Equal Opportunities Form

The School is committed to a policy of equal opportunities. As part of the equal opportunities policy we treat job applicants and members of staff in the same way regardless of their sex, marital status, age, race, colour, religion, ethnic or national origin or disability. All members of staff are requested to co-operate to ensure that the policy is implemented in full.

All job applicants will be asked to complete a form giving details of their sex, age, ethnic origin and any disabilities. The School guarantees that this form will be used for the purpose of monitoring the effectiveness of its equal opportunities policy only.

A. Disabled Persons

Where a disabled person applies for a post or a member of staff becomes disabled the School will make reasonable adjustments to remove the disadvantages faced by the disabled person.

B. Discipline

Any member of staff who discriminates against or harasses any other members of staff on the grounds of race, sex or disability will be subject to the School’s disciplinary procedures. Such behaviour may well constitute gross misconduct and could result in summary dismissal.

C. Grievances

Any employee who believes he or she has received less favourable treatment on grounds of age, sex, race, disability is asked to use the grievance procedure. Sexual, age, racial or disability harassment is unlawful discrimination and improper and unacceptable behaviour. Any employee who feels that they have suffered harassment should raise the matter with the Headmaster for teaching staff, or with the Bursar for non-teaching staff. All complaints will be dealt with promptly, confidentially and impartially.

Llandovery College is an equal opportunities institution. The aim of the policy is to ensure that no job applicant, student or employee receives less favourable treatment on grounds of sex, race, age, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, marital status, sexual orientation, family responsibility, and trade union activity, and disability, political or religious belief. Selection criteria and procedure will be kept under review to ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and treated on the basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Applications from persons with disabilities who have the necessary attributes are welcomed. All employees will be given equal opportunity and, where appropriate, training to progress within the organisation. The School is committed to a programme of action to make this policy fully effective for all who study and work in the institution.

In order to achieve this, Llandovery College is continuously monitoring the implementation and effectiveness of its Equal Opportunity Policy. The information requested is for statistical purposes only and will not be used for the purpose of short listing.

Llandovery College is committed to pursuing a policy of equal opportunities for people with disabilities. We are working towards better employment practices to ensure applicants with disabilities receive full and fair consideration for all types of vacancies as well as for training, career development and promotion.

Section 1 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 defines a person as having a disability if he or she ‘has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day to day activities’. Long term means an impairment which has lasted or is likely to last for 12 months or more. The law requires us to make reasonable adjustments where a disabled person applies for a job. You may wish to let us know if there are any reasonable adjustments you would like us to make to assist you in your application.

• As an organisation using the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) Disclosure service to assess applicants' suitability for positions of trust, Llandovery College complies fully with the CRB Code of Practice and undertakes to treat all applicants for positions fairly. It undertakes not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a Disclosure on the basis of conviction or other information revealed.
• Llandovery College is committed to the fair treatment of its staff, potential staff or users of its services, regardless of race, age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, responsibilities for dependants, age, physical/mental disability or offending background.
• We have a written policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders, which is made available to all Disclosure applicants at the outset of the recruitment process.
• We actively promote equality of opportunity for all with the right mix of talent, skills and potential and welcome applications from a wide range of candidates, including those with criminal records. We select all candidates for interview based on their skills, qualifications and experience.
• A Disclosure is only requested after a thorough risk assessment has indicated that one is both proportionate and relevant to the position concerned. For those positions where a Disclosure is required, all application forms, job adverts and recruitment briefs will contain a statement that a Disclosure will be requested in the event of the individual being offered the position.
• Where a Disclosure is to form part of the recruitment process, we encourage all applicants called for interview to provide details of their criminal record at an early stage in the application process. We request that this information is sent under separate, confidential cover, to a designated person within Llandovery College and we guarantee that this information is only be seen by those who need to see it as part of the recruitment process.
• Unless the nature of the position allows Llandovery College to ask questions about your entire criminal record we only ask about "unspent" convictions as defined in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
• We ensure that all those in Llandovery College who are involved in the recruitment process have been suitably trained to identify and assess the relevance and circumstances of offences. We also ensure that they have received appropriate guidance and training in the relevant legislation relating to the employment of exu0002offenders, e.g. the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
• At interview, or in a separate discussion, we ensure that an open and measured discussion takes place on the subject of any offences or other matter that might be relevant to the position. Failure to reveal information that is directly relevant to the position sought could lead to withdrawal of an offer of employment.
• We make every subject of a CRB Disclosure aware of the existence of the CRB Code of Practice and make a copy available on request.
• We undertake to discuss any matter revealed in a Disclosure with the person seeking the position before withdrawing a conditional offer of employment.

Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar you from working with us. This will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of your offences.

This document is to be completed by all applicants whose potential employer is Llandovery College. The location of the position for which you are applying is exempt from the provisions of Section 4(2) of the above Act by virtue of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order of 1975. Applicants are therefore not entitled to withhold information about convictions/cautions, reprimands or warnings which for other purposes are ‘spent’ under the provisions of the Act. In the event of employment, any failure to disclose such information will lead to disciplinary action which could result in dismissal.

As an organisation using an umbrella group to apply to the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) Disclosure service to help assess the suitability of applicants for positions of trust, Llandovery College complies fully with the CRB Code of Practice regarding the correct handling, use, storage, retention and disposal of Disclosures and Disclosure information. It also complies fully with its obligations under the Data Protection Act and other relevant legislation pertaining to the safe handling, use, storage, retention and disposal of Disclosure information and has a written policy on these matters, which is available to those who wish to see it on request.

Disclosure information is never kept on an applicant's personnel file and is always kept separately and securely, in lockable, non-portable, storage containers with access strictly controlled and limited to those who are entitled to see it as part of their duties

In accordance with section 124 of the Police Act 1997, Disclosure information is only passed to those who are authorised to receive it in the course of their duties. We maintain a record of all those to whom Disclosures or Disclosure information has been revealed and we recognize that it is a criminal offence to pass this information to anyone who is not entitled to receive it.

Disclosure information is only used for the specific purpose for which it was requested and for which the applicant's full consent has been given

Once a recruitment (or other relevant) decision has been made, we do not keep Disclosure information for any longer than is absolutely necessary. This is generally for a period of up to six months, to allow for the consideration and resolution of any disputes or complaints. If, in very exceptional circumstances, it is considered necessary to keep Disclosure information for longer than six-months, we will consult the CRB about this and will give full consideration to the Data Protection and Human Rights individual subject before doing so. Throughout this time, the usual conditions regarding safe storage and strictly controlled access will prevail.

Once the retention period has elapsed, we will ensure that any Disclosure information is immediately suitably destroyed by secure means, i.e. by shredding, pulping or burning. While awaiting destruction, Disclosure information will not be kept in any insecure receptacle (e.g. waste bin or confidential waste sack). We will not keep any photocopy or other image of the Disclosure or any copy or representation of the contents of a Disclosure. However, notwithstanding the above, we may keep a record of the date of issue of a Disclosure, the name of the subject, the type of Disclosure requested, the position for which the Disclosure was requested, the unique reference number of the Disclosure and the details of the recruitment decision taken.

The School uses an Umbrella Body to process all of Llandovery College’s CRB application forms; we will take all reasonable steps to ensure that they can comply fully with the CRB Code of Practice. We will also take all reasonable steps to satisfy ourselves that they will handle, use, store, retain and dispose of Disclosure information in full compliance with the CRB Code and in full accordance with this policy. We will also ensure that any body or individual, at whose request applications for Disclosure are countersigned, has such a written policy and, if necessary, will provide a model policy for that body or individual to use or adapt for this purpose