Equality Matters

We believe that the important building blocks for a successful college and successful students are mutual respect, commitment and a strong sense of community where all individuals, no matter what their background, have an opportunity to develop and improve. We welcomed the  duties placed upon us by the Equality Act to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation, to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between people who are more likely to experience discrimination and those who are not as a positive step forward.

We consulted our staff, students and our local community on what is important in meeting our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and, as a consequence, will plan and work to achieve the following equality outcomes:

• Learners from all backgrounds achieve high levels of success
• Learners are treated with dignity and respect and their views help shape and improve our services
• Learners are prepared for life, work and to be responsible citizens
• Staff feel valued and have the opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills and to progress in their careers
• The college community is at least representative of the local community and offers a model of good practice in the promotion of opportunities for individuals with protected characteristics
• Users of our facilities and services can access them easily

We recognise the benefits that we get from having a diverse community of staff and learners in the College and oppose all unfair forms of discrimination, harassment and victimisation on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation or social background.

We provide a supportive environment with many specialist services to meet learners’ needs.

Each year the College publishes an Equality and Diversity Annual Report, which reports on the year’s activity, the College’s staffing profile and analyses the admissions, enrolments and results of its students to see whether there is any correlation between these and certain protected characteristics. You can view the latest reports in the College Documents section of this website under Reports. 

Our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion is reflected in the documents below and in our approach to all who use the College’s services.

They include:

• A Guide to Inclusiveness at Borders College
• Complaints Policy and Complaints Handling Procedure
• Gender-Based Abuse Policy and Guide (Students)
• Respect at Work and Study Policy Statement
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy
• Bullying and Harassment Policy and Procedure
• Employee Domestic Abuse Policy and Procedure
• Family Leave Policy and Procedure
• Grievance Policy and Procedure
• Professional Conduct Between Staff and Students
• Recruitment of Ex-Offenders Policy
• Safeguarding Children and Adults at Risk of Harm

All documents are available in full on this website under 'College Documents' or by contacting the Marketing Department on 01896 66 26 00.

The College has a range of services to support learners with disabilities, from admission through to the students completing their studies. You can find information about these services in both the future and current student areas of this website. We have also published here a guide that is useful to any person with a disability who is interested in studying at the College. It explains the person’s rights under the Equality Act 2010 and also provides useful guidance on what you would expect from the College.

• The booklet is published by Lead Scotland and was commissioned by the College Development Network. Please click on the link below.
• You can also view our British Sign Language (BSL) Action Plan page by clicking on this link.

Website accessibility statement. Please click here.