University News Last updated 17 October
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (RBC) is the first Conservatoires UK member to be awarded an Athena Swan Bronze Award.
The achievement brings the total of 'Departmental Awards' held by Birmingham City University CU to 12, and will be valid until 2029.
The Athena Swan Charter is a framework to support and transform gender equality within Higher Education (HE) and research. The Charter was established in 2005 to encourage and recognise the commitment of universities to advancing the careers of women. All award applications are externally assessed by a panel drawn from across the HE sector.
In 2021, a transformed Athena Swan Charter was introduced to address gender equality more broadly, which now considers all intersectional inequalities. It focuses on governance and recognition of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) practices, as well as a review of the dissemination of policies and culture within HE departments.
RBC’s submission was coordinated by a Self-Assessment Team (SAT) led by Associate Professor in Music and Research Degrees Coordinator Dr Carrie Churnside.
RBC’s application highlights important EDI challenges, identifying what is going well and where more needs to be done.
Its five key priorities address the need to:
- Target female career progression and leadership in RBC.
- Address gender imbalances in instruments of Principal Study.
- Promote an inclusive and equitable working culture.
- Strengthen consultation on and engagement with the Athena Swan agenda.
- Sustain and develop Athena Swan infrastructure and capacity.
Dr Carrie Churnside said: "I’m absolutely thrilled that RBC is the first Conservatoires UK member to gain an Athena Swan award. It is the result of a great deal of hard work by the whole RBC SAT team, and particularly Dr Kate Carruthers Thomas, who guided us through the process and pulled together such a convincing application. We’re now excited to start working on our action plan, which we hope will contribute to greater gender equality and diversity at RBC."
Dr Kate Carruthers Thomas said: “It was a pleasure working with Carrie and her committed team to prepare the award submission and I'm absolutely delighted at RBC's success. Moreover, this award is groundbreaking in terms of making RBC the first Conservatoires UK member to hold an Athena Swan Award."
RBC Principal Stephen Maddock said: "Congratulations to everyone involved for achieving the Athena Swan Bronze Award. This is a significant accomplishment that demonstrates our commitment to advancing gender equality and diversity. "
Pictured: (l-r) Vice Principal Professor Shirley Thompson, Dr Carrie Churnside, Principal Stephen Maddock.