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Social Work Personal Statement Examples

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• Social Work Personal Statement Examples

Are you applying to a Social Work course at a UK university ? It’s expected from you to have a strong sense of empathy, an ability to communicate effectively, and a commitment to social justice. 

A personal statement is an essential part of your application for a social work course, as it allows you to showcase your skills, experiences, and passion for helping others. You can find below successful social work personal statement examples from applicants to inspire and guide you in preparing your UCAS application .

Social Work Personal Statement Example

As a conscientious, responsible, enthusiastic, and open-minded individual, I am eager to pursue a career in social work. I have spent the last two years working in the social care field, and I am now ready to take the next step in my career by undertaking a degree programme in social work. My passion for social care stems from my desire to help those in need, and I have found immense satisfaction in doing so.

Working in a variety of settings has allowed me to meet and work with a diverse range of service users, and I have developed strong communication skills as a result. I have represented service users at Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangement meetings, Care Programme Approach (CPA) reviews, and Ward Round meetings. Working collaboratively with a team and partners has also taught me the importance of teamwork and partnership.

My commitment to helping those in need extends beyond my professional life. While in sixth form, I participated in a programme aimed at providing children with a low reading age with the support they needed to improve their reading levels. Additionally, I regularly visit a local care home for disabled individuals to talk and play games with the residents, as one of my close relatives lives there.

In my personal life, I enjoy keeping fit by working out in my home gym. I also enjoy listening to music and going out with friends, which provides me with a different environment from my work and studies and the opportunity to meet new people.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I volunteered to help with food delivery for elderly individuals, which further reinforced my desire to make a positive difference in people’s lives. These experiences have taught me the value of empathy, compassion, and the importance of supporting individuals in their times of need.

I believe that social work is a noble profession that offers the opportunity to make a positive difference in people’s lives, and I am committed to pursuing this career path. With my strong communication skills, teamwork abilities, and passion for helping others, I am confident that I can make a significant contribution to the field of social work. I am excited to embark on this journey and am eager to learn and grow as a social worker.

Recommended for further reading:

• How to Write a Personal Statement for a Master’s
• How to Write a Personal Statement for a PhD
• UCAS Personal Statement: A Writing Guide And Tips For Success
• Tips for Writing a Personal Statement for the University
• How to Write a Personal Statement That Stands Out

Personal Statement Examples UK

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Social Work Personal Statement Example For UK University

As a thoughtful young leader who has always been fascinated by the complexities of human society and the issues that people face, I have decided to pursue a career in social work. My background in sociology and my experience as a Women’s Officer on my students’ union executive committee have given me a good understanding of the challenges that people from different backgrounds can face, and I am eager to use this knowledge to make a real difference in the lives of others.

My BA (Hons) in Politics with Law has given me the academic grounding necessary to succeed in a Social Work MA programme. Through my coursework, I have gained experience in reading and interpreting legal texts, which will be invaluable in understanding the legislation that social workers operate within, such as the Children’s Act 1989 and Mental Health Act 1983.

In addition to my academic qualifications, I have also developed important skills through my part-time job as a shop assistant. This work has taught me the importance of responsibility and has given me increased confidence. I have also developed my communication skills by dealing with unexpected problems and working with customers.

Throughout my life, I have always been willing to offer help and support to others. As a class rep in college, I was regularly asked for help and advice, which I was happy to provide. I believe that my non-judgmental, open, and empathetic nature makes me well-suited to a career in social work. I understand the importance of approaching each situation with sensitivity and understanding, and I am committed to providing the best possible care and support to those in need.

I am particularly interested in helping individuals and families who are facing abuse and other types of trauma. Through my sociology coursework, I have gained a good understanding of the problems that can arise in families, and I am eager to use this knowledge to help those who are in need. I believe that everyone deserves to live in a safe and supportive environment, and I am committed to doing everything in my power to make this a reality.

I believe that I have the necessary skills, knowledge, and personal qualities to succeed in a career in social work. I am passionate about helping others and making a positive difference in the world, and I am eager to take on the challenges that come with this important work. I look forward to the opportunity to continue my education and training in social work.

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UCAS personal statement examples

Having managed successfully to navigate through the 370,000 courses at over 370 providers across the UK, it is now time to make a start at drafting your personal statement.

Students often find this the most daunting of tasks within the application process. This guide will help you through putting together the statement that is going to help get you a place on your ideal course.

Knowing where to start and what to say to when setting out your reasons for applying and convincing the admissions tutor to offer you a place can be a challenge. Looking at examples of how other students have approached this can sometimes be helpful.

Example one

Things to consider when reading this example.

• Consider the structure – what are your thoughts around this?
• Think about spelling, grammar, and punctuation– how does this fare?
• What course do you think this personal statement may have been for?

“The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Mahatma Ghandi

From a young age this quote has inspired my chosen career path to become a children’s nurse. Being one of many siblings I have the role of supporting my nieces and nephews when they become ill and providing comfort. Working with children in my family has motivated along this career path as it has taught me to take responsibility in life, become more organised and mature.

I am currently undertaking a health and social care course. This course has given me insight into the different aspects of health care and its overarching infra structure. Caring for children and young people helped me gain an understanding of the risk that children and young people may be put in and the exploitative and abusive behaviour that they may encounter. We focused on the tragic case of Victoria Climbie. This brought home the significance of multi agency working.

I am committed to ensuring that children and young people in my care are safe,healthy, enjoying and achieving, economic well being and putting in a positive contribution. A core element of the course has been work placement, working with children. This came in very useful for me because it taught me how to deal with children at different ages and what I need to do in order to meet their needs. During this work experience I was responsible for supporting and maintaining the children’s hygiene needs and encouraging them with their speech. I learnt different approaches to meeting the needs of children; for example I was taught to talk the children in a calm, but stern tone of voice when they misbehaved and to use very positive gestures and praise when children listened and kept to task.

I consider myself as having very good communications skills I am able to reassure people positively in any circumstance, I am the committed to ensuring that children and young people in my care are safe and healthy and I am confident when dealing with both children and parents, For example when a child injured herself in the nursery I shadowed one of the senior staff while they administered first aid, it was then my responsibility to explain to the caregiver exactly what had occurred.

I take part in many activities which are helping me to become independent ad preparing me for my course that I want to take part in, in university; I presently volunteer in a nursery. I take part in planning and creating activities and I have a duty to observe the children throughout the day and then give feedback to the parents and carers.

I have many qualities which will be ideal for my future career path I am honest, patient and a reflective individual, this is something that I feel is most important when dealing with children and adolescents.

I have many hobbies that I carry out in my spare time. I have taken part in being a team leader to raise money for a charity that supports children who have been abused because I believe strongly in the cause. We raised awareness, held a campaign, fundraising and protest.

I also enjoy travel, I have visited countries such as Egypt, Eritrea, Holland, Germany and Italy - this has allowed me to explore the outside world and has given me a taste of different cultures and traditions; and ultimately giving me a better understanding of diversity.

I would like to be given the opportunity to study at university because I believe it will be the perfect platform to launch my career. Having the chance to study Paediatric Nursing at university will allow me to fulfil my career path and make a change to my life as I will feel that I am achieving new things on a day to day basis with what I am able to offer children and young people when it comes to having a positive impact on their health.

Being given the opportunity of Working in an environment with children daily would be my dream goal in life that I wish to achieve.

Example two

• Thinking about the experiences gained from a gap year, how has this applicant drawn on these transferrable skills?
• How does experience both in and outside the classroom environment relate to the chosen subject area?

I am a hardworking, talented and motivated young woman looking forward to studying at degree level and taking an active part in university life.

I have a keen interest in the world around me, and enjoy taking part in a variety of activities for example: volunteering at my local brownies, volunteer marshal at Brighton Marathon; textile and weaving classes; completion of the Trinity Guildhall award at both Bronze and Silver level; and a Stand Up Paddle board instructor. These activities, coupled with part time work whilst at sixth form college, have not only been enjoyable but have also helped me to develop skills in communication, organisational, leadership and interpersonal skills.

Although having been accepted to start university in 2014 (Primary Education) I realised that I was not ready to fully commit to the course and took the decision to gain some real life experience and reflect on what I really want from university and my future career.

Since leaving sixth-form college I have been working full time as a waitress/ bar assistant at a local hotel, which has been hard but interesting work demanding stamina, patience and an open mind. I have also secured 3 weeks work at a trade exhibition in New York, where I will have the chance to attend networking dinner and I plan to go inter-railing across Europe in Summer 2015. As a result of these experiences I am more self-assured and resilient. I am ready to commit to full time study and have much to contribute to university life.

I realise that I am most interested in people, what makes them the people they are and how this manifests in their behaviour and opinions.

I enjoyed studying sociology at A level and gaining an insight into how the study of sociology helps us to understand how society works. This coupled with my recent experience in the hospitality world and observation of the behaviour of those who use and manage the service, has fuelled my desire to study Sociology in depth at degree level. I am completely fascinated by the behaviour of others and why we act the way we do. I believe that studying sociology at degree level will allow me to begin to explore and understand aspects of human social behaviour, including the social dynamics of small groups of people, large organisations, communities, institutions and entire societies.

I believe that the skills and knowledge that I will accrue whilst studying will be applicable to a wide variety of careers and that is why I have chosen to study the topic at degree level.

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Social work personal statements

On this page you'll find a collection of real personal statements written by students applying to study social work and related courses at university.

These personal statements are written by real students - don't expect them all to be perfect! But by reading through a few of these samples, you'll be able to get some ideas and inspiration for your own personal statement. 

Social work personal statement examples

More help with your personal statement.

You can find personal statement examples for other courses by using this subject list, or by returning to our personal statements by subject page.

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Health & Social Care courses: personal statement tips

The BU admissions team score Health and Social Care courses on the following five criteria: Determination, Resilience, Insight, Values and Experience, or DRIVE for short​. Below are some tips and further detail on what we are looking for in each criterion. 

For any health and social care course, it is also really important that you can demonstrate that your qualities include the ‘ six Cs ’, a set of values that the NHS expect all staff to have.

They are:  Care ,  Compassion , Competence , Commitment , Communication and  Courage ​.

Determination​

We want you to clearly explain what has motivated you to apply to the course​.

You could show us:​

• Why you are enthusiastic about the subject area​
• What your career plans are​
• The future employment opportunities you are considering.​

Resilience​

We are looking for your ability to cope with the demands of studying a Health & Social Care course. This means demonstrating:

• Strong organisational skills ​
• An ability to work independently ​
• An ability to cope under pressure​.

It doesn’t matter where you draw your examples from, we just want to hear about them. They could be from your studies, work experience, volunteering or any employment you have undertaken.​

We want you to demonstrate a clear insight into the subject area and/or relevant profession you are applying for, and demonstrate your ability to reflect on any independent research you have undertaken, showing us you have a good understanding of the profession you want to go into.​

Now is your chance to demonstrate:​

• That you have spoken to professionals in the field to get an insight into the role, or you have proactively attended relevant lectures or talks
• That you have read around the subject area and have a good understanding of what it involves. It is a great idea to familiarise yourself with academic journals related to the profession you are interested in, and doing this research helps show how dedicated you are to the role​.

We want you to show that you understand the values and skills required by the course and profession

Give us some examples of:​

• Your ability to problem-solve and work as part of a team​
• Your strong communication and writing skills​
• If you are applying for a healthcare course, how you share the NHS values.

We look for applicants that have undertaken relevant work experience through work, study or volunteering. If you don’t have any at the time of applying, you will be required to demonstrate at interview that you have a clear insight into the nature of the profession that you will be training to enter.​

Tell us about any work experience you have gained and how it relates to the course or profession:

• If you are applying for a Nursing course, this would ideally be related to the field of nursing practice that you are interested in​
• If you are applying for Operating Department Practice, it is strongly recommended that you can demonstrate that you have insight into working in an operating department​
• For Paramedic Science, we like to see experience related to an ambulance, first response, care or healthcare environment, but also consider other types of experience such as lifeguarding, the St John Ambulance or Red Cross​
• Social Work applicants should demonstrate experience in a social work or social care capacity​
• We understand that getting experience in some settings, like a Midwifery setting, can be difficult. There are a few different ways of gaining an insight into the role of a midwife that we recommend, including: talking to midwives, talking to women who run support groups relating to breastfeeding, child health, or family care, or reading relevant Midwifery journals
• If you are applying for Occupational Therapy you should be able to demonstrate insight into the role. You could arrange to shadow an occupational therapist and/or gain voluntary experience in health care settings or charities where you can gain some experience working with groups of people you may work with as an occupational therapist. Some NHS Trusts run virtual shadowing opportunities that you can access. You could speak to an occupational therapist over the phone/Zoom, explore the Royal College of Occupational Therapists website or read relevant Occupational Therapy books and journals
• If you are applying for Physiotherapy you should be able to demonstrate insight into the role and ideally applicants would have some experience shadowing physiotherapists. However, if this is difficult to acheive then any experience in a healthcare environment e.g. nursing home, elderly care home, special needs school, voluntary work as a support worker with individuals with disabilities etc. would be considered. 

If you do not have any relevant experience, you will be required to demonstrate that you have a clear insight into the nature of the profession that you will be training to enter.

Please check the relevant course pages for other helpful information. 

We appreciate that for a couple of years it has been particularly difficult to undertake work experience. If you have limited experience, you might be able to bolster this with:​

• Shadowing someone in a relevant health career​
• Caring for a family member or friend​
• Volunteering experience. This could be in a whole range of different organisations including schools, day centres, hospices, or mental health services. Volunteering for a charity could also help you get experience with a particular group of individuals you are likely to work with in your chosen career, e.g. children’s charities, special educational needs charities, mental health charities, homelessness charities, or specialist addictions charities​​.

It is also worth remembering that you’ve probably had experiences in non-healthcare environments where you have developed relevant transferable skills​.

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Perfecting Your Personal Statement for Health and Social Care Courses

​​​Struggling to start writing your personal statement for a course within the School of Health and Social Care at the University of Gloucestershire? Here are my top tips to help you feel prepared and confident.

The personal statement is undoubtedly a key part of the application process for university courses, allowing you to showcase your subject knowledge, relevant skills and experience and to stand out from others applying.

At the University of Gloucestershire, we are looking for applicants to have work experience or volunteering experience which demonstrates the types of skills that are key for these health and social care courses. How could you demonstrate, for example, proven communication with lots of different community groups and compassion and empathy for others? This experience could include in a care home, community hospital or charity shop for instance. It is also important to note that for our Physiotherapy course, we are looking for specific work experience whether that be within a physiotherapy clinic or shadowing a physiotherapist.

Secondly, try and avoid using empty statements . These are phrases often found in personal statements which provide no real information about you on their own. Examples might be “the Six Cs are important I can demonstrate all of them” or “I have proven teamwork and communication skills”. Rather than using these standalone phrases, always link back to the experiences you’ve had (which could include hobbies and interests) that demonstrate these skills. In fact, make it really clear why you are applying to that specific course and what you will bring to it.

Last but not least, remember it is a personal statement after all. It should be unique to you , to enable you to stand out amongst a sea of other applications and be invited to an interview.

For more tips on writing your personal statement, you can chat to me or visit the UCAS website.

UCAS Personal Statement and Examples

What is the ucas personal statement .

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) Personal Statement is the main essay for your application to colleges and universities in Great Britain. UCAS gives a nice explanation here , but in short, this is your chance to stand out against the crowd and show your knowledge and enthusiasm for your chosen area of study.

You’ve got 4,000 characters and 47 line limit to show colleges what (ideally) gets you out of bed in the morning. How long is that, really? Use your “word count” tool in Google or Word docs to check as you go along, but 4,000 characters is roughly 500 words or one page.

HOW IS THE UCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT DIFFERENT FROM THE US PERSONAL STATEMENT?

Think they’re the same? Think again. Here are some key differences between the UCAS and the US Personal Statement:

When you apply to UK schools, you’re applying to one particular degree program, which you’ll study for all, or almost all, your time at university. Your UCAS personal statement should focus less on cool/fun/quirky aspects of yourself and more on how you’ve prepared for your particular area of study.

The UCAS Personal Statement will be read by someone looking for proof that you are academically capable of studying that subject for your entire degree. In some cases, it might be an actual professor reading your essay.

You’ll only write one personal statement, which will be sent to all the universities you’re applying to, and it’s unlikely you’ll be sending any additional (supplemental) essays. Your essay needs to explain why you enjoy and are good at this subject, without reference to any particular university or type of university.

Any extracurricular activities that are NOT connected to the subject you’re applying for are mostly irrelevant, unless they illustrate relevant points about your study skills or attributes: for example, having a job outside of school shows time-management and people skills, or leading a sports team shows leadership and responsibility.

Your personal statement will mostly focus on what you’ve done at high school, in class, and often in preparation for external exams. 80-90% of the content will be academic in nature.

A QUICK STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO WRITING THE UCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT

This may be obvious, but the first step to a great UCAS Personal Statement is to choose the subject you’re applying for. This choice will be consistent across the (up to) five course choices you have. Often, when students struggle with a UCAS personal statement, it’s because they are trying to make the statement work for a couple of different subjects. With a clear focus on one subject, the essay can do the job it is supposed to do. Keep in mind you’re limited to 47 lines or 4000 characters, so this has to be concise and make efficient use of words.

To work out what information to include, my favourite brainstorming activity is the ‘Courtroom Exercise’. Here’s how it works:

The Courtroom Exercise

Imagine you’re prosecuting a case in court, and the case is that should be admitted to a university to study the subject you’ve chosen. You have to present your case to the judge, in a 47 line or 4,000 character statement. The judge won’t accept platitudes or points made without evidence–she needs to see evidence. What examples will you present in your statement?

In a good statement, you’ll make an opening and a closing point.

To open your argument, can you sum up in one sentence why you wish to study this subject? Can you remember where your interest in that subject began? Do you have a story to tell that will engage the reader about your interest in that subject?

Next, you’ll present a number of pieces of evidence, laying out in detail why you’re a good match for this subject. What activities have you done that prove you can study this subject at university?

Most likely, you’ll start with a class you took, a project you worked on, an internship you had, or a relevant extra-curricular activity you enjoyed. For each activity you discuss, structure a paragraph on each using the ABC approach:

A: What is the A ctivity?

B: How did it B enefit you as a potential student for this degree course?

C: Link the benefit to the skills needed to be successful on this C ourse.

With three or four paragraphs like these, each of about 9 or 10 lines, and you should have the bulk of your statement done. Typically two of these will be about classes you have taken at school, and two about relevant activities outside of school.

In the last paragraph, you need to demonstrate wider skills that you have, which you can probably do from your extracurricular activities. How could you demonstrate your time management, your ability to collaborate, or your creativity? Briefly list a few extracurricular activities you’ve taken part in and identify the relevant skills that are transferable to university study.

Finally, close your argument in a way that doesn’t repeat what you’ve already shared. Case closed!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What if I’m not sure what I want to study? Should I still apply? 

There are a number of broader programs available at UK universities (sometimes called Liberal Arts or Flexible Combined Honours). However,  you should still showcase two or three academic areas of interest. If you are looking for a broader range of subjects to study and can’t choose one, then the UK might not be the best fit for you.

What if I haven’t done much, academically or via extracurriculars, to demonstrate that I’ll be able to complete the coursework for my degree? Should I still apply?

You certainly can, but you will need to be realistic about the strength of your application as a result. The most selective universities will want to see this evidence, but less selective ones will be more willing to account for your potential to grow in addition to what you’ve already achieved. You could also consider applying for a Foundation course or a ‘Year 0’ course, where you have an additional year pre-university to enable you to develop this range of evidence.

If I’m not accepted into a particular major, can I be accepted into a different major?

It’s important to understand that we are not talking about a ‘major,’ as what you are accepted into is one entire course of study. Some universities may make you an ‘alternative offer’ for a similar but perhaps less popular course (for example you applied for Business but instead they offer you a place for Business with a Language).At others, you can indicate post-application that you would like to be considered for related courses. However, it’s not going to be possible to switch between two completely unrelated academic areas.

What other information is included in my application? Will they see my extracurricular activities, for example? Is there an Additional Information section where I can include more context on what I’ve done in high school?

The application is very brief: the personal statement is where you put all the information. UCAS does not include an activities section or space for any other writing. The 47 lines are all you have. Some universities might accept information if there are particularly important extenuating circumstances that must be conveyed. This can be done via email, but typically, they don’t want to see more than the UCAS statement and your school’s reference provides.

Now, let’s take a look at some of my favourite UCAS personal statement examples with some analysis of why I think these are great.

UCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT EXAMPLE FOR CHEMISTRY

When I was ten, I saw a documentary on Chemistry that really fascinated me. Narrated by British theoretical physicist Jim Al-Khalili, it explained how the first elements were discovered and how Chemistry was born out of alchemy. I became fascinated with Chemistry and have remained so ever since. I love the subject because it has very theoretical components, for example quantum Chemistry, while also having huge practical applications.

In this introduction, the student shows where his interest in Chemistry comes from. Adding some additional academic detail (in this case, the name of the scientist) helps guide the reader into more specific information on why this subject is interesting to him.

This aspect of Chemistry is important to me. I have, for example, used machine learning to differentiate between approved and experimental drugs. On the first run, using drug molecules from the website Drug Bank, I calculated some molecular descriptors for them. I started with a simple logistic regression model and was shocked to find that it had apparently classified almost all molecules correctly. This result couldn’t be right; it took me nearly a month to find the error. I accidentally normalized the molecular-descriptor data individually, rather than as a combined data set, thereby encoding the label into the input. On a second run, after fixing the error, I used real machine learning libraries. Here I actually got some performance with my new algorithm, which I could compare to professional researchers’ papers. The highest accuracy I ever saw on my screen was 86 percent. The researchers’ result was 85 percent; thanks to more modern machine learning methods, I narrowly beat them. I have also studied Mathematics and Physics at A Level and have been able to dive into areas beyond the A Level syllabus such as complex integration in math and the Schrödinger equation in Physics.

This paragraph outlines a clear case for this student’s aptitude for and interest in Chemistry. He explains in detail how he has explored his intended major, using academic terminology to show us he has studied the subject deeply. Knowing an admissions reader is looking for evidence that this student has a talent for Chemistry, this paragraph gives them the evidence they need to admit him.

