliance with the BEDI policy and related policies of the College, is explained in all Job Descriptions.

Students

• That new students are made aware of their responsibilities under the BEDI policy, through induction and welcome week, with reference to our Culture and Values and expectations of conduct and behaviours.
• Procedures are in place for the fair selection, teaching and assessment of students, free from unjustifiable discrimination, in an inclusive environment where they feel they belong.
• That taught and research programmes of study are reviewed and developed with careful consideration of innovative practice in diverse curriculum and inclusive assessment.
• That the Access and Participation Plan, an OFS requirement to monitor ‘Access, Success and Progress’ of students, be monitored as a priority and action taken to ensure equity in the access, awarding and employability of all student groups.

Our Belonging, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Forum is working on actions to support the delivery of these objectives and monitors the impact through the three supporting strategy leaders, from Executive Committee including: Deputy Principal (Programmes and Performance), Director of Programmes and Director of Research. It is responsibility of these key leaders to ensure these objectives are integrated into college wide planning.

The Academic Registrar is the RNCM lead on Belonging, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion governance and policy and chairs the BEDI Form.

The RNCM’s Equality and Diversity documents, including our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and Gender Pay Gap Reports, as well as the Policy on Belonging, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion can be found on this page under Downloads.