1. Athena SWAN Getting Started and the Departmental Application Process
28 November 2018
Athena SWAN Getting Started and the Departmental Application Process

2. What is Athena SWAN? Equality Challenge Unit (now called Advance HE)
28 November 2018
What is Athena SWAN?
Equality Challenge Unit (now called Advance HE)
2005 – Women in SET, 2015 – EVERYONE!
Application form – data driven
Accreditation: Bronze, Silver or Gold Awards
Deadlines: April and November
Assessment Panel Process
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3. Why Athena SWAN? University Award University Strategy NIHR Funding
28 November 2018
Why Athena SWAN?
University Award
University Strategy
NIHR Funding
Useful vehicle
Because we should!
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

4. Positive Discrimination
28 November 2018
What Athena SWAN isn’t?
Positive Discrimination
Easy!
A quick fix
A solid process

5. Be one with the Guidance!
28 November 2018
Bronze, Silver, Gold
Data Data Data!
The Panel
The Process
The SAT
Action Plan
Resource Planning
The Application
Be one with the Guidance!

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“Bronze department awards recognise that in addition to institution-wide policies, the department is working to promote gender equality and to identify and address challenges particular to the department and discipline.”
“In addition to the future planning required for Bronze department recognition, Silver department awards recognise that the department has taken action in response to previously identified challenges and can demonstrate the impact of these actions.”
“A Gold department award recognises significant and sustained progression and achievement by the department in promoting gender equality and to address challenges particular to the discipline. A well-established record of activity and achievement in working towards gender equality should be complemented by data demonstrating continued impact. Gold departments should be beacons of achievement in gender equality and should champion and promote good practice to the wider community.”

7. Application Form Letter of endorsement from Head of Department
28 November 2018
Application Form
Letter of endorsement from Head of Department
Description of the Department
The Self-Assessment Process
A Picture of the Department
4.1 Student Data
4.2 Academic and Research Data
Supporting and Advancing Women’s Careers
5.1 Key Career Transition Points: Academic Staff
5.2 (SILVER) Key Career Transition Points: Professional Services Staff
5.3 Career Development: Academic Staff
5.4 (SILVER) Career Development: Professional Services Staff
5.5 Flexible Working and Managing Career Breaks
5.6 Organisation and Culture
6. (SILVER) Case Studies
7. Further Information
8. Action Plan

8. Data Picture of the Department Picture of the Department Cont.
28 November 2018
Data
Picture of the Department
Student Data (UG, PGT, PGR) by gender, FT/PT, ethnicity
Picture of the Department Cont.
Academic staff by grade, pathway, gender, contract type (FT/OE).
Leavers by grade, gender , FT/PT
Supporting and Advancing Women’s Careers
Recruitment by gender and grade.
Promotion by gender
REF by gender
Parental leave uptake
Organisation and Culture
Committee representation by gender
Outreach activities
Quantitative Data Requirements

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Data Rules
Qualitative data - Consultation with staff is expected e.g. surveys or focus groups
Provide data for a minimum of three years
Applications printed in B&W or send colour copies. Make sure colours can be distinguished (not pink and blue)
Clearly label your graphs
Make reference to percentages and raw numbers in the graphs and/or the narrative
Make sure your data are easy to interpret and discuss
Where possible use graphs to represent data (avoid large tables of data)
Panels read 6 applications – make it easy for them to understand your data

10. Role of the SAT SAT Plan Beyond SAT
Responsible for SWAN process
Collation and analysis of data
Progress the application and undertake consultation
Establish action plan and measure any current impact
Role of the SAT
The Self Assessment Team (SAT)
Timeline with milestones
Who does what
Staff consultation – how and when
Agendas and minutes
Termly meetings – increase
Main SAT with a sub group approach
SAT Plan
Beyond SAT
School E&D Committee or sub group?
Monitor and implement – don’t achieve and forget
Communicate achievements and successes

11. The team should comprise a mixture of grades and roles representing different stages of the career ladder (particularly at the early and mid-career stages).
The SAT should be inclusive but maintain a manageable group size.
SAT: Who?
The self-assessment team should be representative of the staff in the department, and should usually include student representation.
Professional services and
Technical staff representation is key for new SWAN process.
The SAT should have good gender balance. BME representation is also very important.