Additionally, I have worked on an undergraduate computer science course on MIT Opencourseware, but found that the content followed fixed rules and did not require creativity. At the time I was interested in neural networks and listened to lectures by professor Geoffrey Hinton who serendipitously mentioned his students testing his techniques on ‘Kaggle Competitions’. I quickly got interested and decided to compete on this platform. Kaggle allowed me to measure my machine learning skills against competitors with PhDs or who are professional data scientists at large corporations. With this kind of competition naturally I did not win any prizes, but I worked with the same tools and saw how others gradually perfected a script, something which has helped my A Level studies immensely.

Introducing a new topic, the student again uses academic terminology to show how he has gone beyond the confines of his curriculum to explore the subject at a higher level. In this paragraph, he demonstrates that he has studied university-level Chemistry. Again, this helps the reader to see that this student is capable of studying for a Chemistry degree.

I have been keen to engage in activities beyond the classroom. For example, I have taken part in a range of extracurricular activities, including ballroom dancing, public speaking, trumpet, spoken Mandarin, and tennis, achieving a LAMDA distinction at level four for my public speaking. I have also participated in Kaggle competitions, as I’m extremely interested in machine learning. For example, I have used neural networks to determine the causes of Amazon deforestation from satellite pictures in the ‘Planet: Understanding the Amazon from Space’ competition. I believe that having worked on projects spanning several weeks or even months has allowed me to build a stamina that will be extremely useful when studying at university.

This penultimate paragraph introduces the student’s extracurricular interests, summing them up in a sentence. Those activities that can demonstrate skills that are transferable to the study of Chemistry are given a bit more explanation. The student’s descriptions in each paragraph are very detailed, with lots of specific information about awards, classes and teachers.

What I hope to gain from an undergraduate (and perhaps post-graduate) education in Chemistry is to deepen my knowledge of the subject and potentially have the ability to successfully launch a startup after university. I’m particularly interested in areas such as computational Chemistry and cheminformatics. However, I’m  open to studying other areas in Chemistry, as it is a subject that truly captivates me.

In the conclusion, the student touches on his future plans, using specific terminology that shows his knowledge of Chemistry. This also reveals that he aims to have a career in this field, which many admission readers find appealing as it demonstrates a level of commitment to the subject.

UCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT EXAMPLE FOR VETERINARY MEDICINE

This next statement has to accomplish a number of tasks, given the subject the student is applying for. As a vocational degree, applicants for veterinary medicine are committing to a career as well as a subject to study, so they need to give information demonstrating they understand the reality of a career in this area. It also needs to explain their motivation for this interest, which quite often is demonstrated through work experience (something which is often a condition for entry into these programs). Finally, as this is a highly academic subject to study at university, the author should include a good level of academic terminology and experiences in the statement.

There is nothing more fascinating to me than experiencing animals in the wild, in their natural habitat where their behaviour is about the survival of their species. I was lucky enough to experience this when in Tanzania. While observing animals hunting, I became intrigued by their musculature and inspired to work alongside these animals to help them when they are sick, as a veterinarian.

In an efficient way, the applicant explains her motivation to become a vet, then squeezes in a bit of information about her experience with animals.

As a horse rider and owner for nearly ten years, I have sought opportunities to learn as much as I can about caring for the animal. I helped around the yard with grooming and exercise, bringing horses in and out from the fields, putting on rugs, and mucking out. I have also been working at a small animal vet clinic every other Saturday for over 2.5 years. There, my responsibilities include restocking and sterilising equipment, watching procedures, and helping in consultations. Exposure to different cases has expanded my knowledge of various aspects, such as assisting with an emergency caesarean procedure. Due to a lack of staff on a Saturday, I was put in charge of anaesthesia while the puppies were being revived. I took on this task without hesitation and recorded heart and respiration rate, capillary refill time, and gum colour every five minutes. Other placements following an equine vet, working on a polo farm, and volunteering at a swan sanctuary have also broadened my experience with different species and how each possesses various requirements. During pre-vet summer courses, I was also introduced to farm animals such as pigs, cows, sheep and chicken. I spend some time milking dairy cows and removing clustered dust from chicken feet, as well as tipping sheep in order to inspect their teats.

In this paragraph, she synthesizes personal experience with an academic understanding of vet medicine. She demonstrates that she is committed to animals (helping in the yard, regular Saturday work, assistance with procedures), that she has gained a variety of experiences, and that she understands some of the conditions (caesareans, clustered dust) that vets have to deal with. Note that she also briefly discusses ‘pre-vet summer courses,’ adding credibility to her level of experience.

I have focused on HL Biology and HL Chemistry for my IB Diploma. I was particularly excited to study cell biology and body systems because these subjects allowed me to comprehend how the body works and are applicable to animal body functions. Topics like DNA replication as well as cell transcription and translation have helped me form a fundamental understanding of genetics and protein synthesis, both important topics when looking into hereditary diseases in animals. Learning about chemical reactions made me consider the importance of pharmaceutical aspects of veterinary medicine, such as the production of effective medicine. Vaccines are essential and by learning about the chemical reactions, I f developed a more nuanced understanding about how they are made and work.

Now, the statement turns to academic matters, linking her IB subjects to the university studies she aspires to. She draws out one particular example that makes a clear link between school and university-level study.

I have also written my Extended Essay discussing the consequences of breeding laws in the UK and South Australia in relation to the development of genetic abnormalities in pugs and German shepherds. This topic is important, as the growing brachycephalic aesthetic of pugs is causing them to suffer throughout their lifetime. Pedigree dogs, such as the German shepherd, have a very small gene pool and as a result, hereditary diseases can develop. This becomes an ethical discussion, because allowing German shepherds to suffer is not moral; however, as a breed, they aid the police and thus serve society.

The IB Extended Essay (like an A Level EPQ or a Capstone project) is a great topic to discuss in a personal statement, as these activities are designed to allow students to explore subjects in greater detail.

The first sentence here is a great example of what getting more specific looks like because it engages more directly with what the student is actually writing about in this particular paragraph then it extrapolates a more general point of advice from those specificities.

By choosing to write her Extended Essay on a topic of relevance to veterinary medicine, she has given herself the opportunity to show the varied aspects of veterinary science. This paragraph proves to the reader that this student is capable and motivated to study veterinary medicine.

I have learned that being a veterinarian requires diagnostic skills as well as excellent communication and leadership skills. I understand the importance and ethics of euthanasia decisions, and the sensitivity around discussing it withanimal owners. I have developed teamwork and leadership skills when playing varsity football and basketball for four years. My communication skills have expanded through being a Model U.N. and Global Issues Network member.

This small paragraph on her extracurricular activities links them clearly to her intended area of study, both in terms of related content and necessary skills. From this, the reader gains the impression that this student has a wide range of relevant interests.

When I attend university, I not only hope to become a veterinarian, but also a leader in the field. I would like to research different aspects of veterinary medicine, such as diseases. As a vet, I would like to help work towards the One Health goal; allowing the maintenance of public health security. This affects vets because we are the ones working closely with animals every day.

In the conclusion, she ties things together and looks ahead to her career. By introducing the concept of ‘One Health’, she also shows once again her knowledge of the field she is applying to.

UCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT EXAMPLE FOR AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING

Standing inside a wind tunnel is not something every 17 year old aspires to, but for me the opportunity to do so last year confirmed my long-held desire to become a mechanical engineer.

This introduction is efficient and provides a clear direction for the personal statement. Though it might seem that it should be more detailed, for a student applying to study a course that requires limited extended writing, being this matter-of-fact works fine.

I enjoy the challenge of using the laws of Physics, complemented with Mathematical backing, in the context of everyday life, which helps me to visualise and understand where different topics can be applied. I explored the field of aeronautics, specifically in my work experience with Emirates Aviation University. I explored how engineers apply basic concepts of air resistance and drag when I had the opportunity to experiment with the wind tunnel, which allowed me to identify how different wing shapes behave at diverse air pressures. My interest with robotics has led me to take up a year-long internship with MakersBuilders, where I had the chance to explore physics and maths on a different plane. During my internship I educated young teenagers on a more fundamental stage of building and programming, in particular when we worked on building a small robot and programmed the infra-red sensor in order to create self-sufficient movement. This exposure allowed me to improve my communication and interpersonal skills.

In this paragraph, the student adds evidence to the initial assertion that he enjoys seeing how Physics relates to everyday life. The descriptions of the work experiences he has had not only show his commitment to the subject, but also enable him to bring in some academic content to demonstrate his understanding of engineering and aeronautics.

I’m interested in the mechanics side of Maths such as circular motion and projectiles; even Pure Maths has allowed me to easily see patterns when working and solving problems in Computer Science. During my A Level Maths and Further Maths, I have particularly enjoyed working with partial fractions as they show how reverse methodology can be used to solve addition of fractions, which ranges from simple addition to complex kinematics. ­­­Pure Maths has also enabled me to better understand how 3D modelling works with ­­­the use of volumes of revolution, especially when I learned how to apply the calculations to basic objects like calculating the amount of water in a bottle or the volume of a pencil.

This paragraph brings in the academic content at school, which is important when applying for a subject such as engineering. This is because the admissions reader needs to be reassured that the student has covered the necessary foundational content to be able to cope with Year 1 of this course.

In my Drone Club I have been able to apply several methods of wing formation, such as the number of blades used during a UAS flight. Drones can be used for purposes such as in Air-sea Rescue or transporting food to low income countries. I have taken on the responsibility of leading and sharing my skills with others, particularly in the Drone Club where I gained the certification to fly drones. In coding club, I participated in the global Google Code competition related to complex, real-life coding, such as a program that allows phones to send commands to another device using Bluetooth. My Cambridge summer course on math and engineering included the origins of a few of the most important equations and ideologies from many mathematicians such as, E=mc2 from Einstein, I also got a head start at understanding matrices and their importance in kinematics. Last summer, I completed a course at UT Dallas on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. The course was intuitive and allowed me to understand a different perspective of how robots and AI will replace humans to do complex and labour-intensive activities, customer service, driverless cars and technical support.

In this section, he demonstrates his commitment to the subject through a detailed list of extracurricular activities, all linked to engineering and aeronautics. The detail he gives about each one links to the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in these subjects at university.

I have represented Model UN as a delegate and enjoyed working with others to solve problems. For my Duke of Edinburgh Award, I partook in several activities such as trekking and playing the drums. I enjoy music and I have reached grade 3 for percussion. I have also participated in a range of charitable activities, which include assisting during Ramadan and undertaking fun-runs to raise money for cancer research.

As with the introduction, this is an efficient use of language, sharing a range of activities, each of which has taught him useful skills. The conclusion that follows is similarly efficient and to the point.

I believe that engineering is a discipline that will offer me a chance to make a tangible difference in the world, and I am certain I will enjoy the process of integrating technology with our everyday life.

UCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT EXAMPLE FOR ECONOMICS AND SOCIAL POLICY

Applying for a joint honours course presents a particular challenge of making the case that you are interested in the first subject, the second subject and (often overlooked) the combination of the two. In this example, the applicant uses her own academic studies and personal experiences to make her case.

I usually spend my summer breaks in Uttar Pradesh, India working at my grandparents’ NGO which produces bio-fertilizers for the poor. While working, I speak to many of the villagers in the nearby villages like Barokhar and Dharampur and have found out about the various initiatives the Government has taken to improve the production of wheat and rice. I understand the hardships they undergo and speaking to them has shown me the importance of Social Policy and the role the government plays in improving the lives of people and inspired me to pursue my university studies in this field.

In the introduction, this applicant explains where her interlinking experiences come from: she has personal experiences demonstrating how economics impacts the most vulnerable in society. In doing so, she shows the admissions reader that she has a deep interest in this combination and can move on to discussing each subject in turn.

My interest in these areas has been driven by the experiences I had at high school and beyond. I started attending Model United Nations in the 9th grade and have been to many conferences, discussing problems like the water crisis and a lack of sustainability in underdeveloped countries. These topics overlapped with my study of economics and exciting classroom discussions on what was going on how different events would impact economies, for instance how fluctuations in oil prices will affect standards of living. Studying Economics has expanded  my knowledge about how countries are run and how macroeconomic policies shape the everyday experiences of individuals.

Unusually, this applicant does not go straight into her classroom experiences but instead uses one of her extracurricular activities (Model United Nations) in her first paragraph. For students applying for subjects that are not often taught at school (Social Policy in this example), this can be a good idea, as it allows you to bring in material that you have self-studied to explain why you are capable of studying each subject at university. Here, she uses MUN discussions to show she understands some topics in social policy that are impacting the world.

By taking up history as a subject in Grade 11 and 12, I have seen the challenges that people went through in the past, and how different ideas gained momentum in different parts of the world such as the growth of communism in Russia and China and how it spread to different countries during the Cold War. I learned about the different roles that governments played in times of hardships such as that which President Roosevelt’s New Deal played during the Great Depression. From this, I gained analytical skills by scrutinizing how different social, political and economic forces have moulded societies in the past.

In this paragraph, she then takes the nearest possible class to her interest in Social Policy and draws elements from it to add to her case for Social Policy. Taking some elements from her history classes enables her to add some content to this statement, before linking to the topic of economics.

To explore my interest in Economics, I interned at Emirates National Bank of Dubai, one of the largest banks in the Middle East, and also at IBM. At Emirates NBD, I undertook a research project on Cash Management methods in competitor banks and had to present my findings at the end of the internship. I also interned at IBM where I had to analyze market trends and fluctuations in market opportunity in countries in the Middle East and Africa. I had to find relations between GDP and market opportunity and had to analyze how market opportunity could change over the next 5 years with changing geo-political situations. I have also attended Harvard University’s Youth Lead the Change leadership conference where I was taught how to apply leadership skills to solve global problems such as gender inequality and poverty.

Economics is explored again through extracurriculars, with some detail added to the general statement about the activities undertaken during this work experience. Though the level of academics here is a little thin because this student’s high school did not offer any classes in Economics, she does as well as she can to bring in academic content.

I have partaken in many extra-curricular activities which have helped me develop the skills necessary for this course. Being a part of the Press Club at school gave me an opportunity to hone my talent for the written word and gave me a platform to talk about global issues. Volunteering at a local library taught me how to be organized. I developed research and analytical skills by undertaking various research projects at school such as the sector-wide contribution of the Indian economy to the GDP in the previous year. As a member of the Business and Economic Awareness Council at school, I was instrumental in organizing many economics-based events such as the Business Fair and Innovation Mela. Being part of various Face to Faith conferences has provided me with an opportunity to interact with students in Sierra Leone, India and Korea and understand global perspectives on issues like malaria and human trafficking.

The extracurricular activities are revisited here, with the first half of this paragraph showing how the applicant has some transferable skills from her activities that will help her with this course. She then revisits her interest in the course studies, before following up with a closing section that touches on her career goals:

The prospect of pursuing these two subjects is one that I eagerly anticipate and I look forward to meeting the challenge of university. In the future, I wish to become an economist and work at a think tank where I will be able to apply what I have learnt in studying such an exciting course.

UCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT EXAMPLE FOR HISTORY OF ART & PHILOSOPHY

This applicant is also a joint-honours applicant, and again is applying for a subject that she has not been able to study at school. Thus, bringing in her own interest and knowledge of both subjects is crucial here.

At the age of four, I remember an argument with my mother: I wanted to wear a pink ballerina dress with heels, made for eight-year-olds, which despite my difficulty in staying upright I was determined to wear. My mother persistently engaged in debate with me about why it was not ok to wear this ensemble in winter. After two hours of patiently explaining to me and listening to my responses she convinced me that I should wear something different, the first time I remember listening to reason. It has always been a natural instinct for me to discuss everything, since in the course of my upbringing I was never given a simple yes or no answer. Thus, when I began studying philosophy, I understood fully my passion for argument and dialogue.

This is an unusual approach to start a UCAS Personal Statement, but it does serve to show how this student approaches the world and why this combination of subjects might work for her. Though it could perhaps be drawn out more explicitly, here she is combining an artistic issue (her clothes) with a philosophical concern (her debate with her mother) to lead the reader into the case she is making for admission into this program.

This was first sparked academically when I was introduced to religious ethics; having a fairly Christian background my view on religion was immature. I never thought too much of the subject as I believed it was just something my grandparents did. However, when opened up to the arguments about god and religion, I was inclined to argue every side. After research and discussion, I was able to form my own view on religion without having to pick a distinctive side to which theory I would support. This is what makes me want to study philosophy: it gives an individual personal revelation towards matters into which they may not have given too much thought to.

There is some good content here that discusses the applicant’s interest in philosophy and her own motivation for this subject, though there is a lack of academic content here.

Alongside this, taking IB Visual Arts HL has opened my artistic views through pushing me out of my comfort zone. Art being a very subjective course, I was forced to choose an opinion which only mattered to me, it had no analytical nor empirical rights or wrongs, it was just my taste in art. From studying the two subjects alongside each other, I found great value, acquiring a certain form of freedom in each individual with their dual focus on personalized opinion and taste in many areas, leading to self- improvement.

In this section, she uses her IB Visual Arts class to explore how her interest in philosophy bleeds into her appreciation of art. Again, we are still awaiting the academic content, but the reader will by now be convinced that the student has a deep level of motivation for this subject. When we consider how rare this combination is, with very few courses for this combination available, the approach to take slightly longer to establish can work.

For this reason, I find the work of Henry Moore fascinating. I am intrigued by his pieces, especially the essence of the ‘Reclining Nude’ model, as the empty holes inflicted on the abstract human body encouraged my enthusiasm for artistic interpretation. This has led me to contemplate the subtlety, complexity and merit of the role of an artist. Developing an art piece is just as complex and refined as writing a novel or developing a theory in Philosophy. For this reason, History of Art conjoins with Philosophy, as the philosophical approach towards an art piece is what adds context to the history as well as purpose behind it.

Finally, we’re given the academic content. Cleverly, the content links both the History of Art and Philosophy together through a discussion of the work of Henry Moore. Finding examples that conjoin the subjects that make up a joint-honours application is a great idea and works well here.

Studying Philosophy has allowed me to apply real life abstractions to my art, as well as to glean a deeper critical analysis of art in its various mediums. My IB Extended Essay examined the 1900s Fauve movement, which made a huge breakthrough in France and Hungary simultaneously. This was the first artistic movement which was truly daring and outgoing with its vivid colours and bold brush strokes. My interest expanded to learning about the Hungarian artists in this movement led by Henri Matisse. Bela Czobel was one of the few who travelled to France to study but returned to Hungary, more specifically Nagybanya, to bestow what he had learned.

Again in this paragraph, the author connects the subjects. Students who are able to undertake a research project in their high school studies (such as the IB Extended Essay here, or the A Level Extended Project or AP Capstone) can describe these in their UCAS personal statements, as this level of research in an area of academic study can enliven and add depth to the writing, as is the case here.

As an international student with a multicultural background, I believe I can adapt to challenging or unfamiliar surroundings with ease. I spent two summers working at a nursery in Hungary as a junior Assistant Teacher, where I demonstrated leadership and teamwork skills that I had previously developed through commitment to sports teams. I was a competitive swimmer for six years and have represented my school internationally as well as holding the school record for 100m backstroke. I was elected Deputy Head of my House, which further reflects my dedication, leadership, teamwork and diligence.

As in the previous examples, this statement gives a good overview of the applicant’s extracurricular activities, with a mention of skills that will be beneficial to her studies at university. She then concludes with a brief final sentence:

I hope to carry these skills with me into my university studies, allowing me to enrich my knowledge and combine my artistic and philosophical interests.

UCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT EXAMPLE FOR LIBERAL ARTS

A good range of UK universities now offer courses called ‘Liberal Arts’ (or similar titles such as ‘Flexible Combined Honours’), which allows students to study a broader topic of study–perhaps combining three or four subjects–than is typically available in the UK system.

This presents a challenge in the personal statement, as within the 47 line / 4000 character limit, the applicant will have to show academic interest and knowledge in a range of subjects while also making the case to be admitted for this combined programme of study.

As a child I disliked reading; however, when I was 8, there was one particular book that caught my attention: The Little Prince. From that moment onwards, my love for literature was ignited and I had entered into a whirlwind of fictional worlds. While studying and analysing the classics from The Great Gatsby to Candide, this has exposed me to a variety of novels. My French bilingualism allowed me to study, in great depth, different texts in their original language. This sparked a new passion of mine for poetry, and introduced me to the works of Arthur Rimbaud, who has greatly influenced me. Through both reading and analysing poetry I was able to decipher its meaning. Liberal Arts gives me the opportunity to continue to study a range of texts and authors from different periods in history, as well as related aspects of culture, economy and society.

Here we have a slightly longer than usual opening paragraph, but given the nature of the course being applied for this works well. A personal story segueing from literature to modern languages to history and cultural studies shows that this student has a broad range of interests within the humanities and thus is well-suited to this course of study.

Liberal Arts is a clear choice for me. Coming from the IB International Baccalaureate Diploma programme I have studied a wide range of subjects which has provided me with a breadth of knowledge. In Theatre, I have adapted classics such as Othello by Shakespeare, and playing the role of moreover acting as Desdemona forced me to compartmentalise her complex emotions behind the early-modern English text. Studying History has taught me a number of skills; understanding the reasons behind changes in society, evaluating sources, and considering conflicting interpretations. From my interdisciplinary education I am able to critically analyse the world around me. Through studying Theory of Knowledge, I have developed high quality analysis using key questions and a critical mindset by questioning how and why we think and why. By going beyond the common use of reason, I have been able to deepen greaten my understanding and apply my ways of knowing in all subjects; for example in science I was creative in constructing my experiment (imagination) and used qualitative data (sense perception).

Students who are taking the IB Diploma, with its strictures to retain a broad curriculum, are well-suited to the UK’s Liberal Arts courses, as they have had practice seeing the links between subjects. In this paragraph, the applicant shows how she has done this, linking content from one subject to skills developed in another, and touching on the experience of IB Theory of Knowledge (an interdisciplinary class compulsory for all IB Diploma students) to show how she is able to see how different academic subjects overlap and share some common themes.

Languages have always played an important role in my life. I was immersed into a French nursery even though my parents are not French speakers. I have always cherished the ability to speak another language; it is something I have never taken for granted, and it is how I individualise myself. Being bilingual has allowed me to engage with a different culture. As a result, I am more open minded and have a global outlook. This has fuelled my desire to travel, learn new languages and experience new cultures. This course would provide me with the opportunity to fulfil these desires. Having written my Extended Essay in French on the use of manipulative language used by a particular character from the French classic Dangerous Liaisons I have had to apply my skills of close contextual reading and analysing to sculpt this essay. These skills are perfectly applicable to the critical thinking that is demanded for the course.

