We are committed to promoting an equal, diverse and inclusive academic community as we believe this to be ethically right and socially responsible. We therefore place equality considerations at the heart of our everyday activities by providing a platform for the student voice within our corporate and academic governance structure.
Students play a hugely important part in overseeing the quality of student learning opportunities and the enhancement of the student experience through membership of our key academic governance committees, namely our Academic Committee, Quality Assurance and Enhancement Committee, and Course Committees. In addition, they are members of our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and Student Staff Consultative Forum as well as being represented on our Board of Directors.
We are fortunate to have a very diverse student body and so the voice we give our students is one that reflects that diversity.
We feel it is vital that out student body is able to influence the shape and type of student representation that is in place. The Student Council of the Student Guild (made up of all Student Reps) were consulted on how best to improve student representation. Student Council came up with various ideas. For example, to ensure that every single course and year has elected Student Reps so that the entire student body has representation. In addition, to ensure a level of continuity of student representation from one year to another, to start having ‘Continuity Student Reps’ – Reps that would stay in post for an additional month so that they can attend the Course Committee held in the following academic year and provide their reflections on how things went during the past year. Both these ideas and also some others, have subsequently been agreed between the Student Guild and Bloomsbury Institute and are in operation.
Our Student and Staff Liaison Manager (SSLM) works very closely with the Student Guild to support and enhance the engagement of Student Reps within our various deliberative meetings. The SSLM partners with the Student Guild team in delivering training to Student Reps and also provides our Quality Assurance and Enhancement Committee with periodic reports on how well Student Reps are engaging.