Gender equality

The Athena SWAN scheme recognises commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, and the School holds an Athena SWAN Silver award (March 2023). The School's action plan details how it is embedding gender equality into its policies, practices and culture.

Athena Swan Silver Award (March 2023) (Word)

The University has signed up to the key principles of the Athena SWAN Charter and holds an Athena SWAN Silver award at an institutional level (March 2024).

The University provides opportunities for female academic staff to gain mentoring and leadership training through the Elizabeth Garrett Mentoring Programme and Aurora programme.

On International Women’s Day 2017, the University produced a summary of some key female figures in the history of the University.

Student Family-related Policies

Pregnancy – students who become pregnant during their studies are advised to contact their local GP and/or the University’s Student Health Hub for information and advice.

The University’s Parental Leave for Postgraduate Research Students policy outlines the procedures and support mechanisms available for Postgraduate research students.

Other resources
The University’s core family-related leave policies can be found at the links below:
The University also has a carer's fund, which provides funding (up to £1k per year) to help staff members with caring responsibilities attend events (e.g., covering childminding or respite care costs, or travel costs of dependents when attending a conference).

The University’s website contains further carer's information, including information about tax-free childcare options.

Core meeting hours policy

The School operates a ‘core meeting hours’ policy that follows the University’s core hours policy. All meetings or events that staff members and postgraduate students are required to attend, or might wish to attend, are normally held between 10am to 4pm from Monday to Friday.

Individual meetings between staff members, or between staff and postgraduate students, can be scheduled outside of these core meeting hours, provided that the time suits everyone involved. Core meeting hours do not include scheduled teaching, due to timetable limitations.

Gender equality

Student

Staff

Core meeting hours policy