Within the humanities, this student has a particular background that makes her stand out, having become fluent in French while having no French background nor living in a French-speaking country. This is worth her exploring to develop her motivation for a broad course of study at university, which she does well here.

Studying the Liberal Arts will allow me to further my knowledge in a variety of fields whilst living independently and meeting people from different backgrounds. The flexible skills I would achieve from obtaining a liberal arts degree I believe would make me more desirable for future employment. I would thrive in this environment due to my self discipline and determination. During my school holidays I have undertaken working in a hotel as a chambermaid and this has made me appreciate the service sector in society and has taught me to work cohesively with others in an unfamiliar environment. I also took part in a creative writing course held at Keats House, where I learnt about romanticism. My commitment to extracurricular activities such as varsity football and basketball has shown me the importance of sportsmanship and camaraderie, while GIN (Global Issue Networking) has informed me of the values of community and the importance for charitable organisations.

The extracurricular paragraph here draws out a range of skills the student will apply to this course. Knowing that taking a broader range of subjects at a UK university requires excellent organizational skills, the student takes time to explain how she can meet these, perhaps going into slightly more detail than would be necessary for a single-honours application to spell out that she is capable of managing her time well. She then broadens this at the end by touching on some activities that have relevance for her studies.

My academic and personal preferences have always led me to the Liberal Arts; I feel as though the International Baccalaureate, my passion and self-discipline have prepared me for higher education. From the academics, extracurriculars and social aspects, I intend to embrace the entire experience of university.

In the final section, the candidate restates how she matches this course.

Overall, you can see how the key factor in a UCAS statement is the academic evidence, with students linking their engagement with a subject to the course of study that they are applying to. Using the courtroom exercise analogy, the judge here should be completely convinced that the case has been made, and will, therefore issue an offer of admittance to that university.

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Watch Again: UCAS Personal Statement Clinic

18th October 2023

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In case you missed it, here is the link to the replay of our livestream offering information and advice to students applying through UCAS for Health & Social Care Professional degrees

Personal Statement Clinic for Health & Social Care Professional Degrees (2024 entries)

Thank you to those that joined us live, we fielded around 40 questions! The video is packed with plenty of solid advice from our subject experts Lynne and Liz and special guest Rosy Jordan, Admissions Tutor for Midwifery at Anglia Ruskin University.

There is also some fab supporting content to download from the same link:

• The full PowerPoint with top tips, examples of statements and full notes, as well as links to relevant professional bodies and statutory regulators applicants need to be familiar with
• A handout out on Choosing to Study a H&SC Professional Degree
• A handout on writing personal statements for a H&SC degree
• A reading and podcast list for nursing, midwifery, paramedic science, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, radiography and social work

Liz Blamire

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• BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy BSc (Hons)

• Level(s) of Study: Undergraduate
• Typical Offer: 104 - 112 UCAS tariff points
• Start Date(s): September 2025
• Duration: Three years full-time
• Study Mode(s): Full-time
• Campus: Clifton Campus

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Introduction:

Please note:  this course, which is new for 2025, is currently awaiting approval from the health and care professions council (hcpc), and accreditation from the royal college of occupational therapists (rcot). while this process is taking place, you can contact  [email protected] to find out more and express an interest in the course. you can also still book to come and see us at an open day ..

Occupational Therapy helps people to live meaningful and independent lives, supporting people to do what is important to them. Present in hospitals, communities, schools, workplaces, prisons, care homes and many other settings, Occupational Therapists provide help to individuals to support them to overcome barriers and carry out activities that are meaningful to them.

The course is wide-ranging, holistic, focused and will enable you to explore many different opportunities in the UK and abroad.  At NTU we offer learning experiences and environments that will prepare you for the varied career that you are about to embark upon, including a range of simulation teaching spaces such as our therapeutic kitchen, a domestic suite, hospital wards, consulting rooms, a virtual reality (VR) suite, and access to green space for outdoor teaching.

Why you should choose Occupational Therapy at NTU:

What you’ll study, foundations of occupational therapy.

You will examine the philosophical and theoretical concepts that underpin Occupational Therapy. These core principles will be learnt alongside content around the Human Sciences that will take place in the Understanding and Impact of Occupational Therapy module. This module will introduce you to Occupational Science and how this is the foundation to understanding professional Occupational Therapy practice.

Professional Skills and Knowledge in Occupational Therapy

This module will help you to understand your role as a professional through learning about key areas of safe practice, legal and ethical boundaries as well as practice skills. Different style of communication skills will be learnt and applied to experiential learning opportunities, and there will be a focus on gaining key practical skills within Occupational Therapy Practice to prepare for Practice-Based Learning 1.

Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice

This module enables you to recognise the importance of Evidence Based Practice in Occupational Therapy practice. It will form one of three modules focused on building skills and knowledge of Evidence based practice and research to enable you to be competent in application to practice.

Understanding and Impact of Occupational Performance

You will be introduced to the human sciences that enable and facilitate occupational performance. You will develop knowledge and understanding about a wide range of different pathologies and understand their impact on occupational performance alongside the environmental and social barriers.

Assessment of Occupation and the Environment

You will build your knowledge and skills in the Occupational Therapy Process. Content from all earlier modules supports growing ability in carrying out a variety of assessments for individuals across the lifespan, focusing around self care, leisure and  productivity/play. This module will outline the need for Occupational Therapists to work collaboratively with service users and continue to develop Professional Reasoning skills to support independent decision making

Practice-Based Learning 1

This is your first placement on the course, and will last 7 weeks.

Evaluating the Occupational Therapy Evidence Base

This module is building on the content of the first year module, Introduction to  Evidence Based Practice. You will focus more deeply on skills of enquiry and interpretation of more varied types of research and ensuring quality practice within Occupational Therapy.

Maximising Occupational Performance

This module will build on the level four module, Assessing Occupation and the Environment and is covering the goal planning,  intervention and discharge stage of the Occupational Therapy Process. The module will look at approaches and interventions through the lens of Activities of Daily Living, Leisure and Productivity, across the life span. Building on previously learnt modes of professional reasoning, further learning in this area will enhance your skills in the transparency of your decision making.

Innovation in Occupational Therapy Practice

This module will equip your to look at contemporary and future focused Occupational Therapy. Taking a global to local perspective to identify and provide rationale to role emerging areas of practice, maintaining occupation at its core. You will explore your creativity, innovative and entrepreneurial skills across a range of issues including, amongst others, sustainability. This module will build on the knowledge and understanding of how policy can impact diverse areas of society.

Promotion of Occupation for Wellbeing and Health

You will gain knowledge and understanding around public health issues from an Occupational Science perspective. The module will look at how Occupational Therapists can utilise their core occupation-focused skills to support local populations through health and wellbeing promotion and health and wellbeing protection. The module will focus on working within communities and groups as well as the environmental factors of working within a community setting.

Practice-Based Learning 2 and 3

These are your second and third placements on the course. Each placement will last 7 weeks, for a total of 14 weeks in Year Two.

Transitions to Practice

This module will draw on learning from both academic modules and Practice Based Learning to enable you to assess your current knowledge and skill level against required standards of HCPC and through the use of the Career Development Framework (Royal College of Occupational Therapy, 2022). You will critically evaluate the role of Leadership within Occupational Therapy and in the wider Health and Social Care context, recognising your own skills and knowledge within this.

Research for Occupational Therapy Practice

This module builds on both Year One and Year Two modules, and enables you to select a topic of interest to conduct a critical review, using the skills and knowledge gained in previous modules. You will be allocated an individual supervisor to guide you, however the module will develop skills of independent inquiry and autonomous learning.

Focus on Practice

You will focus in depth on one aspect of Occupational Therapy Practice, allowing for a development of more complex skills and knowledge. Consolidating learning from across the course, the module will develop your specialist skills, assessments, interventions and will further enhance your readiness for practice. Occupational Therapists in the field and people with lived experience will contribute to learners knowledge. Issues pertaining to occupational marginalisation, sustainability and use of digital technologies will also be explored, giving you the ability to transfer knowledge to other settings as well.

Practice-Based Learning 4

This is your fourth and final placement on the course, and will last 10 weeks.

No results were found

How you’re taught

The nature of the teaching is collaborative, with sharing of ideas. You will be encouraged to have an enquiring mind, be creative, resourceful, take on new opportunities and to discuss your learning with your peers. You will be part of a larger department with students from Nursing, Paramedicine and Public Health, enabling interprofessional opportunities to give you a wider perspective. The course has been created alongside people with lived experience, Occupational Therapists in practice and students from other programmes within the department.

There is also an MSc Occupational Therapy course, creating a community of learners, preparing you for the exciting opportunities ahead.

Learners will be allocated an individual personal tutor from the Occupational Therapy academic team. Learners will be placed within an Personal Tutor Group and be offered group personal tutor sessions throughout the course at key points in the academic year, for example, soon after the course starting, during placement. Learners will be able to also contact their personal tutor for an individual meeting.

The course has strong links with local organisations meaning our BSc students can really make a difference within the community, listening and providing opportunity to work with people to fulfil their potential. The philosophy of Occupational Therapy is to work with individuals and community to enable people to live fulfilling lives. This will be an empowering experience for you as a student, developing your own confidence in this field and looking beyond at where it can take you. We recognise that our learners will have taken many different journeys to starting this course and we provide support to enable each student to fulfil their potential.

NTU has a strong focus on sustainability and the profession of Occupational Therapy is embracing this focus. The BSc course enables students to debate, discuss and be creative around the issues of the environment and how it impacts on people and their community and it features throughout the course.

The Institute of Allied and Health Professions, in which the Occupational Therapy course is situated has international links and the BSc course takes a global focus to enrich our learning and thus provide a more inclusive experience to students and to the people you will work with. Our aim is that you feel empowered through the journey of becoming an Occupational Therapist and that you take that experience to empower the people you will have the privilege to work with both within placement and as a registered Occupational Therapist.

No results were found (Staff Slider)

How you’re assessed

Assessment types include:

• Reflective accounts
• Objective structured clinical examination (OSCE)
• Presentations
• Academic posters
• Multiple choice and short answer question exams
• Professional discussion
• Group exercises

Assessment is also included in all the Practice Based Learning modules and passing the four placements is required for registration to the Health and Care Professions Council, thus enabling learners to register as Occupational Therapists.

Careers and employability

Successful completion of this course will provide eligibility to register with the Health and Care Professions Council under the protected title of Occupational Therapist.

Occupational Therapy is a career that can provide many exciting opportunities, working with individuals, groups and communities across public, private and third sector organisations. Our course will prepare you through the development of strong links to East Midlands NHS Trusts, Schools and private sector organisations.

As a student you will experience practice based learning across a number of settings, meaning you gain real life experience to ensure you have the confidence, knowledge and skills within Occupational Therapy to embark on a successful career. The provision of four placements enables the opportunity for role emerging placements, which promote the value of Occupational Therapy in new areas of health and social care. These placements enable learners to develop a strong professional identity as an Occupational Therapists.

Employability team

Our expert Employability team will work closely with you at every stage of your career planning, providing personal support and advice. You can benefit from this service at any time during your studies, and for up to three years after completing your course.  Find out more about the service .

Campus and facilities

You’ll be taught at our self-contained Clifton Campus which provides an ideal learning environment to complement your studies.

Our purpose-built  Health & Allied Professions (HAP) Centre on our Clifton Campus is home to our world-class teaching, practice, research and scholarship in the Institute of Health and Allied Professions (IHAP).

Entry requirements

• International

What are we looking for?

• Standard offer:  112 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications
• Contextual offer:  104 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications
• GCSE English and Maths at grade C / 4.

Personal statement

You will be expected to detail evidence of transferable skills that may include academic study, voluntary or work experience, and should detail this in your personal statement along with how this makes you a suitable candidate for the BSc Occupational Therapy course.

You should also consider including the following information in your personal statement:

• Evidence of professional knowledge, attitudes and behaviours
• Evidence of communication and interpersonal skills
• Evidence of transferable skills and practice
• Understand the role of Occupational Therapy
• Insight into the professional, regulatory and statutory aspects of Occupational Therapy.

Candidates who have been shortlisted will be invited to attend a selection activity involving an interview with academics, occupational therapy practitioners, or service users. This will explore candidates' values in line with the HCPC Code of Ethics, and Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) professional standards, alongside your knowledge and commitment to the profession.

Other requirements

• You will also need to be at least 18 years of age at the start of the course. This is the minimum age requirement set by our placement providers. If you will be under 18 at the start of the course, your application may be declined, or you may be offered the opportunity to defer your application until next year.
• If you have been offered a place, you will also be expected to complete a good-health check through health screening and attend a follow-up occupational health review as required.
• Successful candidates will also be required to complete an Enhanced-Level Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Vaccinations

As a healthcare student, you have a duty of care towards patients and other staff, including taking reasonable precautions to protect yourself and others from communicable diseases. We therefore require you to be vaccinated for some infectious diseases if you do not already have immunity to them. Whilst we cannot force you to have a vaccination, the University and our practice partners strongly recommend you do.

Failure to undertake the required immunisations and blood screening may lead to you not being able to be placed in certain clinical areas which may adversely impact your ability to complete the required practice hours and clinical competencies.

Interview dates

Interview dates may be subject to change and will be confirmed to successful applicants when they are invited to interview.

Contextual offers

A lower offer may be made based on a range of factors, including your background (such as where you live and the school or college you attended), your experiences and individual circumstances (you may have been in care, for example). This is called a contextual offer and we get data from UCAS to make these decisions. NTU offers a student experience like no other and this approach helps us to find students who have the potential to succeed here but who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.  Find out how we assess your application .

Other qualifications and experience

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is a process for assessing and, as appropriate, recognising prior experiential learning or prior certificated learning for academic purposes. Each application for RPL is taken on a case by case basis and will be considered by the programme admissions tutor.

We may also consider credits achieved at other universities and your work/life experience through an assessment of prior learning. This may be for year one entry, or beyond the beginning of a course where applicable, for example, into year 2. Our  Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy outlines the process and options available for this route.

Meeting our entry requirements

Hundreds of qualifications in the UK have UCAS tariff points attached to specific grades, including A levels, BTECs, T Levels and many more. You can use your grades and points from up to four different qualifications to meet our criteria. Enter your predicted or achieved grades into our tariff calculator to find out how many points your qualifications are worth.

Getting in touch

If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form

• 112 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications

Please note:  Due to the mandatory teaching and placement requirements of this course, we are unable to accept applications from individuals with a Tier 2 Skilled Worker Visa.

International qualifications

We accept qualifications from all over the world – check yours here:

• Entry requirements by country

English language entry requirements

Students whose first language is not English will be required to meet the English language requirements of the Health and Care Professions Council. In anticipation of development towards the requirements of the HCPC on completion, applicants whose first language is not English will be required to produce evidence of proficiency in written and spoken English to level 7 (with no component less than 6.5) using IELTS scale.

• English language requirements
• Pre-sessional English for Academic Purposes (PEAP)

Undergraduate preparation courses (Foundation)

If you don’t yet meet our entry requirements, we offer Foundation courses through our partner Nottingham Trent International College (NTIC), based on our City Campus:

• Foundation courses leading to undergraduate study at NTU

Advanced standing (starting your undergraduate degree in year 2 or 3)

You may be able to start your undergraduate course in year 2 or 3 based on what you have studied before. This decision would be made in accordance with our  Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy.

Would you like some advice on your study plans?

Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.

• Complete this simple form to keep in touch with the International Office.

Fees and funding

Preparing for the financial side of student life is important, but there’s no need to feel anxious and confused about it. We hope that our  fees and funding pages will answer all your questions.

NHS Learning Support Fund

As an NTU student you would be eligible to apply for the  NHS Learning Support Fund (NHS LSF) which offers eligible students additional support while studying for their degree.

The new package includes:

• training grant of £5,000 per year
• parental support payment of £2,000 per student per year to help with childcare costs
• specialist subject payment of £1,000 per year for students on degrees that struggle to recruit, including mental health and learning disability nursing
• help towards additional travel and accommodation costs to clinical placements over your normal daily travel costs
• an exceptional hardship fund of up to £3,000 per student per academic year.

You can also find out more about other  funding available from the government for healthcare students .

Additional Costs

Your course fees cover the cost of studies, and include loads of great benefits, such as the use of our library, support from our expert Employability team, and free use of the  IT equipment across our campuses .

Library books

Most study modules will recommend one or more core text books, which most students choose to purchase. Book costs vary and further information is available in the University’s bookshop. Our libraries provide a good supply of essential text books, journals and materials (many of which you can access online) – meaning you may not need to purchase as many books as you might think! There may also be a supply of second-hand books available for purchase from previous year students.

We know that placement travel will incur costs as you must get to the placement and pay to park or pay for accommodation in some cases. We recognise this is a significant financial demand for students on healthcare programmes and strongly recommend where possible you have a personal £500 placement expenses fund to cover your outgoings, until you can be reimbursed.

We know, however, this is not possible for everyone. If you are a direct entry home student and eligible, these costs can be claimed for travel and dual accommodation expenses (TDAE). From September 2023 the rates have been increased because of national student feedback. Find out more on the  NHS website .

Print and copy costs

The University allocates an annual printing and copying allowance of £20 depending on the course you are studying. For more details about costs for additional print and copying required over and above the annual allowance please see the  Printing, photocopying and scanning information on the Library website .

For more advice and guidance, you can contact our Student Financial Support Service.

Tel: +44 (0)115 848 2494

Please note the fees shown are for 2024 entry.

Tuition fees are payable for each year that you are at the University. The level of tuition fees for the second and subsequent years of your undergraduate course may increase in line with inflation and as specified by the UK government.

Scholarships

We offer scholarships of up to 50% of your tuition fee. You can apply for your scholarship when you have an offer to study at NTU.

• International Scholarships

Living costs

Get advice on the cost of living as an international student in Nottingham and how to budget:

• Managing your money

Paying fees

Find out about advanced payments, instalment plan options and how to make payments securely to the University:

• How and when to pay your fees

How to apply

Please note:  this course, which is new for 2025, is currently awaiting approval from the health and care professions council (hcpc), and accreditation from the royal college of occupational therapists (rcot). while this process is taking place, you can contact  [email protected] to find out more and express an interest in the course..

Ready to join us? Then apply as soon as you can. Just click the Apply  button at the top of the page and follow the instructions for applying. Make sure you check the entry requirements above carefully before you do.

Writing your application and personal statement

This is your opportunity to sell yourself by telling us who you are today and who you want to be in the future. Write about why you want to be a nurse and why your knowledge, skills and previous experiences are important to this profession. What subjects have you studied that are important to you and to nursing; what work experience have you had that has made an impact on you and may help you in nursing; what hobbies and interest do you have. For more hints and tips, take a look at our page on  how to write a good personal statement

Keeping up to date

After you’ve applied, we’ll be sending you important emails throughout the application process – so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder

You can get more information and advice about applying to NTU on our  Your Application page. Good luck with your application!

Please read our notes on the  University's commitment to delivering the educational services advertised .

You can apply for this course through  UCAS .

If you are not applying to any other UK universities, you can apply directly to us on our  NTU applicant portal .

Application advice

Apply early so that you have enough time to prepare – processing times for Student visas can vary, for example.  After you've applied, we'll be sending you important emails throughout the application process – so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.

• Follow our guide to the application process

Writing your personal statement

Be honest, thorough, and persuasive – we can only make a decision about your application based on what you tell us:

• Advice on writing a good personal statement

The University's commitment to delivering the educational services advertised .

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Nursing (Learning Disabilities) BSc (Hons)

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• Personal statement for UK universities: born in Moscow and moved to Vienna

Personal statement for UK universities: born in Moscow and moved to Vienna - Essay Example

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Extract of sample "Personal statement for UK universities: born in Moscow and moved to Vienna"

A person with a business degree is both knowledgeable and skilful in handling the matters of planning, management, and human resource. I believe business organizations around the world are transforming and the business community and industry is facing new challenges in the forms of external threats, global warming, recession, and economic downturn. Due to my personal interest, I am captivated with business studies because I believe that business environment has a great chance of improvement and innovative thinkers are required in the field to transform and revolutionise the system to bring positive change.

I was born in Russia, Moscow. Three years ago, I moved to Vienna and currently I am a student in Danube International School in Vienna. I have studied the following subjects: Economics HL, Russian A HL, English B HL, Biology SL, Math studies and Geography SL. My predicted grade is 36 points. I have a nice charming and an outgoing personality, with good communication skills. Many of my classmates have several times provided me with an opportunity to lead the study groups. Thus, I am able to developed leadership qualities.

I have always shown keen interest in the business studies and acquired good grades in the relevant subjects. Due to the courses I had taken at school, I feel confident that I could pursue my career in business. Being a Russian, I feel that I am able to understand the challenges of the market. I also believe that business studies have better job market than some of the other fields. Danube international school in Vienna is well equipped with all the modern facilities any good school could have.

The teaching faculty of the school belongs from many different countries. They are all qualified and devoted teachers. I believe that my school has prepared me for international university. The school pays special attention to provide comfortable learning environment. Every student is given full chance to express his or her interests through different extracurricular activities. During my studies at school, I was actively involved in many activities and I have participated in major completions.

I am also playing for the school’s water polo club for the last two years. Water polo is considered as one of the toughest sports of the world because the players could not come out of the water before 32 minutes. A great deal of strength, stamina, endurance, and flexibility is required to play this game. Water polo is a game that could not be played without teamwork. No team could succeed without hand-eye coordination. I have also played fencing for two years at school. Fencing is considered as a game of elites.

Although, fencing is played physically, it could only be won by the sharpness of the mind. I am confident in my skills of fencing and if the institute provided me with an opportunity, I could play fencing at advanced level and will represent that institute. I believe that whatever I have achieved in my life, it is because of my hard work and the support of my parents, family members, and friends. I am also looking forward to achieve the future goals that I have set for myself. I believe that by pursuing my studies in business, I could achieve an effective career.

I also believe that through higher education, a person could improve his personality. It also helps in the intellectual growth of the person. Hence, I

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Inclusive Britain update report – April 2023

Updated 24 May 2024

© Crown copyright 2024

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-britain-update-report/f86feff4-a8f0-41b9-aca7-e19b7fb446d6

Ministerial foreword

As Minister for Women and Equalities, it’s important to me that this country is one where everyone can reach their full potential, no matter where they come from or what they look like.

But equality of opportunity and inclusion have always been more than just policy objectives for me. As a first generation immigrant, I have first-hand experience of living in Britain as an ethnic minority. I hold deep convictions about how important it is to embed fairness and reduce disadvantage across all of society.

