Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency

Last updated: 16 Feb 2009

Equality frameworks and policies

QCA produced its first equality scheme in line with the statutory disability equality duty in December 2006. This was followed by the publication of our Gender Equality Scheme in April 2007. QCA recognises that we have further to go in making equality a reality for all our staff, learners and service users and for this reason we have produced a Single Equality Scheme which sets out our commitment to progressing equality across all six equality strand areas: 'race', gender, disability, sexual orientation, age and religion/belief. You can access the scheme via the Single Equality Scheme link in the related documents section on the right-hand side of this page.

Equalities impact assessments

QCA is fully committed to promoting good relations and equality of opportunity for all learners and staff and to ensuring that all of its policies, practices, services and functions are free from unlawful discrimination. The equality impact assessments that QCA carries out assist QCA to build a world-class education and training framework that is inclusive and relevant to all learners. QCA has chosen to consider the impact of all six equality strands when undertaking impact assessments which include age, disability, gender, race, religion and belief and sexual orientation.

Summaries of QCA's equality impact assessments are available from the related links section on the right hand side of this page. The actions arising from these impact assessments assist in ensuring that equalities and diversity are embedded into all of QCA's work.

The most recent summaries, published in February 2009, are equality impact assessments for 14-19 qualifications, including GCSEs, A levels, Applied A levels and foundation, higher and extended projects. These new qualifications offer learners greater choice and flexibility and prepare them for the world of work. Equality of access and opportunity has been central to QCA's work on these new qualifications.

QCA's diversity and inclusion strategy group comprises of 22 staff members. The role of the group is to facilitate the dissemination of equality and diversity best practice throughout the organisation and to embed diversity and inclusion into each of QCA's policies. The main functions of the DISG are to:

• provide a communication forum across QCA to ensure a consistent approach to diversity is taken across the organisation
• provide an arena to discuss diversity and inclusion issues and to share success and achievements
• identify divisional resource issues
• provide a reporting mechanism to the executive and board
• enable QCA to audit compliance with duties imposed by equalities legislation

The disabled people's advisory panel was set up in May 2007 to advise and assist QCA on the most effective ways to address inequalities and barriers facing disabled learners, service users and employees. The panel currently comprises 20 members with expertise across a range of areas including pre-school, primary and secondary education, further and higher education, research, health and nursing, advisory work and equalities practice. The panel's responsibilities are: to provide clear advice to QCA on promoting disability equality and on meeting requirements of the Disability Equality Duty; to challenge QCA to develop best practice in disability equality; to assist QCA in identifying system-wide barriers and issues, and in seeking solutions.

QCA places great importance on the equalities development and progression of its staff. In light of this, the diversity and inclusion team, together with input from the learning and development team, have developed training packages dealing with a range of equalities issues for the professional development of our employees.

QCA is committed to embedding equalities into the heart of what we do and is strives to deliver all training internally rather than place reliance on outside consultants. By doing this, we are developing our staff into equalities champions, facilitators and learners, knowledge is spread internally and there is always someone to ask for those with questions.

As a result of an staff training needs audit conducted in early May, we have produced guidance on high priority areas to be rolled out across the divisions.

Contact us

equality@qca.org.uk