What is the Race Equality Charter?
Established in 2015, the Race Equality Charter (REC) is an Advance HE initiative that supports higher education institutions in their work to drive out racism and tackle inequalities across staff and student communities.
The Charter aims to improve the representation, experiences, progression and success of staff and students from racially minoritised ethnic groups. It covers all areas of institutional activity and supports institutions to assess their own context, identify priorities and take flexible, evidence-based action to support meaningful and sustainable change.
The REC is underpinned by five guiding principles:
- Racism is an everyday facet of UK society, and racial inequalities can manifest through everyday situations, processes and behaviours.
- The higher education sector cannot reach its full potential unless people from all ethnic backgrounds can benefit equally from the opportunities it offers.
- Action should aim for transformational and long-term institutional culture change, rather than focusing on changing individuals.
- Racially minoritised staff and students are not a homogeneous group and may have different experiences and outcomes.
- Embracing intersectionality can help institutions to tackle racism more effectively.
Race Equality Charter at London Met
London Met is currently working towards its first Race Equality Charter submission, planned for end of 2027.
As one of the most diverse universities in the UK, race equality is an important part of our wider commitment to equity and inclusion. Our REC work provides an opportunity to look closely at the experiences and outcomes of our racially minoritised staff and students, understand where racial inequalities remain and identify where further action is needed.
Our approach brings together quantitative and qualitative evidence. This includes staff and student data, findings from the 2025 CEI Staff Culture Survey, and consultation with staff and students across the University.
Through our self-assessment, we will consider evidence across a range of areas affecting staff and students, including representation, recruitment, progression, experiences of working and studying at London Met, belonging and inclusion, and experiences of discrimination, bullying and harassment.
This work will help us understand where we have made progress, where inequalities persist and where institutional action can make the greatest difference.
Our Athena Swan and Race Equality Charter Sub-committee (ASREC) oversees this work. You can find out more about ASREC and its membership above.
Developing our Race Equality Charter Action Plan
The findings from our self-assessment will inform our Race Equality Charter Action Plan and submission.
The action plan will set out the areas where we need to make further progress, alongside clear actions, responsibilities, timescales and measures of impact. This will enable us to monitor progress and understand whether the actions we take are making a difference.
Our REC work will also connect with our wider institutional work on equality and inclusion, including Athena Swan, Disability Confident, Proud Employers and our institutional Equality Objectives.
Staff and student engagement will continue to be an important part of the self-assessment process as we develop our submission and action plan.
We are currently developing the CEI Student Culture Survey, building on the approach taken with our 2025 Staff Culture Survey. It will give us a clearer picture of how students experience life at London Met, including where experiences differ between groups, and will provide an important evidence base for our equality charter work and wider work to improve inclusion across the University.