That’s why one year ago in March 2022, the government published its landmark Inclusive Britain strategy. This followed recommendations from the independent Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, published in 2021.

The first of its kind in British history, the Inclusive Britain strategy committed the government to 74 bold actions to level up unjust ethnic disparities, focussing on increasing trust and fairness, promoting equality of opportunity, nurturing agency, and fostering greater inclusion. I was proud to put my name to such a pioneering, cross-governmental action plan and was pleased to see Inclusive Britain recognised by international peers as ‘good practice’.

One year on, I am pleased to report on the progress we have made. Delivering our actions has been a cross-governmental effort, involving the collaboration of numerous public sector organisations. The actions have been embedded in White Papers, policy initiatives, and delivery plans across government, recognising that reducing unjust disparities requires all hands on deck.

In education, we have published our ambitious white paper, ‘Opportunity for all: Strong schools with great teachers for your child’, and we are providing targeted support for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils. We have also started clamping down on low-quality courses to boost the career chances of students, especially ethnic minority students who see the lowest return on their university education. The Office for Students has introduced more stringent minimum standards for student outcomes and the Social Mobility Commission is making students aware of the labour market value of different qualifications to empower them to make the best decision for them.

We are committed to making workplaces inclusive and widening opportunities. In collaboration with a global bank, we supported a course for young underprivileged entrepreneurs to showcase and develop their business ideas, providing a model for other banks to emulate as a way to nurture talent. We have also published the first ever guidance to help employers measure ethnicity pay gaps in the workforce. The guidance will allow businesses to do so meticulously without placing an unfair burden on them. To drive fairness in the workplace, we have established an Inclusion at Work panel which will develop resources demonstrating to employers how they can use diversity and inclusion measures in an evidence-based way that fosters cohesion.

The recent Casey Review and the Children’s Commissioner’s report on the strip-search of children have shown that there is more work to be done to tackle disparities and build trust in our police forces. Under Inclusive Britain, new safety training is being delivered for police officers to improve interactions with the public and we are publishing much more detailed data on disparities in stop and search rates. A new national framework for how policing powers, such as the use of stop and search, can be scrutinised at a local level is also being developed alongside fresh guidance on the appropriate body-worn video to improve transparency.

The progress we have made in criminal justice is strong. The stop and search disparity between the black and white ethnic groups has decreased substantially from 8.8 times higher in the year ending March 2020 to 4.9 times higher in the year to March 2022. But stop and search remains a vital tool to tackle the most serious crimes, which can disproportionately impact ethnic minorities. I am also pleased to report that as of December 2022, we now have the highest proportion of ethnic minority police officers since records began and following our campaign launched in 2022 to broaden the diversity of the magistracy, more than 1 in 5 of those who applied to be magistrates were from an ethnic minority background.

In health, we have built on all the work this government did to reduce COVID disparities between ethnic groups. We can already see the impact in the data: there is no longer evidence of ethnic minority groups having a significantly higher mortality rate compared with the white British group when it comes to COVID-19. Additionally, the UK’s largest ever health research programme, Our Future Health, is underway and has focused on making sure black and Asian people are fully included in the research.

Staying one step ahead of the curve when it comes to emerging technology is also necessary. That is why we published last month our proposals for addressing concerns about the potential for bias and discrimination in algorithmic decision-making. Our ground-breaking Online Safety Bill will also make social media companies, for the first time, legally responsible for tackling discriminatory content and give users the tools to reduce exposure to abuse and harmful content.

This is just some of the work we have done, and we will continue to work hard to implement all the commitments in Inclusive Britain.

Thanks to the latest Census data, we know our country is more diverse than ever before. 18% of people in England and Wales are now from ethnic minority groups, compared to 14% in the 2011 Census - in Northern Ireland, the proportion of ethnic minority groups has doubled. Integration is also increasing, with the mixed ethnicity population in England increasing by 40% in 10 years and 2.4 million households now being multi-ethnic.

This one year-update demonstrates this government’s continued commitment to improving life chances for all, especially the least advantaged. Whether you’re a white working class pupil in Bolton, a black entrepreneur in Barking and Dagenham, or an Asian employee in Birmingham, this action plan will ensure you’re treated fairly and given the tools to thrive in society.

We will carry on the hard work to ensure the actions in Inclusive Britain are implemented and lead the way in creating a fairer, more inclusive society.

Kemi Badenoch

Minister for Women and Equalities

Introduction

On 17 March 2022, the government published its response to the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities (the ‘Sewell Commission’). Inclusive Britain sets out a ground-breaking action plan to tackle persistent, unfair disparities, promote unity and build a fairer Britain for all.

We committed to reporting back to Parliament on progress in delivering this action plan 12 months after publication. Over the course of the last year, we have made significant progress in implementing the Inclusive Britain action plan. To date, we have delivered 32 of the 74 actions and intend to have implemented the remainder by the end of March 2024.

This report summarises the progress we have made and gives examples of how these changes are making a real difference to people’s lives.

The report follows the structure of Inclusive Britain, and summarises progress under the 3 main themes:

• trust and fairness – building a stronger sense of trust and fairness in our institutions and confidence in British meritocracy
• opportunity and agency – promoting equality of opportunity, encouraging aspiration and empowering individuals and
• inclusion – encouraging and instilling a sense of belonging to a multi-ethnic UK which celebrates its differences while embracing the values which unite us all

Annex A sets out in more detail progress against each of the 74 actions.

1. Trust and fairness

Inclusive Britain concluded that too many people from ethnic minority backgrounds feel that the ‘system’ is not on their side. In order to build trust, it found that people need to feel that they will be treated fairly and not discriminated against on the basis of their ethnicity.

The ‘trust and fairness’ chapter in Inclusive Britain includes a number of important commitments to tackle racism and discrimination and, in particular, harmful online abuse. It also includes actions to address concerns about use of police powers such as stop and search, to promote fairer pay and to tackle long-standing health disparities.

Some of the key areas of progress are summarised below.

Tackle online racial abuse

Inclusive Britain reaffirmed our commitment to stamping out online racial abuse. Our ground-breaking legislation, the Online Safety Bill (action 2), will make social media companies legally responsible for protecting children and adults from harmful content, while at the same time defending freedom of expression. The bill will also compel social media companies to tackle racist and discriminatory content posted on their platforms, and force the biggest platforms to provide users tools to reduce their exposure to such content. The bill has completed its passage through the House of Commons and is on track to become law later this year.

We know that quantifying online abuse is complicated by a lack of available evidence. To address this, the Cabinet Office Race Disparity Unit ( RDU ) led a programme of engagement with other government departments and external bodies including the Alan Turing Institute, Ofcom and the Centre for Countering Digital Hate, and conducted a literature review on online abuse (action 3). The findings from this enabled RDU to develop a framework for measuring online abuse, which has been shared across the government, in order to enhance existing measures and develop a stronger understanding of the scale of online abuse.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the harmful role that deliberate misinformation can play in undermining trust among particular groups. To improve our understanding of how different groups are accessing and interpreting online misinformation, RDU undertook a literature review of online misinformation targeted at ethnic minorities (action 4). The review found that the spread of online misinformation through WhatsApp and other social media left people perplexed about the truth on COVID-19 vaccines. [footnote 1] It also found that online misinformation and disinformation can spread more rapidly by:

• using content in different languages (especially the first language of the group being targeted with misinformation and disinformation)
• using individuals in videos who were (or were posing as) trusted professionals, such as teachers, nurses or doctors
• targeting an emotional response to the recipients of misinformation – the more controversial or dramatic the posts or videos were, the more likely they were to spread [footnote 2]

RDU is considering these findings and will develop recommendations for other government departments on ways to strengthen our understanding of, and ability to tackle, online disinformation.

Report responsibly on race

Reporting on issues relating to race and ethnicity needs to be done sensitively, accurately and responsibly in order to maintain the trust of communities and to not mislead the public. This includes not lumping groups together based simply on skin colour, and disaggregating ethnicity data wherever possible.

We have stopped using the term ‘ BAME ’ in our communications, as it can mask differences and disparities between ethnic groups. We have taken a number of steps to embed this across the public sector and beyond (action 5) including:

• publishing a post on the Civil Service blog , which was also promoted via LinkedIn and other channels
• the Chief Operating Officer for the Civil Service writing to all Permanent Secretaries highlighting the decision to stop using the term ‘ BAME ’
• updating the style guide for writing for GOV.UK to include a section on writing about ethnicity
• promoting this with the wider public sector, including through the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ Local Government Bulletin

To encourage more accurate reporting on race and ethnicity, we consulted on a revised set of ethnicity data standards in 2022 (action 6). Respondents generally supported the standards as a way of improving the way ethnicity data is collected, analysed and reported. Our response to this consultation has been published alongside this update report. We are now working with data producers across government and the wider public sector to embed the new standards, and with the Office for Statistics Regulation ( OSR ) to review the use and impact of these standards.

Inclusive Britain also included a commitment to better understand the language and terminology with which people from different ethnic backgrounds identify in order to encourage responsible reporting of issues of race and ethnicity (action 7). Last year, with the Office for National Statistics ( ONS ), we commissioned Basis Social to undertake qualitative research into the use of language and terminology relating to people’s ethnic identity . The research comprised a mixture of group discussions and depth interviews with participants identifying as members of different ethnic groups.

The findings, which have been published alongside this report, include:

• ethnicity should not be used as an identifier when reporting unless there is a clear and valid reason to do so
• care needs to be taken over the potential for ethnic terminology to be used in a way which is stigmatising and/or reinforces stereotypes
• when reporting on an ethnicity, specificity is important – the use of umbrella terms, such as Asian or black, should be avoided and instead, and only where necessary, references should be made as specific as possible to the exact ethnic group of relevance to avoid confusion or misrepresentation

We are considering these findings before determining next steps.

To support improved reporting of ethnicity data, we also consulted on reforms of our world-leading Ethnicity facts and figures website, with a view to maintaining a smaller range of the most useful data sets (action 8). The consultation launched in June 2022 and closed in August. The consultation received 500 responses and 9 actions have been identified as a result. These are set out in our response to the consultation , which has been published alongside this report. Work has begun on making these changes to Ethnicity facts and figures and streamlining the datasets, which will improve the impact and utility of the website and help its users to better understand and interpret ethnicity data.

Strengthening bonds of trust between people and their police force

Inclusive Britain acknowledged the need to improve confidence in policing, particularly among the black ethnic group. [footnote 3] Recent reports from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services and significant high-profile incidents have rightly raised concerns regarding police standards and culture. More recently, Baroness Casey’s review of standards of behaviour and internal culture of the Metropolitan Police Service has highlighted failures in the Metropolitan Police to tackle discriminatory behaviour and bias in its organisational processes.

In January, the Home Secretary announced a series of actions to ensure that police vetting is fit for purpose, that officers who fall short of the standards expected of them are identified and dealt with appropriately, and that concerns around policing cultures are being addressed to rebuild the confidence of all communities. Significant activity is underway across police forces to identify individuals who fall short of the high standards the public expect of them and to deal with those individuals appropriately. The government and policing leaders are determined to deliver on these commitments to help rebuild confidence and trust in policing among all communities.

Inclusive Britain also committed the Home Office and policing partners to developing a new national framework for how policing powers, such as stop and search and use of force, can be scrutinised at a local level (action 10).  Work is well underway on a national community scrutiny framework, which  we continue to develop with policing stakeholders and civil society organisations. The framework envisages a key role for Police and Crime Commissioners ( PCCs ) in supporting community scrutiny processes within their force areas. In January 2023 we launched a survey of PCC offices, gathering their thoughts on the role they should play within the community scrutiny process. Their feedback will be reflected in the new framework, which we aim to publish later this year.

Tackle serious violent crime

We know that those from the black ethnic group are more likely to be victims of serious violent crime than white people. The most shocking statistic outlined by the Sewell Commission was that young black people were 24 times more likely to die of homicide than their white peers.

The government takes a whole system approach to addressing violence, balancing early intervention to divert young people away from crime with targeted enforcement activity.

To help tackle serious violent crime, we brought into force the Serious Violence Duty on 31 January 2023, accompanied by new statutory guidance (action 11). This requires local authorities, the police, criminal justice agencies, health authorities and others to work together to understand why violent crime is taking place in their area and then to formulate and implement a strategy for tackling these drivers of serious violence. These strategies must be published by 31 January 2024.

As part of wider efforts to reduce and prevent violence, we have also invested in the development of 20 Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) that deliver a Public Health Approach to preventing serious violence, supporting at-risk young people. VRUs bring together local partners to tackle the drivers of violence in their area, and are delivering a range of early intervention and prevention programmes to divert people away from a life of crime, such as mentoring, behavioural therapy, sports-based diversion, and deterrence-based interventions.

Case study: Leicestershire and Rutland Violence Reduction Unit

The Serious Violence Duty obliges authorities to collaborate with multi-agency partners to prevent and reduce serious violence. In Leicester, the organisation leading this partnership is the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Violence Reduction Unit.

They lead the Violence Intervention Project (VIP) navigator scheme which engages with young people in custody suites, at a time they are most likely to accept help. Support workers create a ‘reachable moment’ to offer support and access to services to steer them back on track.

One 18 year old, James (not his real name), was helped by the VIP team after being caught in possession of a knife and drugs. Weekly mentoring, engagement with a substance misuse worker, and enrolment on a construction course and at a gym has helped him stick to his bail conditions. He has not reoffended, has been more open about his mental health and now understands how decisions at this stage of his life can impact his future.

Improve stop and search

Stop and search is a vital tool to tackle serious violence and keep our streets safe. In the year ending March 2022, 66,772 stops and searches led to an arrest. [footnote 4] But to those subject to it, the stop and search process can often feel antagonistic.  To address this, the College of Policing and National Police Chiefs Council ( NPCC ) have designed and developed new Public and Personal Safety Training which includes developed de-escalation and communication skills (action 12). The new curriculum and associated training products are being made available to all forces since 1 April and will provide nationally-consistent standards of training and delivery and boost the quality of policing across the country.

Body-worn video ( BWV ) is a further means of ensuring that police powers are used correctly, as well as protecting officers. The Home Office has worked extensively with police force leads and frontline officers to understand how BWV is used in practice, and to identify existing barriers to the use of BWV in promoting transparency and better enabling community scrutiny (action 13). The outcome of this work is informing the Home Office’s formulation of policy advice. The NPCC also published national guidance on BWV in October, which was produced in close co-operation with the Home Office. The document includes guidance on sharing BWV footage for community scrutiny.

Inclusive Britain acknowledged the concerns that some ethnic minority groups are disproportionately subject to stop and search. In the year ending March 2022, individuals from a black ethnic group were searched at a rate 4.9 times higher than that of those from a white ethnic group across England and Wales. This is down from 5.6 times higher in the previous year, and from 8.8 times higher in the year ending March 2020. [footnote 5]

Inclusive Britain committed to further work to understand why this disparity persists. This includes improving the way this data is reported (action 14). The latest annual stop and search data was published in October 2022 (with updated ethnicity analysis based on the 2021 Census estimates in March 2023). [footnote 6] This bulletin included additional analysis and outputs, including disparity analysis by force and by reason for search, additional ‘hotspot’ analysis, analysis of the relationship between stop and search and deprivation, as well as new data on stop and searches at Community Safety Partnership level. Additionally, for the first time, a new experimental data query tool was published to allow users to carry out their own bespoke analysis of stop and search data. [footnote 7] This was also the second year of publishing statistics based on incident-level stop and search data from police forces, which allows for much more in-depth analysis than was previously possible.

We are considering with stakeholders how we can further improve our outputs for the September/October 2023 release. This includes the possibility of measuring ethnic disparities by stop and search outcome and further developing the suspect-adjusted disparity analysis (SAD). This SAD analysis calculates disparities based upon the population of actual suspects of crime rather than the wider population, and potentially aids an understanding of stop and search as an operational tool.

Under action 15, we committed to working with policing partners and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners to consider a range of metrics for stop and search rates at police force area level. For the first time, the annual stop and search statistics published in October included new ‘quadrant analysis’ comparing the overall rate of stop and search for the black, Asian, mixed and other ethnic groups in comparison to white individuals, for all 43 police forces. This allows comparisons to be made between police force areas. We are considering next steps with this work, including how we link this to the new national framework for scrutinising the use of police powers such as stop and search (under action 10).

Taken together, these measures allow for much more meaningful interrogation of the stop and search data, shine a light on disparities at a local level and ensure that police forces are held to account for these disparities.

Promote fair pay

The UK workforce is becoming increasingly diverse but there is still more to be done to remove barriers to entering the labour market and to ensure pay and progression in the workplace is fair for all. Data has shown there are wide variations in earnings between ethnic groups. ONS data on ethnicity pay gaps in 2019 showed that most of the ethnic minority groups analysed continued to earn less than white British employees, but those in the Chinese, white Irish, white and Asian, and Indian ethnic groups all earned higher hourly pay than white British employees. [footnote 8]

Analysing ethnicity pay information is one tool employers can use to help identify and investigate disparities in the average pay between ethnic groups in the workforce. It can help employers understand whether unfair disparities exist between different ethnic groups and in turn, gives them an evidence base from which to develop an action plan.

In Inclusive Britain we committed to helping employers who wish to report on their ethnicity pay and to address any identified ethnicity pay gaps (action 16). We have published alongside this report new guidance for employers to help them collect their employees’ ethnicity data, make ethnicity pay calculations, analyse and understand the results and consider evidence-based actions to address any unfair disparities.

Identify and tackle health disparities

Inclusive Britain – and before it the Sewell report – highlighted that, contrary to the widespread view that ethnic minorities always have worse health outcomes than white people, the evidence showed the picture was much more varied. [footnote 9] For example, for the 30 leading causes of death (responsible for about 80% of all deaths) ethnic minorities had lower mortality rates for 15, higher for 8 and no significant difference for 7. For those areas where persistent disparities remain, Inclusive Britain set out a number of actions.

In January 2023, the Health Secretary announced that in consultation with NHS England and other government departments, the Department of Health and Social Care ( DHSC ) would develop and publish a new Major Conditions Strategy. The strategy will set out a strong and coherent policy agenda with a shift to integrated, whole-person care, building on measures taken forward through the NHS Long Term Plan. The strategy will tackle conditions that contribute most to morbidity and mortality across the population in England including cancers, cardiovascular disease, including stroke and diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, dementia, mental ill health and musculoskeletal conditions.

Inclusive Britain found that deprivation and geography remain the key drivers of poor health. The strategy will therefore apply a geographical lens to each condition to address regional disparities in health outcomes, supporting the levelling up mission to improve health and reduce disparities. This work combines key commitments in mental health, cancer, dementia and health disparities into a single, powerful strategy (action 19).

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities ( OHID ), which was established following a recommendation in the Sewell report, will play a leading role in developing and delivering the Major Conditions Strategy. OHID is leading work across government to address the causes of health disparities, including by continuing to help people to quit smoking, taking focused action aimed at the groups and areas with highest tobacco use. OHID is tackling obesity by taking forward a health incentive pilot programme and promoting physical activity in schools. OHID is also working to reduce overall drug use. This includes commissioning a number of research projects through the National Institute for Health and Care Research ( NIHR ). One such project is looking at drug use within ethnic minority groups and is due to conclude in August. This will help us understand the prevalence of drug use amongst ethnic minority groups, as well as how we can improve the available treatment (action 21).

In addition, NHS England’s Core20PLUS5 approach is driving a focus on reducing the negative disparities in healthcare in our most deprived and underserved communities across 5 key clinical areas (CVD, cancer, respiratory disease, mental health and maternity), with a focus on secondary prevention interventions. This approach initially focused on negative disparities in healthcare experienced by adults, but has now been adapted to apply to children and young people too.

One of the more significant health disparities is the poorer outcomes for mothers and babies from black, Asian and mixed ethnic groups and those living in the most deprived areas. We are serious about addressing the causes underlying these disparities and are working with the NHS to ensure equity in maternity care for all women. Inclusive Britain set out a number of steps we are taking to understand the data and to develop tangible, achievable solutions. This work is being led by DHSC , OHID and NHS England, with the Maternity Disparities Taskforce seeking to provide an important focus and driver for action (action 22).

The Taskforce brings together experts from across the health service, mothers, government and the voluntary sector. Its aims are to tackle disparities for mothers and babies by improving access to effective pre-conception and maternity care for women from ethnic minorities and those living in the most deprived areas.

The Taskforce met 3 times in 2022 and will meet again shortly. The meetings to date have enabled valuable discussions around the role of primary care in the preconception health of women and provided organisations such as Birthrights UK and the Muslim Women’s Network with the opportunity to present their research and understanding of women’s experience of maternity care to clinical leaders.

This work sits alongside other work being undertaken in the NHS to tackle disparities in outcomes and experiences of maternity care at a local level.

Inclusive Britain also summarised our work to understand and address the disproportionate impact COVID-19 had on ethnic minority groups, in terms of infection and mortality rates. It committed to implementing the package of recommendations from the then Minister for Equalities’ final COVID-19 disparities report (action 23).

One of these recommendations was that the government should continue to monitor the impacts of COVID-19 by ethnicity as the virus evolves. According to the latest ONS data , in the latest period (since 10 January 2022, when Omicron became the main COVID-19 variant) there is no longer evidence of ethnic minority groups having a significantly higher COVID-19 mortality rate compared with the white British group. In fact, males in the black African, black Caribbean, Chinese and other ethnic groups now have lower mortality rates involving COVID-19 than the white British group, while females in the black African group had lower rates than the white British group. Therefore, the latest figures on mortality by ethnic group (from all causes) present a similar picture to pre-pandemic rates. Although mortality trends are influenced by a complex set of factors which are difficult to disentangle, the change is likely to reflect the range of measures we put in place to tackle COVID-19 disparities from non-pharmaceutical inventions (including guidance aimed at particular sectors such as taxi drivers – a significant proportion of whom are from an ethnic minority group) to building vaccine confidence among those ethnic groups that had lower COVID-19 vaccination rates.

2. Opportunity and agency

This theme in Inclusive Britain is about giving people equal access to opportunity and the chance to fulfil their potential, irrespective of their race or background. It is based on the commitment that no-one’s destiny should be determined by their background.

This chapter includes a number of actions aimed at giving children the best possible start in life, throughout their schooling and into higher education. It also includes commitments to improve career choices, improve progression out of low pay, help ethnic minority entrepreneurs and tackle disparities in the criminal justice system.

This section summarises areas of progress in relation to these actions.

