Equality

SQA is committed to equality of opportunity and to a culture that respects difference. We believe that, as an employer and public body, we can play a leading part in promoting equality and diversity more widely.

The public sector equality duty provides the framework for SQA to positively contribute to a more equal society through advancing equality and good relations in its day-to-day business.

We are committed to mainstreaming equality into our operations for the benefit of all our staff and customers. The general equality duty requires us to:

• Advance equality of opportunity
• Foster good relations and
• Eliminate unlawful discrimination

These responsibilities set a clear expectation that public services must treat everyone with dignity and respect. SQA aims to ensure its services are accessible to all, whoever they are, wherever they are and whatever their needs.

SQA is pleased to become a signatory of the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter. We know that ethnic minorities still face significant disparities in employment and progression, and that is something we need to change. The Charter is composed of five calls to action.  This shows our commitment to taking practical steps to ensuring we are tackling barriers that ethnic minority people face in recruitment and progression.

SQA is a Disability Confident employer. The Disability Confident scheme aims to help us on our journey to successfully employing, supporting and retaining disabled people and those with health conditions. As a Disability Confident employer we have made a commitment to a number actions and will continually monitor our progress towards achieving them.

We are also committed to our membership as a Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champion and to promoting a workplace where all employees, including LGBT colleagues, in SQA can be themselves.

Gender equality and transgender learners

Information on our procedures for updating and amending SQA records for trans learners.

• Understanding gender identity and transgender - information for SQA staff and centres
• Updating personal information for trans learners - guidance for centres
• Updating personal information - guidance for trans learners

Equality Mainstreaming Report

Our Equality Mainstreaming Report 2017-19 (2.35 MB) demonstrates our continued commitment to equality and diversity and how seriously it is considered as part of SQA’s day to day business and decision making. We also report our progress in achieving our equality outcomes and include SQA’s employment monitoring information.

Equality Outcomes 2017-21

Our Equality Outcomes 2017-21 (213 KB) set out the contributory actions we will take forward to achieve these revised outcomes and how we will measure our progress. We also provide detailed information about the sources of evidence that were considered as part of our work to review our priorities and revise SQA’s equality outcomes.

Equality Impact Assessments

Equality Impact Assessments help to improve policy development and service delivery. Carrying out an equality impact assessment ensures that we proactively consider the different needs of people. It helps to identify potential steps to advance equality, foster good relations, and to ensure that we do not discriminate unlawfully.

SQA aims to ensure that equality impact considerations play an important role in integrating the general equality duty. Subject to relevance and proportionality, equality impact should be assessed on all ‘policies and practices’ – this is interpreted widely to include the full range of the policies, provisions, criteria, functions, practices and activities, including decisions and the delivery of services’ - essentially everything we do.

Equality Impact Assessments:

• Anti-Bribery Policy
• Business Continuity Policy
• Expected Behviours Policy
• Procurement Policy Incorporating Sustainability
• Volunteering Policy
• Modifications to national courses 2020-21
• 2020 SQA alternative certification model

Equality Review of Qualifications

The Equality Act (2010) places clear duties on SQA not to discriminate against people who wish to be or who are learners for SQA’s qualifications because of their disability, race, age, religion or belief, sex, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity or sexual orientation (known as the protected characteristics).

This means that National Courses must not be unlawfully discriminatory for any learner on grounds of any of these protected characteristics. To meet these duties, SQA carries out an ‘equality review of qualifications process’ for all National Qualifications, to ensure that there is robust and transparent consideration of equalities during development and ongoing maintenance of qualifications. Considerations are recorded on an Equality Review Form for each qualification. These documents are a summary of these reviews.

List of Equality Review Summaries