Durham University signed up to the Race Equality Charter (REC) in March 2019. The charter aims to improve the representation, progression and success of racially minoritised communities within higher education. At Durham, the REC framework has helped us identify, reflect upon and address institutional and cultural barriers that stand in the way of our racially minoritised staff and students.
The University's REC application for a Bronze Award was submitted to Advance HE at the end of May 2022; and a 5-year award has been conferred in July 2022.
Following a critical analysis of data gathered from our surveys and focus group sessions along with an evaluation of staff and student data, we have co-developed an institutional REC Action Plan to address the identified racial disparities and issues. The action plan has undergone a comprehensive consultation process and features five priority areas (PAs), as follows:
The action plan links with other shared institutional agendas such as the global strategy, widening participation, enriching the curriculum, tackling racism, and promoting a culture of belonging (as outlined in the Inclusive Durham Framework, which was launched in 2024).
It is important to note that the REC process is a continuous change process of implementing the REC Action Plan and then monitoring progress and impact. To support this, the Race Equality Charter Action Plan (RECAP) Delivery Group has been established in March 2023 to ensure accountability for implementing the REC Action Plan (learn more about the group through the REC Hub).
In AY2024/25, the RECAP Delivery Group has undertaken a comprehensive mid-process review to identify areas of progress/success, impact and challenges in relation to the implementation of our REC Action Plan since the conferment of our REC Bronze Award in 2022. The review consisted of several activities, including producing a REC mid-process status report (informed by quantitative and qualitative data); holding a mid-process workshop led by Advance HE; and consulting our REC action owners. As part of the review, all actions have also been RAGP-rated (Red, Amber, Green and Purple) based on action progress/completion and achievement of success indicator/s.
The resulting Updated REC Action Plan (2022 - 2027) consists of 62 actions in total, excluding Red/Superseded actions. Of the now-current 62 actions, we have rated 47 (76%) as Green, 4 (6%) as Amber and 11 (18%) as Purple (as of June 2025). The University's REC Action Plan can be accessed via the links below. Further details of our REC progress so far can be found on the REC Hub. Examples of preliminary REC impact on our staff and student communities can be viewed on this document: REC Impact on DU Staff and Students.
Staff and students can visit our Race Equality Charter Hub to learn more about the REC framework and our ongoing work on this area. The REC Hub features:
A Race Equality Charter Survey was conducted in January 2020, which allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of workplace and student cultures at Durham University, and to provide a benchmark against which to measure progress. Findings have informed both the REC application and the development of the REC Action Plan, which we are using to systematically and sustainably improve race equality at Durham.
We are very grateful to all the staff and students who took part in the survey and focus group sessions, and to all REC SAT members who volunteered their time to analyse the data and to facilitate the focus group activity that has informed the findings. Staff and students can view the highlights of our REC survey (2020) findings in the Race Equality Charter Hub.
More recently, the EDI Staff and Student Survey (2024) findings have enabled us to benchmark and measure progress against our REC actions, providing rich insights into the lived experience of our staff and student communities.
Whilst we have used the acronym BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) in our REC data analyses and application, we do recognise the complexities of using a reductionist term to describe a population that is highly diverse and that has varying experiences and outcomes within higher education and society in general. Where possible and relevant, we have disaggregated our staff and student data.
We continue to work with our racially minoritised communities as we refine our approach to writing about ethnicity and race. This guidance document aims to help Durham University staff and students to have a more informed decision in using race-related terminologies for various contexts.
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