Support families

One of the Sewell Commission’s key conclusions was that the support offered to families makes a big difference to outcomes for children. In line with action 25 of Inclusive Britain, the Children’s Commissioner for England conducted a review into how public services can better understand the needs of children and families, and how those services can be improved.

As part of this review, the Children’s Commissioner’s office commissioned 2 nationally representative online panel surveys, with additional boost samples for parents from ethnic minority groups. They also conducted additional analysis of the Annual Population Survey to produce breakdowns of family composition by ethnic group.

The Children’s Commissioner’s findings are set out in Family and its protective effect: Part 1 of the Independent Family Review , published in September 2022, and A positive approach to parenting: Part 2 of the Independent Family Review , published in December 2022. Alongside and following the publication of Part 2, she also published a number of research and policy annexes focused on particular barriers to improving services, children and families in particular circumstances and new research findings.

The Family Review sets out 23 recommendations to the government on how to improve support for children and families. We are now considering those recommendations carefully and will respond in due course.

Improve adoption rates for disadvantaged children

We are committed to increasing the number of ethnic minority children who are adopted (action 26). Since 2019, we have funded a national recruitment campaign to find more adoptive parents, with a particular focus on prospective ethnic minority parents. The latest data shows that the number of ethnic minority approved adopters has increased from 450 at March 2020 to 670 at March 2022. [footnote 10] Regional adoption agencies ( RAAs ) have set up projects to trial outreach ambassadors to support ethnic minority adopters, and embed learning from the Black Adopters Project, a campaign which partnered with the media to deliver bespoke and targeted content, combined with community outreach in key areas, encouraging people to consider adoption.

In addition, the Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board (ASGLB) launched a Task and Finish Group made up of black social workers, adopters, adoptees and experts in the field with the aim of presenting constructive proposals to end racial disparity in adoption.

The group’s report Ending Racial Disparity in Adoption was published in December 2022, with its findings grouped under 3 main themes:

• recruiting black adopters and matching black children
• rebuilding trust
• resourcing interracial adoption

The Department for Education ( DfE ) has committed to implementing the recommendations in the report, notwithstanding the closure of the ASGLB under refreshed governance arrangements.

Inclusive Britain acknowledged that we need to improve the quality and availability of ethnicity data and evidence about looked-after children and their routes out of care (action 28). We are therefore publishing alongside this report a looked-after children data strategy . DfE is now progressing a number of pieces of work including considering whether ethnicity data about looked-after children can be disaggregated into more detailed ethnicity categories, and reviewing what data is published that is not currently broken down by ethnicity, particularly focussing on outcomes.

A more detailed understanding of the demographic profile of looked-after children could inform:

• better planning around providing the right permanence options for children – including adoption, special guardianship, long-term fostering or a return to parents
• the recruitment and approval of adoptive parents willing to take children who are waiting and special guardians or foster parents who can meet their needs
• the provision of early intervention policies and strategies to support children and families to minimise the risk that the children do not enter or re-enter care

Enable better quality learning

Disadvantaged pupils and some ethnic minority groups are overrepresented in the cohort not meeting expected literacy and numeracy standards in schools. To address this, we published our ambitious schools white paper, Opportunity for all: strong schools with great teachers for your child , in March 2022 (action 32). It seeks to raise the attainment of all pupils by setting 2 headline ambitions that, by 2030:

• 90% of children will achieve the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at the end of primary school
• in secondary schools, the national GCSE average grade in both English language and in maths will increase from 4.5 in 2019 to 5

Since publication, we have been working towards delivering our headline ambitions for 2030. This includes helping to provide children who fall behind with the support they need to get back on track through proven methods such as small group tuition. In the Autumn Statement 2022, we announced an extra £2 billion of funding for schools over each of the next 2 financial years. This will enable school leaders to continue to invest in the areas that we know positively impact educational attainment, including high-quality teaching and targeted support to the children who need it most.

Delivering on the schools white paper links to other actions in Inclusive Britain. As part of our teacher development reforms, we have introduced a fully funded new suite of National Professional Qualifications based on the best available research and evidence (action 59).

We have also made available almost £5 billion to support recovery for children and young people (action 61), including nearly £2.5 billion in targeted funding towards the most disadvantaged. This funding includes the Recovery Premium and the creation of the National Tutoring Programme, through which as of 6 October 2022 nearly 3 million tutoring courses had started since November 2020, with 6 million aimed to be delivered by 2024.

In addition, pupil premium rates will increase by 5% for 2023 to 2024, a £180 million increase from 2022 to 2023, taking total pupil premium funding to £2.9 billion. As part of the core schools budget, the pupil premium enables schools to provide extra support for disadvantaged pupils to improve their academic and personal achievements.

Increase quality of alternative provision in education

Some ethnic minority groups, such as black Caribbean and white Gypsy and Roma, are over-represented in alternative provision. Certain ethnic groups, such as black Caribbean pupils, are also disproportionately represented in different types of special educational needs and disabilities ( SEND ) identification and SEND children are being excluded or are absent or missing from school much more frequently than other pupils nationally. Outcomes for pupils in alternative provision are not good enough and Inclusive Britain includes measures to address this.

We published our SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan on 2 March (action 35). This commits to establishing new national standards – across education, health, and care – with the aim of driving fair and consistent identification, assessment and support, no matter where a child or young person lives or is educated. The Improvement Plan also set out our national vision for 3-tier alternative provision, with a focus on providing early support to avoid issues escalating. This will enable more children and young people to have their needs met in high-quality, mainstream provision, giving parents and families reassurance and clarity about the support they can expect to receive. The Improvement Plan also announced the extension of the Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforce ( APST ) pilot which is co-locating teams of different specialists in alternative provision schools.

New local inclusion partnerships will bring together key stakeholders, including children, young people, and families, in each area to develop local inclusion plans, setting out how standards will be delivered locally. Local and national inclusion dashboards will offer a transparent picture of how the system is performing, allowing for prompt intervention where needed. Accountability across the system will be strengthened, including through the new Ofsted inspection framework for local areas.

We also committed in Inclusive Britain to taking action to reduce ethnic disparities in exclusion rates. In the 2020 to 2021 school year, the highest permanent exclusion rates were for white Gypsy and Roma pupils and mixed white and black Caribbean pupils. And while black Caribbean pupils were more likely to be excluded than white pupils in that year, black African pupils actually had a lower rate of permanent exclusion than their white peers. [footnote 11]

Relevant measures in Inclusive Britain include publishing updated guidance on behaviour in schools and suspension and permanent exclusion statutory guidance in July 2022 following a consultation exercise (action 36). These documents provide further clarity and support to head teachers on how to manage behaviour well, so that they can provide calm, safe and supportive environments which children and young people want to attend.

The updated Suspension and Permanent Exclusion guidance sets out that schools, local authorities, and local partners should work together to understand what lies behind local trends. Local leaders should use this understanding to plan and put in place additional and targeted action based on their own context. If they identify any gaps, they should act to ensure those who work with children have the training, services and support they need to address them. In addition, information has been provided for governing boards on carefully considering the level of pupil moves and the characteristics of pupils who have been permanently excluded to ensure the sanction is only used when absolutely necessary as a last resort.

Case study: APST pilot: Reuben’s experience

Reuben (not his real name) is in secondary school. His SEND needs include dyslexia, ADHD, social communication difficulties and learning difficulties. He lives with his mother and his younger siblings (a toddler and a premature new-born). Reuben often does not get to sleep before 1am and is torn between helping his mother and attending school. His school attendance is historically low. He has a history of offending behaviour associated with being a victim of child criminal exploitation.

The APST ’s family worker conducted home visits, made regular phone calls and visited Reuben at school. The mental health lead gave Reuben’s mother safety advice around managing a new-born child in restricted living arrangements and advised on an approach to support Reuben’s emotional wellbeing. The youth offending worker took Reuben on as a prevention case, bringing additional intelligence to inform his safety planning.

The APST ’s interventions have meant that Reuben has been kept safe. While improvements in Reuben’s attendance are still being established, he is engaging and benefiting greatly from the support of the specialists. The taskforce is also arranging for him to access speech and language therapy. Reuben is being supported with his post-16 transition options and has now started to look to the future. Looking at possible careers, Reuben has said he would like to become an engineer.

Improve advice for young people in police custody

We know that people from the black ethnic group are more likely to be arrested and held in police custody than their white peers. In the year ending March 2022, people from the black ethnic group were 2.4 times more likely to be arrested than white people. Conversely, for the first time, people from an Asian or other ethnic group were arrested at a lower rate than white people. [footnote 12]

Sir Christopher Bellamy KC (now Lord Bellamy) led the Independent Review of Criminal Legal Aid which highlighted the low uptake of legal advice by suspects in police custody and noted possible anecdotal explanations for this, including that young ethnic minority suspects have lower levels of trust in the criminal justice system. The Presumption of Legal Advice (POLA) scheme which has been rolled out across the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) automatically opts children into receiving the free independent legal advice in custody to which they are entitled.

Under action 40, the Ministry of Justice committed to supporting this scheme and considering whether this leads to improved outcomes for individuals following arrest, including whether this could reduce racial disparities in the justice system.

The Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) response to the Criminal Legal Aid Independent Review (CLAIR) consultation, which was published in November 2022, highlighted its ongoing support of the POLA scheme and that it would continue to collaborate with the police, the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) and the Home Office to monitor the scheme and its impacts. The MoJ proposed using the outcomes from the scheme to review what the initiative could look like if rolled out for all children nationally.

Following the publication of the CLAIR consultation response, the MoJ continues to play an active role in supporting the ongoing POLA schemes, in coordination with policing partners, LAA, Home Office and others. This includes collaborating with forces to gather data on the scheme. An evaluation of this data will allow the MoJ to understand the impact of the scheme on outcomes following arrest, as well as the potential impact were it to be rolled out nationally. The MoJ will also engage with other police forces looking to adopt the POLA scheme to understand any potential operational consequences resulting from an increased provision of legal advice.

Case study: Presumption of Legal Advice

The MPS began their trial of the Presumption of Legal Advice (POLA) scheme in Brixton and Wembley police stations in February 2022. The trial was a success and early findings, which have not been published before, indicate that the average detention time for children reduced from 14.4 hours to 8 hours and uptake of legal advice increased from 65% to almost 100%. The scheme has now been rolled out to all MPS custody suites in London and a number of other police forces have started similar trials of POLA, or are planning to do so in the future. The POLA scheme has broad support from stakeholders across government and the criminal justice system.

Give young offenders a second chance

Inclusive Britain set out some of the work we are doing to understand and address ethnic disparities in the criminal justice system, especially amongst young adults.  For instance, drugs offences make up a much higher proportion of convictions amongst ethnic minority offenders compared to white offenders. [footnote 13]

To address this, we have commenced pilots of a number of drug diversion schemes including Project ADDER (Addiction, Disruption, Diversion, Enforcement and Recovery) which has the potential to transform the way we tackle drug-related crime and engagement, including with young people and adults at risk (action 41). Project ADDER combines co-ordinated law enforcement activity, diversionary programmes and enhanced treatment and recovery provisions to drive down drug use and divert people away from offending.

We are capturing the learning from Project ADDER and sharing this with partners to inform local services of good practice when implementing a whole-system approach, including drug diversion programmes. Kantar Public is currently undertaking an independent evaluation of Project ADDER, quantifying the successes of the project, and is due to report in late 2023.

Project ADDER service-user, Wirral

Tom (not his real name) came into the treatment service following a Drug Test on Arrest appointment, he was seen by the ADDER-funded ‘test on arrest’ worker and reported using cocaine and cannabis. He was then assessed into treatment and offered support.

Tom has worked with his key-worker and attended one-to-one support sessions. He stopped his cocaine use and reduced his cannabis use, he feels his family life has improved since he has stopped his cocaine use and is working full time and feels his quality of life has improved. He has now been discharged from structured treatment into recovery support for aftercare support.

I have stopped using cocaine in June 2022 and now have good relationships with my family and I am working full time and feel my quality of life has improved.

In July 2022 we consulted on proposals in our white paper, Swift, Certain, Tough: New consequences for drug possession . The framework proposed a new tiered approach to tackling drug possession offences, focusing on educating first time offenders about the impacts of their drug use.  Responses to the consultation are currently being considered and will shape our future drug policy.

A pilot scheme exploring the expansion of out of court disposals for first time offenders is also currently under development (action 42). The pilot scheme will focus on expanding the use of existing policing powers, focused on the most visible drug possession offences. The pilot will seek to understand how effective drug awareness courses can be in changing behaviour, and also ensure police are encouraged to tackle drug misuse in public places.

Career advice that expands choice and enhances social mobility and clamp down on low-quality courses in higher education

Most ethnic minority pupils outperform their white peers at school, but once they get to university (with the exception of Asian students) they are more likely to drop out, have lower levels of attainment and earn less money after graduating.  Some students may not be getting the right career advice or guidance and Inclusive Britain includes a number of actions to address this.

DfE has extended the statutory duty on schools to secure independent careers guidance to all pupils throughout their secondary education (action 47). The changes in the Education (Careers Guidance in Schools) Act 2022 came into force on 1 September 2022 and will ensure all pupils in all types of state-funded secondary schools, including those in academy schools and alternative provision academies in England, are legally entitled to independent careers guidance throughout their secondary education.

In terms of higher education, the Office for Students (OfS) consulted in autumn 2022 on its new approach to regulating equality of opportunity including changes to Access and Participation ( A&P ) plans. The plans set out how higher education providers will improve equality of opportunity for underrepresented groups to access, succeed in and progress from higher education (action 43). Over 250 providers submitted requests to vary their current plans in line with new A&P priorities, and these changes will start to be put in place from next academic year (2023/4). The OfS published its consultation response (PDF) in March, alongside new guidance for higher education providers on revising their A&P plans. It also published its new equality of opportunity risk register , which highlights 12 key sector-wide risks to equality of opportunity and the groups most likely to be impacted by each one. Higher education providers are expected to refer to the Risk Register when creating their own A&P plans.

In February 2023, the Social Mobility Commission ( SMC ) published a report reviewing the current evidence on labour market outcomes of higher education and further education qualifications . The report  looked specifically at earnings by qualification type, subject and institution type (action 53). The research suggests that, on average, studying a qualification in either higher education or further education is associated with increased future earnings. The majority of courses also provide positive ‘value-add’ – the difference in future earnings which can be associated with the qualification – when compared with other factors such as someone’s prior attainment. There is however a lot of variation in value-add across subjects, with STEM subjects and law associated with higher earnings.

In higher education, there is also a lot of variation in returns by university: more selective universities (such as those in the Russell Group) tend to have a higher value-add, whilst less selective universities (such as those in the Post-1992 group) tend to have a lower value-add, albeit with considerable variation at a course level within an institution. [footnote 14] However, progression rates to the more selective universities are lower for the most disadvantaged pupils. While there is some evidence on returns by subject in further education, with subjects such as engineering for men and business administration and law for women tending to have a higher value-add, there is little evidence available on how returns may vary by institution.

The SMC also sought to understand what information is available to students, and what they are actually accessing. In its February report, the SMC identified potential next steps to be taken to make sure that high-quality information on the labour market value of different qualifications is made available to prospective students. The SMC concluded that ‘value-add’ appears to be a useful metric for understanding a student’s prospects from studying a given course at a given institution. It will look into pointing prospective students towards these statistics or providing them with a summarised and accessible version of value-add by subject and institution.

We have also taken steps to clamp down on low-quality higher education courses. Following extensive consultation, the OfS introduced new, more stringent minimum thresholds for student outcomes (degree continuation and completion, and progression onto positive graduate destinations) in October 2022, as part of its revised condition of registration (action 51). Universities and colleges that perform below these thresholds could face investigation to allow the OfS to understand the reasons for their performance. If, following investigation, performance is not adequately explained by a provider’s context, the OfS has the power to intervene and impose sanctions for a breach of its conditions of registration. The OfS will also consider performance in individual subjects, to ensure pockets of poor performance can be identified and addressed. The new approach will also take into account positive outcomes, for example professional/managerial employment, further study, or graduates building their own business or a portfolio career. This intervention will provide a clear incentive for universities and colleges to take credible action to deliver successful outcomes for their students.

Improve productivity of entrepreneurs from ethnic minority backgrounds

Inclusive Britain acknowledged that we need to do more to equip the next generation of ethnic minority entrepreneurs with the skills and confidence they need to succeed. In order to do so, the Department for Business and Trade has been supporting HSBC UK in its pilot of a competition-based entrepreneur support programme, in partnership with UK universities.

The ‘Student Incubator Programme’ has seen HSBC support ethnic minority students from Aston University, University of Bedfordshire, De Montfort University, University of East London, and Kingston University to bring their commercial aspirations to life.  The pilot provides a model for other banks and financial institutions to emulate, in collaboration with universities, as a way to nurture talent, encourage innovation, and offer support to aspiring entrepreneurs from under-represented backgrounds across the UK.

Case study: HSBC UK Student Incubator Programme

The programme was delivered over 12 weeks in partnership with Start Up Discovery School and focused on supporting founders to launch, grow and scale their business ideas. Dedicated support sessions included subjects such as minimum viable product, storytelling and knowing your niche. The entrepreneurs also received regular one-to-one mentoring from HSBC UK Commercial Banking Relationship Directors, as well as access to HSBC webinars delivered by their Chief Economist, Sustainability and Fraud and Cybercrime teams.

The programme culminated in a Dragon’s Den style pitch day, held at HSBC UK’s Head Office. Judging focused on business ideas that were innovative, achievable, market-focused and financially viable. All the students received some funding to support their start up business with the top 3 recognised with some additional monetary support and social media recognition on HSBC’s UK Facebook and Twitter platforms.

The winners on the day were:

• 1st place: Blackout Dance Camp C.I.C, an emerging community dance educational provider in the field of Caribbean, Diasporic and commercial dance
• 2nd place: Excel Learning, a tutoring service offering affordable prices and unique teaching methods for all students, especially for those from underprivileged and ethnic minority backgrounds
• 3rd place: Atls Blk, a social media app for black and mixed black students at UK universities that aims to make their university experience easier

Feedback from the students throughout the programme was positive:

Talking to the HSBC mentor, gave an extremely good insight into what my unique selling point is.

Learnt a lot about what is needed in a pitch deck and components of a good presentation.

To share the results and promote the learning from the Student Incubator Programme, DBT will invite HSBC to present to the Ethnic Minority Business Group (EMBG) to showcase the successes of the programme and demonstrate what can be achieved with the right level of support and investment in diverse entrepreneurs. EMBG is chaired by the Small Business Minister and meets bi-monthly to explore the barriers faced by ethnic minority business leaders, in developing and growing their business.

A summary of the key learnings will also be shared with a range of relevant stakeholders to raise awareness of the benefits of the scheme and encourage a continuing dialogue around the success of early support in entrepreneurship, particularly for ethnic minority businesses.

3. Inclusion

Building a stronger sense of inclusion is at the heart of the Inclusive Britain strategy. This means striving for a society based on shared values and a shared history, where no individual is treated differently because they belong to a particular group.

This chapter in Inclusive Britain contains commitments to develop a more inclusive history curriculum and school hairstyles policies, to improve diversity among the judiciary and make police forces more representative of the communities they serve, to promote inclusion in the workplace and enhance transparency, and to harness Artificial Intelligence for good.

Progress on these actions is summarised below.

Alongside this, we have taken steps to recognise the vast contribution of the Windrush generation and their descendants to British social, economic and cultural life. These steps include unveiling the National Windrush Monument in June. This now stands at London Waterloo station as a fitting tribute to the Windrush generation.

Create a more inclusive history curriculum

A key part of the Inclusive Britain strategy is that all children should grow up feeling a strong sense of belonging to this country. This includes how our past is taught in schools. We recognise there is good teaching in schools in this area, but also know more can be done to support the teaching of a high-quality, knowledge-rich and diverse history curriculum.

To address this, DfE appointed a model history curriculum expert panel in July 2022 to lead work on a new model history curriculum (action 57). The Panel, chaired by Dr Michael Kandiah (Lecturer in Contemporary British History at King’s College London) comprises history curriculum experts, historians and school leaders. The new model curriculum, which is on track for publication in 2024, will stand as an exemplar for a knowledge-rich, coherent approach to the teaching of history, and will cover the major contributions made by different groups that have made this country what it is today.

Support a more inclusive school hair and uniform policy

Another step towards greater inclusion in schools is ensuring that children – and black pupils in particular – do not face discrimination because of their hair. While schools have autonomy and the government does not dictate uniform policy, we recognise that advice on best practice would enable schools to ensure their approach to hair is consistent with equalities law so that black pupils in particular are not discriminated against. RDU worked with the Equality and Human Rights Commission ( EHRC ) on its guidance for schools on how to ensure hair or hairstyle policies are not unlawfully discriminatory (action 60). The guidance, which was published in October 2022, during Black History Month is based on real-life experiences. It includes practical examples for schools on when a policy may be discriminatory, a decision-making tool to help school leaders to draft and review their policies and an animated video to raise awareness of indirect race discrimination in schools and what should be done to prevent it.

DfE is monitoring feedback from schools to the EHRC guidance via its regular sector engagement and will undertake additional work to tackle hair discrimination if feedback shows the need for it.

Reinforce impartiality in the public sector

It is important that the debate about issues of race is conducted in a civil way and that people of all backgrounds feel they can contribute and participate in discussion. It is particularly important that public servants and public institutions recognise the diversity of opinion on these issues, and encourage an environment that is free from bias. Inclusive Britain committed to new guidance to civil servants promoting the values of tolerance and equality, but with careful delineation of ideas and views which are more political in nature (action 62).

We are issuing guidance to civil servants alongside this report. It is intended to support them when working on diversity and inclusion issues, and in particular to ensure that all perspectives are discussed in an objective way whilst meeting obligations under the Civil Service code. This includes avoiding the promotion of partisan political views or presenting contested theories as fact. The guidance also sets out how to ensure impartiality in use of language and communications, and how to ensure training materials and events (including use of external speakers) do not undermine the obligations under the Civil Service code.

Make police forces more representative of local communities

We are committed to increasing diversity within the police service and to making forces in England and Wales more representative of the local communities that they serve. Delivery of our Police Uplift Programme (PUP), announced in July 2019, has been an opportunity to attract the best talent for our police forces, from all ethnic backgrounds. Over the course of the PUP, forces have received £700 million in year 1 (2020 to 2021) and £425 million in year 2 (2021 to 2022), specifically for uplift. For year 3 of uplift (2022 to 2023) an additional £550 million has been provided including funding to deliver the final 8,000 additional officers of the 20,000 target.

