Staff Diversity

Valuing Disabled Colleagues programme

The programme has three aims: 

1. To encourage more staff to tell the University about their disability/health status and whether adjustments to the workplace are required, to ensure their access and inclusion.
2. To provide managers with guidance, resources and funding to help them to consider and co-ordinate requests for workplace adjustments.
3. To introduce procedures, systems and communications to enable the University to better monitor, anticipate and plan for the range of access requirements of disabled staff.

The University also has a Disabled Staff Network. The DSN is a confidential supportive group who contributes initiatives on disability awareness and events, promoting disability equality, sharing good practice amongst UAL and discusses important issues on a range of disability matters across the University.

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The programme emanates from the University’s aspiration to develop a dynamic, community where ethnic diversity and cultural literacy naturally informs our values, our curricula, our professional performance and creative expression. 

The programme has three main strands:

1. To enhance institutional practice in recruitment and to ensure sustainable equality of opportunity
2. To offer development opportunities to staff from BAME backgrounds
3. To create a network of 'change agents' committed to progressing staff ethnic diversity.

To date, the en>route programme has initiated an enhancement of our recruitment training, established a mentoring scheme for BAME staff and senior managers, held career development workshops, cultural competency seminars and schemes to diversify the talent pool from which we will draw the next generation of academics and support staff.

enroute report 2014.pdf 149KB

The University also has a race staff forum entitled the Group for Equality of Minority Staff (GEMS). The Group aims to encourage interactive discussion in a secure space where members and interested parties can explore relevant topics and ideas.

How did I get here?’ Interviews with Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff

Profiles of staff from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds who are working in a range of different roles at the University.

• How did I get here? enroute staff profiles (PDF 261KB)

Michael McMillan - student, alumnus and member of staff

Dr Michael McMillan graduated with an MA in Independent Film & Video from Central Saint Martins in 1991. Since studying at CSM, Michael has gone on to work as a writer, fine artist, curator and academic researcher. Find out more about Michael’s work and hear what he enjoys about working at UAL.

• enroute Michael McMillan (PDF 186KB)  

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Support for staff with Caring Responsibilities at UAL

For an overview of all the support available for staff with Caring Responsibilities at UAL, please download our guidance:

• Staff with Caring Responsibilities PDF 572KB
• Staff Carers
• Staff Parents

Flexible working arrangements

Under the Employment Act 2002 and under the Work and Families Act 2006 members of staff have the right to make a request to the University for flexible working, if they are to care for a child/children under the age of 6 or care for certain adults. 

Support for parents (maternity, paternity, adoption and parental leave)

The University has a range of policies for pregnant women and staff with parental caring responsibilities. These include all female members of staff, who are entitled to 26 weeks Ordinary Maternity Leave and a further 26 weeks of Additional Maternity Leave.  They may also be entitled to Enhanced or Statutory Maternity Pay during this period. 

Ordinary and additional Paternity Leave may be available to new fathers or the partner or spouse of the child’s mother, or adopter who wish to take time off work to care for the child and/or support the mother.

Members of staff may be entitled to take Adoption Leave around the placement of a child for adoption, or when the adoption agency has found a match for a child or children, for the purpose of adoption. 

Parental Leave gives parents the right to take an unpaid period of time off work to look after a child, make arrangements for the child’s welfare or enable parents to spend more time with their young children.

Quiet spaces (for pregnant or breastfeeding mothers)

The University is undertaking a programme of work to improve quiet space provision for the following purposes: 

• Prayer or personal reflection
• Rest due to pregnancy or disability
• Breastfeeding and expressing milk
• Disability or health related requirements
• Quiet Spaces Listings (PDF 84KB) 

Childcare Voucher Scheme

Our Childcare Voucher scheme, run by ComputerShare is in place to help staff save money with childcare costs.

By signing up to the Childcare Voucher scheme from Computershare Voucher Services, you could be saving over £1000 a year on your registered childcare fees. Regardless of your tax bracket, Childcare Vouchers can help save you money on your childcare.

Children on UAL sites 

The University has guidance for adults, including parents who wish to bring their children on site to attend exhibitions, private views and other public events. 

• Children On Site (PDF 383KB)

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We are supportive of the increasing numbers of our staff who are working beyond ‘customary’ retirement ages and consider their requests to work flexibly, or reduced hours, or to retrain or put themselves forward for new positions. We also offer Pre-Retirement Workshops for staff who wish to gain further insights into managing the transition into retirement, considering their options and planning for the future.

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The University welcomes staff from all faiths, and none, and aims to support staff in a number of ways including:  

• Chaplaincy- The University has a Multi-faith Chaplaincy that supports students and staff from diverse faith backgrounds. 
• University of the Arts London's multi-faith calendar - Our multi-faith calendar includes listings of major faith events marked by students and staff at UAL. We use the Calendar to help inform the development of timetables and to plan events. If you work at UAL, and want to access the multi-faith calendar, please email diversity@arts.ac.uk, using your UAL email account. 
• Quiet spaces for prayer and personal reflection- Each University site has a space for students, staff and visitors to undertake prayer or personal reflection. For more information, please visit our Quiet Spaces page. 
• Religious observance and timetabling -   The following guidance sets out arrangements for staff who may wish to take time off or arrange flexible working on grounds of religious observance:

• Religious observance, working hours and leave staff guidance Word 38KB

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