University College Birmingham celebrates trio of national EDI awards | News

October 2026

University College Birmingham strengthens its commitment to inclusion with three national equality, diversity and inclusion accolades

By Claire Huggins

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Main photo shows University staff with the awards L-R: Joe Young (Secretary and Registrar) - Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Silver Award. Steph Hughes (Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead) - Rainbow Flag Award. Haroon Bashir (Head of EDI) - Investors in Diversity Bronze Award. Jo Oguzie (Chief People Officer) - Investors in Diversity Silver Award.

Three national accolades recognise the University’s work to create an inclusive, respectful and supportive environment for students, staff and the wider community.

University College Birmingham is celebrating three significant equality, diversity and inclusion achievements, recognising its work to strengthen LGBTQ+ inclusion, embed fairness and respect across the University, and support members of the Armed Forces community.

University achieves Investors in Diversity Silver: strengthening our commitment to fairness, respect and inclusion

University College Birmingham has now achieved Investors in Diversity Silver, marking a significant step forward in our ongoing commitment to Fairness, Respect, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement (FREDIE). The accreditation, awarded by the National Centre for Diversity, recognises institutions that demonstrate strong, embedded and maturing inclusive practice across leadership, policy, culture, recruitment and monitoring.

In confirming the award, the National Centre for Diversity praised UCB’s progress:

“Achieving Investors in Diversity Silver shows that you have built a strong foundation that you can use as a platform to begin embedding Diversity and Inclusion into wider organisational systems.” (Letter from Solat Chaudhry, Chief Executive)

The Silver assessment places UCB at Implementing. This level acknowledges meaningful progress, strong organisational values, and clear momentum driven by strategic leadership and staff engagement.

A clear pathway for continued progress

While celebrating the achievement, it is important to note that there is still work to do.

The Silver report identifies opportunities for further development in areas such as leadership consistency, trust, transparency in progression, and strengthening reporting routes for concerns.

These valuable insights will shape the next phase of UCB’s EDI Strategy as we continue working towards higher levels of FREDIE maturity.

With Silver accreditation now secured until August 2028, the University is well‑positioned to continue strengthening inclusive practice across the institution, ensuring that every student and colleague feels respected, represented and supported.

What the Silver award recognises

The report highlights several areas of strength across the four pillars of the Investors in Diversity framework:

Diverse and Inclusive Leadership: UCB’s EDI Strategy, governance structures and investment in leadership development (including the Aspiring Leaders Programme and Aurora Women’s Leadership Programme) demonstrate clear commitment. Staff noted growing visibility and engagement from senior leaders, supported by regular All Staff Briefing Sessions and targeted development activity. (“Good progress has clearly been made… particularly since the appointment of a designated Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in 2024.”)
Policy, Practice and Process: UCB’s policies, staff networks, EDI Champions and broad training offer were recognised as proactive and well‑established. The introduction of the ‘Wearing of the Kirpan Policy’ and the organisation’s inclusive induction and cultural intelligence training were highlighted as examples of sector‑leading practice.

Recruitment, Retention and Progression: The assessment commended inclusive recruitment processes, flexible working, reasonable adjustments, particularly noting the innovative Inclusion Passport as “excellent practice”. Staff benefits, development pathways and targeted leadership programmes were also noted as positive steps.
Recording and Monitoring: UCB’s annual inclusion surveys, external cultural reviews and growing data‑led approach demonstrate measurable improvements in staff perceptions of EDI. The report acknowledges that recent investment is having a positive impact, with strengthened confidence in organisational plans and training.

"We are committed to ensuring that people enjoy their time with us, and it’s a great privilege to be working with such dedicated and passionate people to make that happen."

Haroon Bashir Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

UCB earns the Rainbow Flag Award for LGBTQ+ inclusion

University College Birmingham has been awarded the Rainbow Flag Award, a national quality assurance framework that recognises institutions demonstrating strong, proactive LGBTQ+ inclusion.

Developed by The Proud Trust and backed by the Department for Education, the award supports organisations through a year‑long process of reflection, development and implementation.

Rather than prescribing rigid rules, the framework helps institutions build tailored strategies to:

strengthen LGBTQ+ visibility
reduce LGBTQphobic bullying
embed inclusive practice across teaching, support and leadership
meet national equality standards.

Achieving the Rainbow Flag Award cements our commitment to creating a safe, welcoming and visibly inclusive environment for students, staff and visitors, reinforcing the University’s broader Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) mission.

UCB's David Paulson and Supinder Singh Varaitch pictured with the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Silver Award.

David Paulson (L) and Supinder Varaitch (R) receive the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Silver Award

UCB recognised for supporting the Armed Forces community

University College Birmingham has been recognised for its commitment to the Armed Forces community through the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Silver Award.

The award acknowledges the University's support for veterans, reservists, serving personnel and military families, alongside its commitment to inclusive employment practices and flexible support arrangements.

This recognition reflects UCB's ongoing work to ensure people from all backgrounds, experiences and communities feel supported, respected and able to thrive.

Embedding inclusion across University College Birmingham

All three achievements reflect UCB’s ongoing work to embed inclusion into every part of university life.

The reaccreditation report highlights:

proactive consultation with staff and networks
data‑driven policy development
annual staff training and leadership development
virtual speaker events on topics such as neurodiversity and gender identity
a commitment to continuous improvement.

These strengths sit alongside the University’s LGBTQ+ inclusion work under the Rainbow Flag Award, demonstrating a consistent, institution‑wide approach to fairness, respect and belonging.

A shared commitment to an inclusive future

“Together, these achievements send a clear message to students, staff, partners and the wider community: that University College Birmingham is committed to being an inclusive, respectful and supportive place to study, work and visit,” said Haroon Bashir, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

“We are committed to ensuring that people enjoy their time with us, and it’s a great privilege to be working with such dedicated and passionate people to make that happen.”

From religious inclusion and safeguarding to LGBTQ+ visibility, Armed Forces support and cultural intelligence, University College Birmingham continues to evolve and aspires to be a sector-leader in equitable, diverse and inclusive practice.

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