Data to December 2022 show that since April 2020 a total of 34,647 new police officers have been recruited to forces in England and Wales. Of these, 11.5% (3,825) identified as ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities). Overall, as at 31 December 2022, 11,691 police officers identified as ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) – 8.3% of those who stated their ethnicity – the highest figures since comparable records began. [footnote 15]

During the uplift, there has been ongoing work across policing partners and forces to ensure that best practice and the many improvements to the police recruitment process delivered by PUP are captured and embedded as business as usual. As part of PUP we have also delivered a diversity support package to forces, which helps them to understand how representative their workforces are of the local population, and what more they may need to do to make any necessary improvements (action 64). Decisions on what interventions and approaches best meet the needs of a particular force are for the Chief Constable.

Improve judicial diversity

Inclusive Britain also included actions to increase diversity among the judiciary and the magistracy. These commitments include working with the Judicial Diversity Forum to increase the pool of applicants and ensuring the very best talent is promoted through the professions and on to the bench (action 67).The latest judicial diversity statistics , published in July 2022, show that the proportion of judges who identify as being from an ethnic minority background has been slowly increasing, from 7% in 2014 to 10% in 2022, but this remains low in senior court roles.

The MoJ leads and coordinates the Pre-Application Judicial Educational (PAJE) programme which supports eligible lawyers from under-represented groups, including those from an ethnic minority background, who are considering applying for a judicial appointment. As of October 2022, 633 participants had completed the programme.  Ethnic minority participants with a solicitor background were appointed to judicial roles at a significantly higher rate than non-PAJE ethnic minority candidates over the last 3 years.

The MoJ also funds the Targeted Outreach programme which from April will be jointly led by the Judicial Appointments Commission and the judiciary. The programme supports improved outcomes for under-represented target groups and provides support for key selection exercises as a pipeline to senior judicial appointments. Since its launch in September 2020, female ethnic minority solicitors on the Targeted Outreach programme were appointed at rates more than 3 times higher than candidates with the same characteristics who had not taken part in the programme.

In January 2023, the judiciary also published an update to their Judicial Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2020 to 2025, setting out progress on their actions.

As of 1 April 2022, 14% of magistrates were from an ethnic minority background (up from 8% in 2014). We have invested over £1 million in a programme of work to support the recruitment of 4,000 new and diverse magistrates over the next few years (action 68). In 2022, the MoJ launched a revised, streamlined recruitment and selection process, alongside an inclusive recruitment marketing campaign. This marketing campaign is designed to appeal to under-represented groups that may have never considered, or thought they are eligible to join, the magistracy, particularly those from an ethnic minority background. As of 31 October 2022, 4,321 individuals had applied to join the magistracy. Of the 96% of applicants who disclosed their ethnicity, 22% were from an ethnic minority background . This year’s annual judicial diversity statistics in July will include more detailed diversity data on magistrates, including applications and appointments.

Promote inclusion in the workplace

Inclusive Britain recognised that ensuring all people, regardless of background, to thrive at work benefits everyone. Action 69 committed us to launching an Inclusion at Work Panel to develop and disseminate resources that can help employers achieve fairness and inclusion in the workplace. Work is well underway to establish the Panel and Pamela Dow has been appointed the Chair.

This Panel will develop a new voluntary Inclusion Confident Scheme for employers who want to demonstrate their commitment to improving race equality and progression in the workplace (action 71).

One way of promoting greater representation and inclusivity in the workplace is through use of positive action, a tool which allows employers to lawfully target employment schemes to disadvantaged groups. Inclusive Britain set out the need to support employers – and smaller organisations in particular – to understand how to use positive action under the provisions in the Equality Act 2010 and how to avoid unlawful positive discrimination.

We have therefore issued alongside this report new guidance for employers on positive action in the workplace (action 70). This sets out how to apply the legislation and includes illustrative examples to support those employers that wish to create opportunities for underrepresented groups within their workforce.

Harness Artificial Intelligence for an inclusive future

We are committed to harnessing artificial intelligence ( AI ) for good, in order to improve people’s lives. We do not yet fully understand how the use of AI will impact ethnic minorities, although we do know that bias can enter AI just as it can enter any process. Inclusive Britain includes 3 actions to address potential risks with AI and to enhance transparency and trust.

We committed to developing our national position on governing and regulating AI   (action 72). We published on 29 March our AI regulation white paper . This sets out a proportionate and outcomes-focused approach to the regulation of AI which addresses the needs of innovators and strengthens public confidence in the way AI is being used. This includes addressing wider concerns about the potential for bias and discrimination in algorithmic decision-making.

In addition, EHRC published new guidance in September 2022 on how the Public Sector Equality Duty in the Equality Act 2010 applies when a public body uses AI (action 73). That guidance gives practical examples of how AI systems may be causing discriminatory outcomes.

EHRC is currently monitoring how local authorities are meeting the requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty whilst using AI and will consider whether there is a need for further case studies and interventions to tackle any particular gaps in knowledge or action.

Tackling discrimination in AI is a major strand of EHRC ’s 3-year strategy . As part of this, EHRC is exploring how best to use its powers in areas such as police use of facial recognition technology, recruitment in industry and the public sector, and the identification of fraud. EHRC has signed an MoU with the Information Commissioner’s Office and intends to work closely in this area, to ensure their respective remits are aligned.

We also committed to piloting the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard ( ATRS ) for the public sector that was developed by the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation ( CDEI ) and the Cabinet Office’s Central Digital and Data Office ( CDDO ) (action 74).

The first version of the ATRS was published in October 2021. It establishes a standardised way for public sector organisations to proactively and transparently publish information about how and why they are using algorithmic approaches in decision-making.

The ATRS was piloted with public sector organisations in 2022, ranging from central government offices to local police departments, and 6 completed records are available on GOV.UK. Based on feedback and lessons learned from the pilots, CDEI and CDDO launched an updated version in October 2022 on GitHub, for open feedback. The updated standard, alongside guidance and the completed reports, were also made publicly available through the ATRS Hub on GOV.UK.

In October 2022, the standard was endorsed by the UK Data Standards Authority, which recommends the standards, guidance and other resources government departments should follow when working on data projects.

4. Next steps

Work will now focus on delivering the remaining actions from Inclusive Britain including the new, national framework for scrutiny of police powers, our major conditions health strategy and the Model History Curriculum. We will also continue work on key measures in Inclusive Britain, such as driving up the number of ethnic minority children who are adopted and increasing the diversity of our judiciary and police forces.

We will work across government and the wider public sector, and with voluntary and community organisations, to promote the work of the Inclusive Britain action plan and to highlight the steps we are taking to increase trust and fairness, promote equality of opportunity, nurture agency and foster greater inclusion.

We will also reflect on how this work links to some major landmarks this year, including the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III and the 75th anniversaries of the arrival of the Empire Windrush and of the National Health Service, and the opportunities these events provide to further promote and celebrate our diversity as a nation.

We will report back to Parliament in 12 months’ time setting out the progress we have made in delivering the remaining actions from Inclusive Britain, tackling negative disparities, promoting unity and building a fairer Britain for all.

Annex A: Progress by action

To enable EHRC to increase its vital work in tackling race discrimination and disadvantage, the Cabinet Office will invest in EHRC enforcement activity to challenge race discrimination through investigations and supporting individual cases.

To improve good practice in equality law across Britain, EHRC will also support a wider range of organisations to comply with equality law and develop policies and processes that support equality of opportunity for all.

Progress update

The Cabinet Office continues to fund EHRC ’s statutorily independent work, through its £17.1 million budget for 2022 to 2023.

EHRC also launched a landmark Race Legal Support Fund designed to tackle race discrimination and help victims seek justice. So far, the fund has supported people with claims of race discrimination against employers and service providers, including high street retailers, airlines, banks and pubs. Successfully resolved cases include that of a civil servant who was employed by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service who claimed she experienced a series of acts of direct race discrimination, harassment and victimisation. A settlement was reached after EHRC funded the 8-day final hearing through the legal support scheme. This case will help ensure all employers are aware of their legal responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010.

EHRC is currently supporting individuals without legal representation to access the Equality Advice and Support Service to get the advice they need. They will soon be appointing a panel of solicitors which is intended to make it easier for these individuals to find representation and to access justice with the support of this scheme and will be promoting this next phase of the scheme widely.

To clamp down on racist abuse online, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport ( DCMS ) and the Home Office will introduce the world-leading Online Safety Bill as soon as possible. Companies that fail to comply with their legal duties in the bill could face fines of up to £18 million or 10% of their qualifying annual global turnover, or business disruption measures.

The Online Safety Bill has now completed its passage through the House of Commons, and had its second reading in the House of Lords on 1 February.

The bill will make social media companies legally responsible for protecting children and adults from harmful content, while at the same time defending freedom of expression. The largest platforms will have to provide adult users with tools to help reduce the likelihood that they will encounter certain types of content that will be set out in the bill. Examples include content that does not meet a criminal threshold but is racist, anti-semitic or misogynistic.

To improve our understanding of online harms, RDU will engage with service providers, international organisations and experts to better measure and monitor online abuse. This programme of work will also consider how specific events, such as high-profile football matches, can act as instigators for online abuse.

RDU led a programme of engagement with other government departments and external bodies and conducted a literature review on online abuse. These findings enabled RDU to develop a framework for measuring online abuse for use within government which has been shared across government, including through a blog post setting out what we can do to improve measurement of online abuse.

To improve online transparency, RDU will lead a review into online misinformation to better understand how different groups are accessing and interpreting information online. The review will provide a series of data and policy recommendations to strengthen the government’s understanding and ability to tackle online abuse.

RDU undertook a literature review of online misinformation targeted at ethnic minorities. The review found that online misinformation and disinformation can spread more rapidly by:

• using content in different languages (especially the first language of the group being targeted with misinformation/disinformation)
• targeting an emotional response to the recipients of misinformation – the more controversial or dramatic the posts or videos were, the more likely they were to spread [footnote 16]

RDU is now considering these findings.

To communicate more effectively on racial issues and to avoid lumping together different ethnic minority groups, the government has stopped using the term ‘ BAME ’ in its own communications and will encourage other public sector bodies to do the same.

We have stopped using the term ‘ BAME ’ in government communications and have taken a number of steps to embed this across the public sector. This includes publishing a blog post on the Civil Service blog website and the Chief Operating Officer for the Civil Service writing to all Permanent Secretaries on this and a range of other diversity and inclusion issues.

To ensure more responsible and accurate reporting on race and ethnicity, RDU will by the end of 2022 consult on new standards for government departments and other public bodies on how to record, understand and communicate ethnicity data.

RDU issued a consultation in July 2022 on a set of revised Standards for Ethnicity Data. The consultation response has been published alongside this report and RDU is now working with OSR to review the use and impact of the new standards.

RDU will lead work to:

• engage with people from different ethnic groups to better understand the language and terminology that they identify with
• review how media coverage of race and ethnicity issues impact the communities being covered
• develop recommendations which will encourage responsible and accurate reporting on race issues by June 2023

RDU and ONS commissioned Basis Social to undertake qualitative research into the use of language and terminology relating to people’s ethnic identity. The findings from this research have been published alongside this report.

We are considering these findings before determining next steps with this action.

To improve the presentation and to assist the interpretation of data on ethnic disparities, RDU will consult by summer 2022 on a set of proposals to reform the Ethnicity facts and figures website, with a view to maintaining a smaller range of the most useful data sets.

RDU launched a consultation in June 2022 on proposals to reform our world-leading Ethnicity facts and figures website, which currently includes 185 pages of data on outcomes for ethnic groups. This consultation closed in August and received 500 responses. The government’s response has been published alongside this report.

Work has now begun on making these changes to Ethnicity facts and figures and streamlining the datasets. The changes will improve the impact and utility of the website, help its users to understand the drivers and factors behind disparities, and minimise the risk of misinterpretation and incorrect conclusions being drawn. For policy-makers, we will be providing better evidence for targeting interventions and resources at the point of need.

To identify and fill evidence gaps about the social mobility, skill and role mismatching and health outcomes of immigrants, RDU will lead a new, cross-government analytical work programme with input from external experts in 2022. This will include analysis of the structural issues that immigrants may face in the UK, and understanding the lessons that the government has learned about policy making in this area.

RDU , in partnership with the University of Essex, has published new analyses on the outcomes in the labour market for ethnic minorities by immigrant generation status alongside this report.

The paper explores how being a first- or second-generation migrant impacts the likelihood of being unemployed or economically inactive across different ethnic groups.

Work will now turn to health outcomes for immigrants.

The police need the powers to tackle crime – but there also needs to be effective local scrutiny of these powers in order to enhance trust and strengthen relations between police and communities. The Home Office, with policing partners including PCCs , will develop by summer 2023 a new, national framework for how the use of police powers – including stop and search and use of force – are scrutinised at a local level. This framework will ensure that local scrutiny panels are independently-led, reflect the diversity of the areas they represent and give police officers the confidence to use their powers with the backing of local communities.

The Home Office and national policing partners are developing the new national framework for how policing powers, such as stop and search and use of force, can be scrutinised at a local level.  Work is well underway on the community scrutiny framework, which we aim to publish later this year.

To tackle serious violent crime, which disproportionately affects some ethnic minority groups, the Home Office is bringing into force the Serious Violence Duty which will require local authorities, the police, criminal justice agencies, health authorities and others to work together to understand why violent crime is taking place in their area, and then to formulate and implement a strategy for tackling these drivers of serious violence.

The Serious Violence Duty came into force on 31 January 2023, accompanied by new statutory guidance. This requires local authorities, the police, criminal justice agencies, health authorities and others to work together to understand why violent crime is taking place in their area and then to formulate and implement a strategy for tackling these drivers of serious violence. These strategies must be published by 31 January 2024.

The statutory guidance will also be reviewed a year after its publication, to ensure that it incorporates insight on how the new Duty is working in practice.

To protect the public and police officers and to give communities confidence that they are being policed fairly, the Home Office will support the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council by autumn 2024 to review and deliver any necessary improvements to police officer training in de-escalation skills and conflict management in everyday police-citizen encounters, such as use of stop and search and use of force powers.

The new College of Policing Public and Personal Safety Training Curriculum, including de-escalation and communication skills and associated training products, is being made available to all forces since 1 April 2023 and will provide nationally consistent standards of training and delivery.

To improve transparency and promote uptake, the Home Office will identify and seek to remove unnecessary barriers that prevent increased use of body-worn video ( BWV ) and will encourage policing bodies to share guidance and best practice on the use of BWV .

The Home Office, with policing partners, will also explore how best to facilitate the sharing of BWV footage with local scrutiny panels, in order to improve the scrutiny of police decision-making and improve the understanding of legitimate police use of powers such as stop and search. This will feed into the new framework for scrutinising use of police powers that will be developed by summer 2023.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council issued updated guidance on the use of BWV in October 2022. This included best practice protocols.

Delivery of the community scrutiny framework is well underway. The framework will have a revised focus on the role of PCCs to lead community scrutiny processes within force areas. The parallel work in relation to barriers to the use of BWV will feed into the framework.

To give greater clarity and context to stop and search data, and reassure the public about its use, RDU will work with the Home Office, OSR and ONS to improve the way this data is reported and to enable more accurate comparisons to be made between different police force areas.

The latest annual stop and search data was published in October 2022 (with updated ethnicity analysis based on the 2021 Census estimates published in March 2023). This included additional analysis and outputs, including disparity analysis by force, new disparity analysis by reason for search, additional hotspot (areas of high stop and search activity) analysis and the relationship between stop and search and deprivation, as well as, for the first time, data on stop and searches at Community Safety Partnership level. This was accompanied by a new, experimental, data-query tool to allow users to carry out their own bespoke analysis of stop and search data.

The Home Office and RDU will work with policing partners and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners to consider a range of metrics for stop and search rates in order to identify and, where necessary, challenge disparities at police force area level. To be clear, a higher rate should not automatically be regarded as a problem, but the reasons should be transparent and explicable to local communities.

The annual stop and search statistics published in October included, for the first time, new ‘quadrant analysis’ comparing the overall rate of stop and search for the black, Asian, mixed and other ethnic groups in comparison to white individuals, for all 43 police forces. This allows comparisons to be made between police force areas. We are considering next steps with this work, including how we link this to the new national framework for scrutinising the use of police powers such as stop and search.

We will address the challenges with ethnicity pay gap reporting to support employers who want to demonstrate and drive greater fairness in the workplace.

BEIS will publish guidance to employers on voluntary ethnicity pay reporting in summer 2022. This guidance, which will include case studies of those companies who are already reporting, will give employers the tools to understand and tackle pay gaps within their organisations and build trust with employees.

We have published alongside this report new guidance for employers to help them collect their employees’ ethnicity data, make ethnicity pay calculations, analyse and understand the results and consider evidence-based actions to address any identified disparities.

To close the gap in pay between different ethnic groups working within NHS England, we will commission a new Ethnicity Pay Gap research project. The project will consider the scale and causes of the ethnicity pay gap across the NHS and produce actionable recommendations on how to reduce it.

NHS England is developing an NHS Equality, Diversity and Inclusion workforce plan which will include specific actions and expectations to embed inclusive and fair recruitment and promotion practices in organisations, to address under-representation and talent management across all protected characteristics.

As part of this work, NHS England has been collecting data on the ethnicity pay gap and is currently analysing this to establish their understanding of the pay gap for all ethnic minority staff working in the NHS. The analysis stage is due to be completed by summer 2023. This will include looking at total earnings, contracted hours worked and paid, the progression rate between different pay bands and the differences across different staff groups.

As part of its new assessment framework, and to ensure that healthcare providers are held to account for why ethnic disparities exist in their workforce, the CQC will be assessing how providers are addressing the experiences, progression and disciplinary actions in respect of ethnic minority staff in their workforce. Once the CQC has evaluated how this new framework has been implemented over 2022 to 2023, DHSC will carefully consider whether the concerns raised in the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities’ report have been addressed.

The CQC has made good progress in developing its approach to workforce race equality in NHS Trusts including:

• use of data: CQC continues to work with NHSE to obtain improved information around NHS Trust performance on Workforce Race Equality Standards (WRES) and Workforce Disability Equality Standards (WDES)
• the development of escalation of concerns: CQC has been bringing issues to the Workforce Equality Risk and Oversight Group (WEROG) discussion and where action is needed it has been taken
• quality control of inspection reporting: CQC has reviewed its oversight of inspection reports to look at ways to improve reporting on workforce equality issues following NHS inspections – a robust system of quality checking NHS inspection reports for workforce equality content began in early January 2023, and CQC is working to develop this in other sectors
• developing refinement of approach to using staff experience: CQC has carried out a survey of frontline staff in health and social care about approaches to gathering their feedback more effectively (staff experience framework), CQC’s approach to developing feedback mechanisms will be built on the results of this survey

The evaluation timelines for the new framework are yet to be decided, but a provisional timescale is an interim evaluation in June 2024 with a fuller review in December 2024.

To reduce the gap in health outcomes and tackle current health disparities, DHSC will publish a new strategy in a health disparities white paper for England later in 2022.

In January 2023, the Health Secretary announced that in consultation with NHS England and other government departments, DHSC will develop and publish a new Major Conditions Strategy.

The Strategy will set out a strong and coherent policy agenda that sets out a shift to integrated, whole-person care, building on measures taken forward through the NHS Long Term Plan. The strategy will tackle conditions that contribute most to morbidity and mortality across the population in England including, cancers, cardiovascular disease (CVD), including stroke and diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, dementia, mental ill health and musculoskeletal conditions. This work combines key commitments in mental health, cancer, dementia and health disparities into a single, powerful strategy.

To address concerns about the way medical devices and technologies are designed and used, and their impact on ethnic minority patients’ diagnosis and treatment, DHSC will consider carefully the findings of Professor Dame Margaret Whitehead’s review when this reports in 2023.

The Independent Review on Equity in Medical Devices held a Call for Evidence (CfE) between 11 August and 6 October 2022. The aim of this was to collect existing data and evidence, information on ongoing data collection and research or evaluation projects, as well as views and insights from the general public. The CfE had a wide audience, including but not limited to academics, researchers, patients and members of the general public.

An interim Report was submitted to DHSC in late 2022.This set out the approach the Panel is taking to fulfil its terms of reference. The report provided an overview of findings to date, and included examples of draft high-level recommendations to give an idea of the direction of travel.

The Independent Review Panel has also commissioned several experts and academics to prepare reports on the topics pertinent to the Review and are regularly engaging with key stakeholders, including MHRA, NICE, Health Technology Assessment Groups, different organisations within the NHS, industry representatives, academics and healthcare professionals.

A series of thematic roundtables is currently underway to discuss draft recommendations with key stakeholders.

The Review is on track to report later this year.

To improve life expectancy across all groups and to reduce health inequalities, DHSC established OHID in October 2021. OHID is leading cross-government work to address the causes of health inequalities (such as deprivation, tobacco, alcohol, diet and physical inactivity) which often disproportionately affect certain ethnic groups, and on the health disparities white paper. OHID ’s mission is to improve and level up the health of the nation.

OHID is leading work across government to address the causes of health disparities, such as continuing to help people to quit smoking, reducing overall drug use and tackling obesity. This includes commissioning a number of research projects through the NIHR . One such project is looking at drug use within ethnic minority groups and is due to conclude in August. This will help us understand the prevalence of drug use amongst ethnic minority groups, as well as how we can improve the available treatment.

To improve maternal health outcomes for ethnic minority women, DHSC , the new OHID and NHS England and NHS Improvement will consider and support evidence-based interventions to address the current disparities in outcomes through the Maternity Disparities Taskforce.

The Maternal Disparities Taskforce was established in February 2022 to tackle disparities for mothers and babies by improving access to effective pre-conception and maternity care for women from ethnic minorities and those living in the most deprived areas.

The Taskforce met 3 times in 2022. The sessions facilitated a valuable discussion around the role of primary care in the preconception health of women and provided organisations such as Birthrights UK and the Muslim Women’s Network with the opportunity to present their research and understanding of women’s experience of maternity care to clinical leaders.

The Taskforce will meet again this month.

To reduce the health disparities we have seen during the pandemic, the government will implement the package of recommendations from the Minister for Equalities’ final COVID-19 disparities report, published on 3 December 2021.

