Dear colleagues

Supporting our students, and one another, is a collective responsibility and one which we all take extremely seriously. As we welcome a new cohort of students and welcome back those returning to Bath, we wanted to update our community about important, updated advice from the Equality & Human Rights Commission as well as existing sources of guidance and support.

In the final months of the last academic year, you may have been aware of the High Court Appeal in relation to University of Bristol student Natasha Abrahart, who tragically died by suicide during her studies.

The case served to reinforce that universities must consider the needs of students with disabilities, long-term health conditions and specific learning difficulties, with or without a formal diagnosis. It is important that we take the time to learn from the case and consider how we can best create a learning environment that supports all students.

We therefore welcome the updated advice note from the Equality & Human Rights Commission issued in July, and have convened a leadership group to consider and outline our next steps in this area at Bath, which includes the Associate Deans Education (ADE) alongside colleagues from Student Support and Safeguarding (SS&S), Academic Registry and The Centre for Learning and Teaching (CLT).

Further communication, guidance and opportunities to input to this work, which we will progress in close consultation with the Students’ Union, will follow in due course – thank you to those who responded to our Disability Access Plans academic staff survey over the summer.

We appreciate that many of our staff and students will have found coverage of the case to be unsettling and/or distressing, so in the immediate term, we are keen to highlight key guidance and existing sources of support for you in your role.

If you’re delivering teaching and learning for students:

  • It is our legal obligation as a University to make reasonable adjustments in relation to areas of our education where students with disabilities are placed at a disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person.
  • This includes those without a formal diagnosis, so it is important to make anticipatory adjustment for students who may not have a disclosed disability or access plan.
  • This can be done through the way teaching and assessment is delivered (as well as changes to the physical environment), and/or providing auxiliary aids and services – examples which are already commonplace include lecture capture, provision of teaching materials in accessible formats, and clear communication of changes and instructions.
  • The CLT and the Disability Service have produced advice on supporting students, in addition to guidance to support wider inclusive teaching and learning approaches, available via the Teaching Hub. You can also contact the CLT directly with specific queries or to discuss training and development for teaching staff.
  • If you are a Director of Studies (DoS)/Academic Advisor, you will receive notification via SAMIS of students in your cohorts who have a Disability Access Plan - these documents will guide you in making the recommended adjustments for individual students. As a DoS, you should ensure staff teams are aware of adjustments they should be making for students in your cohort, where they have a Disability Access Plan.
  • Alongside the broad accessibility of courses, it may also be necessary to work with students to put in place individual adjustments where they do not yet have a formal diagnosis or access plan in place.
  • You can review guidance here, or contact the Disability Service with any queries – the team can directly support you, as well as working with students, and will shortly be sending out an annual update.
  • Whilst all student-facing staff have a duty to consider making reasonable adjustments, you are not expected to deal with emergent disability or complex cases alone. Along with the Disability Service and Centre for Learning and Teaching, we encourage you to consult appropriately within your Faculty/School (DoS/Faculty Assistant Registrar/ADE), and with Academic Registry and Student Support and Safeguarding Teams, who can also offer students wellbeing support, as needed.
  • The library also offer specific support for those with disabilities, including a new referral form, which you may wish to explore and/or signpost.
  • It's essential to look after your own wellbeing as you support students through challenges and difficulties - you can access support here, including information about the free and confidential counselling available to staff 24 hours a day.

For concerns about students who you feel may be at risk

You can access urgent advice and support using the 4321 advice line or email 4321@bath.ac.uk. This is available to all staff Mon-Fri 9-5 and helps ensure we join up the relevant specialist teams to best support you and our students. If in doubt, consult. In the event of an emergency, you should call the emergency services on 999 or University Security on 01225 383 999 if you’re on campus.

Further information and guidance

You can check/refresh your knowledge of the Equality Act with the 'Supporting Staff and Students with Disability' E-Learning. This module is due to be updated over the next academic year but includes key fundamental concepts to be aware of. You can find the course by logging into the training portal here (using your single sign-on) and searching ‘Supporting Staff and Students with Disability.’

You may also wish to read and digest the EHRC Advice Note for universities and OIA Best Practice Guidance, and consider how you may apply these in your role.

Other supportive processes

You can find information about our supportive processes here, including when these processes should be enacted, and who to contact for support:

We will continue to be in touch as this work progresses, but in the meantime, you can get in touch with us directly at any time to discuss queries or concerns at pro-vc-se@bath.ac.uk or pro-vc-edu@bath.ac.uk

With best wishes

Professor Cassie Wilson, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Student Experience)

Professor Julian Chaudhuri, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education and Global)