There were 17 recommendations in the final COVID-19 disparities report. Four of these became actions in Inclusive Britain (recommendations 5, 6, 15 and 16, which are now actions 21, 24, 5 and 7 respectively). Four of the remaining recommendations have been completed. This includes recommendation 7 (the government should continue to monitor the impacts of COVID-19 by ethnicity) as the latest data from the ONS suggests that during the Omicron period, we no longer see evidence of ethnic minority groups having a statistically significantly higher COVID-19 mortality rate compared with the white British group. Work continues to deliver the remaining 9 recommendations.

To build confidence in future vaccination schemes and other health interventions, the NIHR and the NHS Race and Health Observatory will seek to increase ethnic minority participation in clinical trials and research through methods such as promoting the INCLUDE Ethnicity Framework.

A significant amount of activity to promote, disseminate and adopt the framework has taken place over the last year through the NIHR ’s Under-served Communities Programme, which seeks to ensure that research studies are delivered where the need is greatest.

In addition, a Memorandum of Understanding between NIHR and the NHS Race and Health Observatory is in draft to strengthen and support a shared mission to identify opportunities to increase ethnic minority participation in clinical trials and research.

The NIHR has also published its first randomised controlled trial data report , which includes some initial data on the diversity of its research participants. This found that the diversity of NIHR ’s randomised controlled trial participants is in line with the diversity of the 2011 census population.

Work continues in this area including improving inclusion in research by mandating inclusion strategies for all NIHR ’s funded research infrastructure and improving NIHR diversity data collection, extending parameters to include all 9 protected characteristics, and socio-economic factors.

The Children’s Commissioner for England will commence a review in April 2022 to improve the way public services understand the needs of children and families, so every child has the best start in life and the opportunity to reach their full potential.

The Children’s Commissioner has published Part 1 and Part 2 of the Independent Family Review which contains 23 recommendations for the government. Alongside these 2 substantive reports, the Children’s Commissioner has published 3 reports examining particular barriers to improving services, 3 reports focused on families in particular circumstances and 7 additional annexes covering specific pieces of new research. The recommendations in these reports are designed to improve support for children and families, so that every child has the opportunity to reach their potential. We are now considering these recommendations carefully and will respond in due course.

To increase the number of ethnic minority children who are adopted, and to reduce the time they have to wait to be adopted, DfE , together with RAAs , will work to launch a new drive to match children with adoptive families. DfE will work to ensure that potential adopters are not discouraged to apply because of their ethnicity.

Since 2019, we have funded a national recruitment campaign to find more adoptive parents, with a particular focus on prospective ethnic minority parents. RAAs have set up projects to trial outreach ambassadors to support ethnic minority adopters, and embed learning from the Black Adopters Project (see above).

In line with commitments in the adoption strategy, DfE will start to modernise data collection and information sharing so that RAA leaders have access to data which can be used to speed up matching of ethnic minority children with new adoptive families.

DfE continues to improve data collection and information sharing with RAA leaders to help target activity where it is most needed. For example, DfE has targeted recruitment for adopters who could adopt children who currently wait the longest, which includes black boys who wait the longest out of all ethnic minority children. DfE has also gone further and funded 12 matching pilots to trial innovative practice and reduce waiting times for children who typically wait the longest. Increasingly, we are setting up new procedures so that RAA leaders have access to national data which can be used to improve processes and ultimately, the delivery of services to children and their families.

To improve the existing evidence base, RDU will work with DfE and other stakeholders to develop and publish, in 2022, a strategy to improve the quality and availability of ethnicity data and evidence about looked-after children and their routes out of care.

The looked-after children data strategy has been published alongside this report. It sets out what data is available, areas more data is required and the priority pieces of work that DfE will lead.

To drive up levels of attainment for under-performing ethnic groups, DfE will carry out a programme of analysis in early 2022 to understand pupil attainment and investigate whether there are any specific findings and implications for different ethnic groups to tackle disparities.

DfE has collated and published 2 evidence notes on outcomes by ethnicity both in schools and after leaving school. This thorough review of the evidence has identified where ethnicity is a significant factor in the outcomes of children and young people, drawing out central narrative themes that run across the education system.

Outcomes by ethnicity in schools in England findings include:

• socio-economic disadvantage varies by ethnicity
• white British pupils, on average, make less progress than their nonwhite peers during their time in school
• pupils with black Caribbean heritage and pupils with white Gypsy and Roma and Irish Traveller backgrounds are more likely to have poor attainment than white British pupils
• economically disadvantaged pupils are more likely to have lower attainment and make less progress than pupils who aren’t economically disadvantaged
• when economic disadvantage is partially accounted for by controlling for free school meals (FSM) eligibility, disadvantaged white and mixed white/black Caribbean pupils on average have worse outcomes than other disadvantaged pupils
• among pupils who are not FSM eligible, pupils of black Caribbean heritage and white Gypsy and Roma and Irish Traveller pupils have worse average attainment outcomes than other pupils
• pupils with black Caribbean heritage are more likely to be excluded than their peers, even once disadvantage been controlled for

Post-16 education outcomes by ethnicity in England findings include:

• nearly all pupils go into employment, additional education or training following KS4, as required by law – this is true across ethnic groups, with the exception of Gypsy, Roma and Irish Traveller pupils
• pupils from a black Caribbean background are less likely to be in employment, education, or training than the national average
• A-level pupils in Pakistani, Bangladeshi and all black groups are less likely to get top results than their peers from other ethnic groups
• entry rates to higher education are more than twice as high for students in the Chinese ethnic group compared to white students
• Asian and black pupils are twice as likely to attend a lower tariff university as white pupils
• students from Asian and black African backgrounds are most likely to study ‘high earnings potential subjects’ at university
• white British pupils opt out of higher education and into apprenticeships at higher rates than their peers

These findings will inform future policy decisions.

DfE also undertakes ad hoc analysis and literature reviews on the pathways different groups take through the education system and to explore the drivers of divergence across the education sector. For example, analysis for post-16 education and labour market activities, pathways and outcomes includes split by ethnicity. A dashboard has also been created which allows individuals to observe differences in earnings trajectories and main activities over time by minor ethnic group (and other comparators). [footnote 17]

DfE and RDU will investigate the strategies used by the multi-academy trusts who are most successful at bridging achievement gaps for different ethnic groups and raising overall life chances. The lessons learnt will be published in 2022 and will help drive up standards for all pupils.

In January 2023 DfE commissioned Isos Partnership to complete research to better understand what actions have been taken by trusts and individual academies to narrow attainment gaps between different ethnic groups (including white British pupils).

The research has been commissioned on a small scale initially, focused on the secondary phase. The specific aims of the research are to:

• identify whether there is hard or soft evidence of effective practices in schools and trusts whose data shows they have a narrow or narrowed attainment gaps between different ethnic groups
• report good practice and illustrate with case studies that can be used by other schools and trusts to help reduce attainment gaps
• seek views on any other contextual influences (at school or trust level or externally) which are identified as influencing attainment by different ethnic minority groups

The research is underway, and will involve discussions with national education stakeholder organisations, school and multi-academy trust leaders. A report setting out the key findings from the research, as well as any case studies of effective practice, will be finalised by summer 2023.

DfE will investigate the publication of additional data on the academic performance of ethnic groups alongside other critical factors relating to social mobility and progress at school level, in post-18 education and employment after education by the end of 2022.

DfE continues to improve the available data on academic performance.

To improve analyses on destination measures (which show the percentage of pupils going to an education, apprenticeship or employment destination after completing key stage 4 and 16 to 18 study), DfE have recently added cross tabulations between disadvantage and ethnicity, gender, and prior attainment.

DfE will continue to make improvements and explore the feasibility of introducing additional data in 2023 including:

• ethnicity breakdowns at local authority level for destination measures
• ethnicity minor for key stage 1 and phonics or the multiplication tables check at local authority or regional level
• ethnicity minor breakdowns at local authority level at key stage 4 performance

DfE has considered publishing additional data on the performance of ethnic groups at school level. DfE ’s policy is not to publish data based on less than 6 pupils to protect the confidentiality of those pupils. At institution level, this would apply to a significant number of ethnic minority groups and so a large amount of data would have to be suppressed. While attainment data itself is not sensitive, it is when combined with other characteristics as that could lead to a pupil being identified. This could then harm a student’s prospects, for example when seeking job opportunities.

DfE will bring forward an ambitious schools white paper in spring 2022 which will set out a long-term vision for a stronger school’s system. There will be a focus on improving the literacy and numeracy outcomes of those not meeting expected standards because this is one of the most important factors for children’s life chances. Disadvantaged pupils are overrepresented in the cohort not meeting expected standards. A core pillar of the white paper will be providing targeted support for those who need it most, especially the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. We will also look at ways we can target interventions in areas and schools of entrenched underperformance.

We published the schools white paper in March 2022.

Disadvantaged pupils are overrepresented in the cohort not meeting expected standards. A core pillar of the white paper provides targeted support for those who need it most, especially the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. It also targets interventions in areas and schools of entrenched underperformance.

Since publishing the white paper, we have worked to deliver our commitments and have made progress in working towards our headline ambitions for 2030.

In order to tackle disparities in educational outcomes for disadvantaged groups and to ensure that funding streams sufficiently address pupil needs, from September 2021 DfE has required all schools to publish their strategies for spending money allocated for disadvantaged pupils through the pupil premium and the recovery premium. The funding grant conditions require these strategies to be built around well-evidenced approaches, such as classroom practice that has consistently demonstrated accelerated pupil progress. DfE will not have ethnicity-based funding streams unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Schools are now required to publish an annual pupil premium strategy statement, explaining how they plan to spend the pupil premium, and demonstrating that their approach is informed by research evidence, including the Education Endowment Foundation’s guidance. [footnote 18]

Activities in the strategy statement should include those that:

• support the quality of teaching
• provide targeted academic support, such as tutoring
• tackle non-academic barriers to success in school, such as attendance, behaviour, and social and emotional support

This will support schools to develop their pupil premium strategy based on the best evidence and improve outcomes for disadvantaged students.

DfE is reviewing a sample of the annual pupil premium statements in early 2023 to build its understanding of how schools are planning to use their funding.

To maximise the benefits of the pupil premium for disadvantaged pupils, DfE amended the pupil premium conditions of grant for the 2021 to 2022 academic year to require all schools to use their funding on evidence-based approaches. To the extent possible, DfE will investigate the scale of these benefits.

From academic year 2022 to 2023, schools are required to use their pupil premium in line with a ‘menu of approaches’ which has been informed by evidence of effective practice.

The menu is designed to help schools to spend their pupil premium effectively and will help them to:

• ensure the activities they have selected are focussed on raising disadvantaged pupils’ attainment
• balance their spending – the Education Endowment Foundation recommends that schools spend around half of their funding on high-quality teaching, and the other half between targeted academic support and wider strategies

DfE will take action to improve the quality of education outside mainstream schools. These proposals are part of the forthcoming schools white paper and the SEND review and measures will be announced in 2022 to deliver significantly improved outcomes for children and young people at risk of being excluded from school or who are in Alternative Provision.

The government’s SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan, published on 2 March 2023, sets out further how we will be taking forward our reforms to improve alternative provision. The improvement plan  commits to establishing new national standards – across education, health, and care – with the aim of driving fair and consistent identification, assessment and support, no matter where a child or young person lives or is educated. As part of this, through our SEND and Alternative Provision Change Programme we will test how local authorities and alternative provision schools can best work together to deliver a system that is based on early provision of support for children while still in mainstream schools, reducing admissions to alternative provision schools. This will be supported by wider work to drive improvements across the alternative provision sector.

We expect to publish the analysis of our call for evidence on the use of unregistered alternative provision later in 2023.

DfE will consult on and publish new and improved guidance on behaviour in schools and on suspensions and permanent exclusions in 2022. Both sets of guidance will help local leaders identify and address any disparities that might exist within suspension and permanent exclusion rates.

In July 2022 we published updated guidance on Behaviour in Schools and Suspension and Permanent Exclusion statutory guidance following a consultation in the spring of 2022. These documents provide further clarity and support to head teachers on how to manage behaviour well so they can provide calm, safe and supportive environments which children and young people want to attend.

DfE will launch a £30 million, 3-year programme to set up new SAFE (Support, Attend, Fulfil and Exceed) taskforces led by mainstream schools to deliver evidence-based interventions for those most at risk of becoming involved in serious violent crime. These will run in 10 serious violence hotspots from early 2022 targeted at young people at risk of dropping out of school: reducing truancy, improving behaviour and reducing the risk of NEET.

SAFE (Support, Attend, Fulfil and Exceed) Taskforces have been set up in the 10 local areas of England most affected by serious youth violence. Led by mainstream schools, the Taskforces are now working with local partners to commission, fund and deliver interventions (such as mentoring and social skills programmes) for children at risk of becoming involved in serious violence.

DfE will invest £15 million in a 2 year-programme to pilot the impact of co-locating full-time specialists in Alternative Provision in the top 22 serious violence hotspots.

The Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforce ( APST ) pilot went live on 1 November 2021 testing co-location of a diverse specialist workforce in pilot alternative provision schools. ASPTs are delivering in 22 serious violence hotspots.

We announced in the SEND and alternative provision improvement plan that we have extended funding of the pilot programme until March 2025.

To enable more grassroots, ethnic minority-led and specialist, voluntary or community sector organisations to provide rehabilitative services, the MoJ launched a new Stewardship Fund for 2021 to 2022. We will also provide advice and support to help these organisations bid for funding and following an evaluation of the impact of the stewardship fund we will assess if funding provision can be made on a longer-term basis.

An evaluation of the Stewardship fund has been carried out which has provided HM Prisons and Probation Service with an understanding of the impact of the initiatives procured through the fund.  Recommendations from this evaluation will inform the future status for this fund which is due for review this year. There is an ongoing commitment to working with the third sector going forward. How this is financed, resourced and organised is currently under review.

To ensure that ethnic minorities and others receive the legal advice they need when in police custody, the MoJ will support a number of police forces to trial the effect of an automatic ‘opt-in’ to receive independent advice over 2022 and to build trust to see if this reduces disparities. This will assess whether better advice could lead to improved outcomes following arrest, such as better protection of vulnerable individuals, and increased take up of Out of Court Disposals.

MoJ’s full response to the Criminal Legal Aid Independent Review (CLAIR) consultation was published in November 2022. This proposed using data from the Presumption of Legal Advice (PoLA) schemes to review what the initiative could look like if rolled out for all children nationally.

The MoJ is continuing to play an active role in supporting the ongoing schemes.

To tackle the disproportionate criminalisation of young adults, who are often from ethnic minority and/or deprived backgrounds, we have begun to pilot a number of drug diversion schemes through Project ADDER which have the long-term potential to transform the way we tackle drug-related crime and engagement with youth at risk. We have extended Project ADDER to 8 additional local authority areas, as announced in July 2021. We will also explore ongoing current drug diversion schemes and share what works with other areas.

We are capturing the learning from Project ADDER and sharing this with partners to inform local services of good practice when implementing a whole-system approach including drug diversion programmes.

In addition, Kantar Public is currently undertaking an independent evaluation of Project ADDER and is due to report in late 2023.

To ensure that more people using illegal drugs receive a relevant and proportionate consequence, the Home Office will support a number of police forces with £9 million in funding to introduce, or expand, out of court disposal schemes from summer 2022.

In July 2022 the Home Office consulted on a white paper ‘Swift, Certain, Tough: New Consequences for Drug Possession’ which outlined a new tiered approach to drug possession offences. Consultation responses to these proposals are currently being considered and will shape our future drug policy.

A pilot scheme exploring the expansion of out of court disposals for drug possession offences will focus on expanding the use of existing policing powers, focused on the most visible drug possession offences. The pilot will build on existing powers and seek to understand how effective drug awareness courses can be in changing behaviour, and also ensure police are encouraged to tackle drug misuse in public places

To empower pupils to make more informed choices about their studies, DfE will ensure that higher education institutions support disadvantaged students before they apply for university places.

Following the refresh of the access and participation regime announced by the DfE in November 2021, all higher education providers with an A&P plan are being asked to rewrite and renegotiate their plans with the OfS to include a new focus on raising aspiration and improving attainment for students before they apply to higher education.

This work is being led by the Director for Fair Access and Participation at the Office for Students (OfS). The OfS is currently working with the sector to identify 40 ‘pioneer’ higher education  providers who will be the first to revise their plans and put them in place for September 2024. All other  providers will have their revised plans in place for September 2025.

In the interim, the OfS has invited providers to vary their current A&P   to include a focus on these new priorities to encourage faster progress. Over 250 higher education providers submitted variations to their plans to the OfS, which will be in place for September 2024.

DfE will work with UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) and other sector groups to make available both advertised and actual entry requirements for courses, including historic entry grades so that disadvantaged students have the information they need to apply to university on a fair playing field.

In May 2023, UCAS will launch the student-facing version of its ‘Historic Entry Grades Tool’, allowing students to access course-level information on the grades students held when entering higher education. The launch of this service will significantly increase the transparency around university entry requirements, supporting more informed choices and raising aspirations.

In February 2023 a new partnership between UCAS and DfE was also announced that will allow students to access apprenticeship opportunities alongside higher education choices from autumn 2023. From 2024, students will also be able to apply for these opportunities alongside their undergraduate degree application.

UCAS will also launch an Outreach Connection Service in 2023, which will raise awareness of the full range of outreach and support available to students, helping overcome challenges with awareness and access.

Higher education providers will help schools drive up standards so that disadvantaged students obtain better qualifications, have more options, and can choose an ambitious path that is right for them.

The Office for Students (OfS) consulted with the sector in autumn 2022 on changes to A&P plans to include a new prioritisation of attainment-raising interventions in schools and offering and promoting diverse pathways through higher education, including courses at levels 4 and 5, part-time courses, and degree apprenticeships. It is expected that this new focus will support the long-term continuation, attainment and outcomes of students through improving preparedness for higher education and expanding the range of high-quality choices for post-18 study and training.

The OfS published its consultation response in March 2023, alongside new guidance for higher education providers on revising their A&P plans. The OfS also launched its new Equality of Opportunity Risk Register, which will empower providers to deliver interventions for groups of students least likely to experience equal opportunity in higher education settings by highlighting key sector risks and the groups most likely to experience these.

Over 250 providers submitted requests to vary their current plans in line with new A&P priorities, and these changes will start to be put in place from next academic year (2023 to 2024).

Higher education providers will revise and resubmit their Access and Participation plans with a new focus on delivering real social mobility, ensuring students are able to make the right choices, accessing and succeeding on high quality courses, which are valued by employers and lead to good graduate employment.

Higher education providers drafted variations to their A&P plans  in May to July 2022 to be in place for September 2023. Rather than simply recruiting more disadvantaged students, this new approach aims to encourage providers to develop interventions that support successful participation and good graduate outcomes by raising aspirations and attainment in schools and colleges.

All registered higher education providers have been asked to revise their A&P plans to meet these priorities and the OfS is working with the sector to identify 40 ‘pioneer’ providers to be the first to carry out this work.  Pioneers’ plans should be in place from September 2024 with all other registered providers revising their plans for September 2025.

To improve careers guidance for all pupils in state-funded secondary education, DfE will extend the current statutory duty on schools to secure independent careers guidance to pupils throughout their secondary education.

Through the Education (Careers Guidance in Schools) Act 2022, the department has extended the legal requirement on state-funded secondary schools to secure independent careers guidance to all pupils throughout their secondary education. The act has been in force for 6 months.

To increase the numbers of young ethnic minorities in apprenticeships, DfE is, since November 2021, working with the Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) and partner bodies and employers to engage directly with young people across the country to promote apprenticeships. This will use a range of mechanisms to attract more ethnic minority starts identified in the Commission’s report, such as events in schools with strong minority representation, relatable role models, employer testimonies, data on potential earnings and career progression. It will also explore the impact of factors that influence a young persons’ career choices.

DfE has worked in recent years to transform apprenticeships so they are higher quality and better meet the needs of both employers and individuals of all backgrounds. DfE regularly publishes data on apprenticeships participation. In the last academic year, 2021 to 2022, the percentage of apprenticeship starts from ethnic minorities rose to 14.7%, up from 12.5% in the same period in 2018 to 2019.

Over the last year, DfE has continued to engage directly with young people across the country to promote apprenticeships through the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge (ASK) programme. DfE has engaged with over 600,000 young people in schools and Further Education colleges since September 2022. Engagement has included targeting schools in areas with high proportions of ethnic minority residents and adapting to the needs of local communities, for example by working with faith school imams to ensure parents are informed of the benefits of apprenticeships. DfE has also continued to work with DWP to deliver support to young people, including linking up the ASK programme and DWP ’s schools advisers and reaching out to new audiences to provide information on apprenticeships.

In January DfE launched a major communications campaign Get the Jump: Skills for Life, a new integrated communication and engagement campaign that will target young people aged 14 to 19 about the full range of options available to them post 16 and post 18. It will help to tackle disparities by featuring a diverse range of young people in the campaign imagery, through case studies, influencers and through media targeting. DfE will measure and publish participation levels of people from ethnic minorities, including a breakdown by age. This will allow us to track the progress of apprenticeship uptake by ethnic minorities and other under-represented groups in particular sectors.

We have reached out to young people through the Get the Jump campaign. The campaign launched in January 2022 and continues in 2023 with activity focused around key moments for young people, such as the new year ( UCAS deadline, National Apprenticeship Week, National Careers Week), results days in the summer, and the start of the academic year. A broad range of channels are used to reach young people, including radio, digital audio, tv-on-demand, cinema, billboards close to schools/colleges, posters and leaflets in schools, social media, gaming platforms, Google search. We have also established partnerships with organisations such as The Student Room, UCAS and Not Going to Uni. A series of case study videos have been produced, featuring a diverse range of young people.

Campaign channels have been chosen for their audience reach, which includes those from disadvantaged groups and areas. For example, we run video-on-demand adverts through Diversity, who specialise in a minority ethnic audience.

During the new year campaign burst (January to March 2023), 97% of 15 to 19 year olds from households with at least one non-white-British/Irish individual should see or hear Get the Jump adverts approximately 19 times.  In addition, 97% of 15 to 19 year olds from working class households should see or hear adverts approximately 23 times. Evaluation has so far shown ethnic minority audiences have good levels of campaign recognition and consideration of skills products. The Get the Jump content hub, hosted on the National Careers Service website, has become a trusted source of information for young people researching their next step. Users are from a broad spread of locations across England.

We plan to continue the campaign in 2023 to 2024 with a summer burst focused on signposting support for young people around results days. This will be followed by autumn and new year bursts.

To help high-achieving, disadvantaged students to reach their full potential whilst studying in higher education, including degree courses or apprenticeships, DfE will invest up to £75 million to deliver a state scholarship programme.

Our higher education policy statement and reform consultation , published last year, sought views on a range of issues including the National State Scholarship. The consultation closed in May and we are considering the responses to it. We will respond in due course.

To clamp down on low quality courses, the Office for Students will set minimum acceptable standards for student outcomes and work to ensure universities rewrite their Access and Participation Plans to include more focused and transparent targets.

Some ethnic minority students  are more likely to drop out of university and achieve lower levels of attainment. [footnote 19] Students from the Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Arab and black African Caribbean ethnic group are also more likely to earn less money after graduating than their white counterparts. [footnote 20] There are a number of factors which may potentially influence this, and this may vary between different higher education providers.

As part of our efforts to ensure that courses are of high quality and meet the needs of students and employers, OfS introduced revised conditions of registration for quality in 2022, ensuring that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers. These include new, more stringent minimum thresholds for student outcomes of degree continuation, completion and progression onto positive graduate destinations.

The government is consulting on means to incentivise high quality provision and ensure all students enter pathways on which they can excel and achieve the best possible outcomes, including exploring the case for low-level minimum eligibility requirements to access higher education student finance and the possible case for proportionate student number controls.

As part of the conclusion to the Review of Post-18 Education and Funding, we have announced reforms to our student loan system to put it on a fair and sustainable footing, and to ensure that higher education in England is open to everyone with the ability and the ambition to benefit from it.

The higher education policy statement and reform consultation also sought views on measures to improve outcomes for students, improve social mobility and tackle low quality provision.

The consultation closed in May, and we will respond to this in due course.

To help disadvantaged students to choose the right courses for them and to boost their employment prospects, the Social Mobility Commission will seek to improve the information available to students about the labour market value of qualifications and, where possible, the impact of those qualifications on social mobility.

In February 2023, the SMC published a report reviewing the evidence on the labour market value of qualifications in both higher education and further education. The report also sought to understand what information is currently available to students, and what they are actually accessing. Based on this research, the SMC has  identified potential next steps to improve the information available to students.

To unleash people’s potential, DWP will roll out a new in-work support offer to every Jobcentre from April 2022. The new programme will appoint 37 new specialist Progression Champions to deliver specialist support to Jobcentres and develop tailored progression plans to support working claimants to climb the career ladder.

The independent In-work Progression Commission’s report highlighted that certain ethnic minority groups are overrepresented in lower-skilled and lower paying occupations. It set out key actions to remove barriers to progression. We published a full response to the recommendations in December 2022, setting out how we are working to remove these barriers and promote career progression pathways.

Central to our response was DWP ’s new In-Work Progression offer for low paid Universal Credit claimants. This voluntary support offer is now live in all Jobcentres across Great Britain, with the 37 Progression Leads also in place.  We estimate that around 1.2m low-paid benefit claimants will be eligible for support to progress into higher-paid work. The offer is provided by work coaches and focuses on removing barriers to progression and providing advice, such as considering skills gaps and identifying training opportunities. This support is for people looking for progression opportunities in their current role or considering a move into a new role or sector.

To expand the impact of this support, the Chancellor announced at Autumn Statement 2022 that in future we will start to require that some claimants engage with this support.

BEIS will work with Code signatories and their trade associations to pilot data collection on the ethnicity of entrepreneurs applying for finance. This pilot will inform future options for data collection and follow-up actions designed to improve access to finance for ethnic minority entrepreneurs.

The Code partners – British Business Bank, UK Business Angels Association and the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association – have successfully completed the first pilot study. Over 50% of angel networks and venture capital signatories invited to participate in the pilot study have submitted ethnicity data related to over 1,000 investment decisions taken in 2021. This showed a clear willingness from Code signatories to collect and provide this data.

The number of signatories providing equity finance has since increased by almost 50% (75 as of January 2021 to 162 as of January 2023). The Code partners have therefore invited existing and new signatories to share ethnicity data relating to investment decisions taken in 2022, with the aim to publish a robust set of findings, combining data from 2 years, and clear recommendations for the wider industry to increase investment in diverse entrepreneurs in summer 2023.

Alongside the publication, Code partners will hold a roundtable with the business angel and venture capital industry later this year, to discuss the report’s recommendations, including those organisations who did not take participate in the study

To equip entrepreneurs from underrepresented backgrounds with the skills they need to build successful businesses, BEIS is supporting HSBC to develop and launch its pilot for a competition-based, entrepreneur support programme in spring 2022. The programme, which will be run in partnership with UK universities, will equip entrepreneurs with the skills they need for years to come.

The ‘Student Incubator Programme’ has seen HSBC support ethnic minority students from Aston University, University of Bedfordshire, De Montfort University, University of East London, and Kingston University to bring their commercial aspirations to life. Two students from each university were carefully selected to take part in the 12-week pilot course designed by Start Up Discovery School. They received 1:1 mentoring from UK CMB Relationship Directors, access to HSBC UK customer webinars, and some financial support to help them develop their business ideas, as well as a programme of training support and access to external entrepreneurial mentors. All students were then invited to a ‘demo day’ in July to pitch to a judging panel for grant funding and showcase the skills they learnt throughout the course. Each student shared their start-up idea during the event, which all sought to solve a challenge or problem that reflects the reality of people from under-represented backgrounds.

To help pupils understand the intertwined nature of British and global history, and their own place within it, DfE will work with history curriculum experts, historians and school leaders to develop a Model History curriculum by 2024 that will stand as an exemplar for a knowledge-rich, coherent approach to the teaching of history.

The Model History Curriculum will support high-quality teaching and help teachers and schools to develop their own school curriculum fully using the flexibility and freedom of the history national curriculum and the breadth and depth of content it includes. The development of model knowledge-rich curriculums continues the path of reform the government started in 2010.

DfE appointed an Expert Panel in July 2022 to lead work on a new Model History Curriculum. The Panel, chaired by Dr Michael Kandiah, comprises history curriculum experts, historians and school leaders. The new model curriculum, which is on track for publication in 2024, will stand as an exemplar for a knowledge-rich, coherent approach to the teaching of history, and will cover the major contributions made by different groups that have made this country the one it is today.

DfE will actively seek out and signpost to schools suggested high-quality resources to support teaching all-year round on black history in readiness for Black History Month October 2022. This will help support schools to share the multiple, nuanced stories of the contributions made by different groups that have made this country the one it is today.

DfE signposted resources to schools through a blog post on the Education Hub . Last year’s theme was ‘Sharing Journeys’, exploring the lives and stories of the people who came to Britain in the 19th and 20th centuries and helped lay the foundations of today’s diverse society. The blog post provided links to a number of useful sites including the Historical Association, BBC Bitesize, the National Archives, Oak National Academy and the Royal Mint, who worked with the West India Committee to create a black British history pack titled ‘Diversity Built Britain’.

To equip teachers to make ethical decisions and deliver high-quality education, DfE will embed new reforms to transform the training and support teachers and school leaders receive at every stage of their career. These measures include national roll-out of the new Early Career Framework and reformed National Professional Qualifications from September 2021.

The Early Career Framework (ECF) introduced in September 2021 supports early career teachers to develop their understanding of maintaining fair and inclusive school environments which enable young people to thrive. This is supplemented by a reformed suite of National Professional Qualifications ( NPQs ) to provide training and support for teachers and school leaders at all levels to improve outcomes for young people, including a specialist NPQ in Leading Behaviour and Culture which focuses upon the skills and knowledge required to have a positive impact on the wellbeing, motivation and behaviour of their pupils and create a school culture of high-expectations. The national roll-out of the new Early Careers Teacher induction, underpinned by the ECF, is part way through a 3-year process evaluation by the institute for Employment Studies and BMG Research.

In the academic year 2021 to 2022, 26,927 early career teachers started a provider-led ECF-based induction programme which represents 93% of early career teachers. Furthermore, in the academic year 2021 to 2022 a total of 29,425 funded NPQs were started by teachers and leaders.

DfE will, in collaboration with the Equality Hub, work with leading schools to help them create a resource on pupil hairstyles and uniform policy. This will showcase best practice in uniform policy specific to the diversity of acceptable hairstyles in school to avoid unfair treatment of ethnic minority children whose hair type may not be like the majority.

In October 2022, the Equality and Human Rights Commission issued guidance for schools on preventing hair discrimination. This resource, which includes case studies, a decision-making tool, and a video explainer, is available on the EHRC website. DfE will use its regular engagement with schools to monitor how the guidance has been received and will develop additional support if needed in this area.

To help all pupils, but especially the most disadvantaged who are more likely to have fallen further behind in their studies during the pandemic, DfE will invest almost £5 billion to support recovery for children and young people, with extra help for those who need it most. We are investing over £800 million across the next 3 academic years to fund 40 additional learning hours for 16 to 19 year olds – the equivalent of one extra hour per week in school or college.

We have already invested nearly £1 billion directly to schools through:

• our catch-up premium (£650 million) in 2020 to 2021 academic year
• the recovery premium (more than £300 million) in academic year 2021 to 2022 – a further £1 billion is being provided directly to schools via the recovery premium in academic years 2022 to 2023, and 2023 to 2024

We continue to invest in the National Tutoring Programme, which as of 6 October 2022 has delivered nearly 3 million courses since November 2020. From September 2022, we also started funding an additional 40 hours across the academic year for 16 to 18 year old students, equivalent to 1 extra hour per week.

We will develop refreshed guidance on Civil Service diversity and inclusion, with clear advice on impartiality in language and practice.

The UK Civil Service supports the UK government, Scottish Government and Welsh Government. We will work closely with the Northern Ireland Civil Service in delivering this action.

We are issuing guidance alongside this report. It is intended to support civil servants working on diversity and inclusion issues, and in particular to ensure that all perspectives are discussed in an objective way whilst meeting obligations under the Civil Service code. This includes avoiding the promotion of partisan political views or presenting contested theories as fact. The guidance also sets out how to ensure impartiality in use of language and communications, and how to ensure training materials and events (including use of external speakers) do not undermine the obligations under the Civil Service code.

DfE will encourage governing bodies to be more reflective of the school communities they serve and will recommend that schools collect and publish board diversity data at a local level. DfE will also update the Further Education Governance Guide in spring 2022 to include how to remove barriers to representation, widen the pool of potential volunteers and promote inclusivity.

We published governance guidance for further education (FE) and sixth-form college corporations in June 2022. The guidance reinforces our advice on how best to recruit governors and senior leaders, the importance of diversity and inclusion, and reflects recent changes to statutory and funding requirements.

We have published alongside this report guidance on GOV.UK, which encourages schools [footnote 21] and trust governing bodies [footnote 22] to collate and publish their boards’ diversity data.

To help police forces become more representative of their local communities, and benefit from local knowledge and experience, the Home Office, working with the College of Policing, will consider with individual forces measures to ensure that new recruits have a better understanding of the areas and the people they serve, including the feasibility of a local residency requirement where appropriate.

At 31 December 2022 16,753 additional officers have been recruited in England and Wales through the Police Uplift Programme, 84% of the target of 20,000 additional officers by March 2023.

Since April 2020 there has been a total of 34,647 new recruits to police forces in England and Wales. Of these, 3,825 identified as ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities), equating to 11.5%. This is an improvement on the 10.3% reported in the annual police workforce statistics for the year ending 31 March 2020 (during the early stages of the PUP).

As part of the programme, we have also delivered a diversity support package to forces, which helps them to understand how representative their workforces are of the local population, and what more they may need to do to make any necessary improvements.

To ensure that the recruitment processes identify and select officers who are reflective of the needs of local communities, the Metropolitan Police Service, working with the College of Policing, is considering additional methods for assessing candidates’ understanding of those needs and will announce its plans later in 2022. Changes would be delivered via a pilot that will be evaluated by the College, with a view to applying learning to its ongoing development of the assessment process.

The College of Policing and the Metropolitan Police Service are continuing to work together to support improvements to recruitment and selection processes.

Additionally, to benefit from a consistent approach which can be reviewed and assured nationally, the College has confirmed its intention to embed the end-to-end recruitment standard into guidance. This presents the next opportunity to review recruitment processes and ensure that they are robust and supportive of wider ambitions,for example, ensuring forces can continue to recruit more diverse officers.

To protect police officers and others when exercising their functions, we will double the maximum penalty for common assault or battery committed against an emergency worker from 12 months to 2 years’ imprisonment.

The relevant provision in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 (section 156) came into force last summer and is now effective in relation to convictions on or after 28 June 2022. This will help to address concerns raised by the Sewell Commission about assaults against police officers from an ethnic minority background.

To broaden the diversity of the judiciary, we will work with the Judicial Diversity Forum to increase the pool of applicants as well as continuing to scrutinise recruitment processes to ensure the very best talent is promoted through the professions and on to the bench. This includes delivering MoJ’s commitments set out in the 2022 action plan.

The MoJ  funds 2 initiatives to increase judicial diversity. The Pre-Application Judicial Educational programme supports eligible lawyers from under-represented groups, including those from an ethnic minority background, who are considering applying for a judicial appointment. The other scheme is the Judicial Appointments Commission’s Targeted Outreach programme which provides support for key selection exercises as a pipeline to senior judicial appointments. More detail about these schemes can be found in the ‘Improve judicial diversity’ section.

In January 2023, the judiciary published an update to their Judicial Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2020 to 2025, setting out progress on their actions.

To broaden the diversity of the magistracy, the MoJ is investing over £1 million this financial year to support the recruitment of new and diverse magistrates, and launched a revised, streamlined recruitment process and inclusive recruitment campaign earlier this year. The new process will enable MoJ to better monitor recruitment information, understand any differences in attraction and success rates between ethnic groups and to identify action to address any issues highlighted by this data. An evaluation of this process will be conducted in 2022.

As of 31 October 2022, 4,321 individuals had applied to join the magistracy following the launch of the magistrate recruitment campaign in January 2022. Of these applicants, 96% disclosed their ethnicity and of this, 22% were from an ethnic minority background. Judicial diversity statistics that will be published in July 2023 will include more detailed diversity data on magistrates, including applications and appointments.

To tackle bias and ensure fairness in the workplace, by spring 2023 the Equality Hub will create an ‘Inclusion at Work Panel’. Made up of a panel of academics and practitioners in business it will develop and disseminate effective resources to help employers drive fairness across organisations. This will go beyond just race and ethnicity to identify actions to promote fairness for all in the workplace and will include a programme of research and workplace trials to provide a robust evidence base and root out poor quality training.

The panel will be supported by the Government Campus, specifically the new Leadership College for Government, to ensure the Government Curriculum defines effective leadership and management standards and products. The UK Civil Service and public sector employers will lead by example in adopting evidence-based practices and trialling new approaches.

Work is well underway to establish the panel and Pamela Dow has been appointed the Chair. Working with the new Leadership College for Government and a wide range of stakeholders, the panel will work to develop resources which will give employers a set of evidence-based principles and practices they can adopt to do diversity and inclusion in a way that is meaningful and effective.

The panel will also support the development of a new voluntary Inclusion Confident scheme for employers who want to demonstrate their commitment to evidence-led diversity and inclusion practices.

To support employers and industry sectors to create opportunity for groups that are underrepresented in their workforce, the Government Equalities Office will create new updated guidance on positive action by December 2022.

New guidance for employers on positive action in the workplace has been published alongside this report. This includes illustrative examples to support those employers that wish to create opportunities for underrepresented groups within their workforce.

Using evidence from the Inclusion at work Panel, and building on the curriculum standards underpinning the Government Campus, and Leadership College within it, the government will develop a new scheme for employers, working with stakeholders in business, civil society and academia, to provide an evidenced framework for improving race equality and progression in the workplace. Organisations will be able to sign-up to the scheme voluntarily, to be live by autumn 2023.

Using evidence from the Inclusion at Work Panel, work is underway to develop a new voluntary Inclusion Confident Scheme for employers who want to demonstrate their commitment to improving race equality and progression in the workplace.

To address the potential risks and opportunities presented by Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) technology, the Office for AI will develop our national position on governing and regulating AI , and set this out in a white paper in 2022. This will include how to address potential racial bias in algorithmic decision-making.

We published on 29 March our AI regulation white paper. This sets out a proportionate and outcomes-focused approach to the regulation of AI which addresses the needs of innovators and strengthens public confidence in the way AI is being used. This includes addressing wider concerns about the potential for bias and discrimination in algorithmic decision-making.

The Office for AI and DCMS published an AI regulation policy statement and an AI action plan in July 2022.

A key part of the Action Plan is an expansion of AI skills programmes, including £17 million funding to expand postgraduate AI conversion courses, and diversity scholarships to attract more women, black students, disabled students and those from disadvantaged backgrounds to study AI .

Since publication of the policy statement, the Office for AI has engaged with over 130 stakeholders including Microsoft, Rolls Royce, and Tech UK. It has since carried out work to establish how these principles will be implemented and will be articulating the new regime in the forthcoming white paper. This approach will establish a framework based on a set of cross-cutting principles to inform how regulators should tackle risks arising from issues such as, for example, racial bias in AI decision-making.

Alongside this, the Office for AI ’s Procurement Guidelines, developed in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, have sought to drive responsible public procurement of AI with considerations to mitigate bias and drive equality in AI -driven public services, such as recommending equality impact assessments be undertaken by public bodies procuring AI . These were integrated into Crown Commercial Service’s AI marketplace which is currently being updated into an expanded AI and Automation Procurement framework, to be launched in November 2023, which will bolster these ethical standards.

To ensure technological advances do not have a disproportionate impact on ethnic minority groups, EHRC will advise on the safeguards needed and issue guidance that explains how to apply the Equality Act 2010 to algorithmic decision-making.

EHRC published new guidance in September 2022 guidance on how the Public Sector Equality Duty in the Equality Act 2010 applies when a public body uses AI . The guidance gives practical examples of how AI systems may be causing discriminatory outcomes.

EHRC is currently monitoring how local authorities are meeting the requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty whilst using AI and will consider whether the need for further case studies and interventions to tackle any particular gaps in knowledge or action.

To enhance transparency and trust, CDDO and CDEI published an algorithmic transparency standard for the public sector. This will be piloted by several public sector organisations before formal endorsement in 2023. The move makes the UK one of the first countries in the world to develop a national algorithmic transparency standard.

The first version of the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard ( ATRS ) was published in October 2021. It establishes a standardised way for public sector organisations to proactively and transparently publish information about how and why they are using algorithmic approaches in decision-making.

The ATRS was piloted with public sector organisations through summer 2022, ranging from central government offices to local police departments. Based on feedback and lessons learned from the pilots, CDEI and CDDO launched an updated version in October 2022 on GitHub, for open feedback. The updated standard, alongside guidance and the completed reports, were also made publicly available through the ATRS Hub on GOV.UK. The standard was endorsed by the UK Data Standards Authority in October 2022.

Understanding COVID‐19 misinformation and vaccine hesitancy in context: Findings from a qualitative study involving citizens in Bradford, UK - Lockyer - 2021 - Health Expectations - Wiley Online Library   ↩

For the black ethnic group, the level of trust in the police fell from 76% to 64% between 2017 to 2018 and 2019 to 2020, the latest data available.  ↩

Police powers and procedures: Stop and search and arrests, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2022 - GOV.UK   ↩

Data for year-ending March 2021 onwards use Census 2021 populations. Data for years before this use Census 2011 populations: Update to stop and search and arrests statistics using 2021 Census estimates - GOV.UK   ↩

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1113383/Stop-search-experimental-data-query-tool.xlsx   ↩

Ethnicity pay gaps - Office for National Statistics   ↩

Mortality from leading causes of death by ethnic group, England and Wales - Office for National Statistics   ↩

Children and Families Act 2014: government response to the Lords Select Committee report - GOV.UK   ↩

Permanent exclusions - GOV.UK Ethnicity facts and figures   ↩

Update to stop and search and arrests statistics using 2021 Census estimates - GOV.UK   ↩

Ethnicity and the criminal justice system statistics 2020 - GOV.UK   ↩

Britton et al. (2018) The impact of undergraduate degrees on lifetime earnings. P. 41  ↩

Police officer uplift, England and Wales, quarterly update to 31 December 2022 - GOV.UK   ↩

missing from main doc  ↩

Post-16 education and labour market activities, pathways and outcomes (LEO) - GOV.UK   ↩

Pupil premium - GOV.UK   ↩

Data dashboard - Office for Students   ↩

LEO Graduate and Postgraduate Outcomes, Tax year 2019-20 – Explore education statistics – GOV.UK (explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk)   ↩

What maintained schools must publish online - GOV.UK   ↩

What academies, free schools and colleges must or should publish online - GOV.UK   ↩

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Personal statement advice: art and design

Applying to university.

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What art and design tutors are looking for

The underlying message is that tutors want to know about you, your practice, your inspirations, and your aspirations, and for your personal statement to act as written accompaniment to your portfolio and performance at interview.

How to make your art and design statement stand out

Admissions tutors prefer to read personal statements that don't stick to a predictable formula – here are a few tactics to ensure yours packs a punch.

• Focus on the course: Martin Conreen, design admissions tutor at Goldsmiths, University of London, urges applicants for design courses 'not to over mention art' but to stay focused on design. He also feels some applicants waste too much space on non-relevant factors like their sporting achievements.
• Your influences: Martin adds he wants to hear who your influences are, why they inspire you, and 'how their work has resonance with your own, or with your own ideas'.
• Examples of what inspires you: David Baldry, fine art course leader at University Campus Suffolk, echoes this: 'Tell us what inspires you. We want to know what contemporary art interests you, so talk about key artists or an exhibition that made an impression on you. We want to know how you respond to the world creatively, so talk about your experiences or projects you’ve developed independently. Also, edit it so it sounds punchy'.
• Demonstrate your artistic ambitions: Alison Jones, fine art admissions tutor at Goldsmiths, is looking for 'interesting individuals who have a passion for art and a commitment to developing themselves as artists. Therefore, your personal statement should demonstrate an understanding of your own work, focusing on what is unique about your practice'.
• Be original: starting your statement with a well-known quote – such as 'fashion is not something that exists in dresses only' – is inadvisable. 189 applicants quoted that exact Coco Chanel snippet last year, so it really won't make you stand out from the crowd.

It's all summed up nicely by Arts University Bournemouth whose advice is:

'Be focused on the field you're applying for (no scattergun approach), name artists or designers you admire, think contemporary, reflect on exhibitions or galleries or events you've visited, and don't think "I'll tell them at the interview" – put it in the statement!'

Find out more about studying art and design, including entry requirements, why you should study it, and possible careers it could lead on to.  

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