12. Show personal commitment and engagement from leaders/management
28 November 2018
Show personal commitment and engagement from leaders/management
Give examples of successful actions and activities in the School
Illustrate how SWAN is embedded in the School
1. Letter of Endorsement
Describe the team and their roles. Detail consultation with staff and senior involvement
Clear picture of how SAT worked including reporting mechanisms
Solid plan for the future of the SAT (E&D Committee?)
2. The Self-Assessment Process
Discuss student and staff data – provide overview, save detail for later sections
Illustrate trends, include examples from qualitative data, full pipeline (UG to Professor)
Compare data to national benchmarks
3. A Picture of the Department

13. 28 November 2018 4. Supporting and Advancing Women’s Careers
This is one of the most important sections of the application – this is where you address the issues you identified within your data and outline the actions you have or intend to put in place as a result.
Clear descriptions of processes, reason for action, and impact.
For Silver, address Professional Services staff questions.
4. Supporting and Advancing Women’s Careers
No case studies for Bronze, 2 for Silver, a ‘small number’ for Gold
Represent different stages of career (e.g. prof and post doc)
Must highlight use of good practice and impact of actions described in the application
5. Case Studies
Don’t leave this section blank!
Include anything relevant that hasn’t been outlined before
e.g. additional survey data/details. Make it relevant!
6. Further Information

14. Success Measures = Impact
28 November 2018
Action Plan
SMART
4 Years and prioritise
Cross Reference
Proactive
Success Measures = Impact
SPECIFIC
MEASUREABLE
ACHIEVABLE/
ACCURATE
TIMELY
REALISTIC

15. 4. Career breaks, workload and flexible working
28 November 2018
Rationale/
Objective
Action
Timescales
Accountability (SAT member)
Responsibility
Success Measure
4. Career breaks, workload and flexible working
4.1 H
Staff Review and survey highlighted concerns of task allocation and work overload by gender.
Establish a transparent and reliable workload model
Look at possible models and options
Jan 2018
HoS
- Increase in proportion of staff who report department workload is distributed in a transparent and equitable way. Initial increase of 30% in 2019 survey.
- Workload to be assigned in an equitable way – as identified through annual review of workload by gender
Conduct a focus group with a representative group of staff to discuss the options and identify preferred model
Feb 2018
Joe Bloggs
School Manager
Implement Model
May 2018
HoD
HoS/School Manager
Review Success of model through staff survey
May 2019
SAT to review gender balance of workload
June 2019

16. Anyone can be a panellist
28 November 2018
Anyone can be a panellist
Academics, HR, EDI, specialists
Anonymous which application
Panel role
5 panellists looking at up to 6 applications (similar discipline or same Institution)
Panel Chair assigned to facilitate
Round table discussion and agreement
ECU Role
ECU moderate, ensuring fairness and kept to criteria
Arrange location (London)
Type up and disseminate feedback
The Assessment Panel

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For the November 2017 round, there were 114 submissions for Bronze awards, with 66 being successful at that level (57.9% success rate)

19. 28 November 2018
For the November 2017 round, there were 47 submissions for Silver awards, with 20 being successful at that level and 17 being successful at a lower level and receiving a Bronze award (78.7% success rate).  The unsuccessful number includes submissions where the institution, department or research institute met the Bronze criteria, but were offered a year’s grace of their current Silver award.)

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The success rate includes all awards that were conferred, whether they were at the level applied or at a lower level (for example, applied at Silver but were conferred a Bronze award). 

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25. Final Advice Be a panellist Plan your resources Get people on board
28 November 2018
Final Advice
Be a panellist
Plan your resources
Get people on board
Current action
Analyse the data
Tell the story…
So final advice…
Sign up and put yourself forward to be a panellist or at least an observer. These will be invaluable in terms of getting an insight as to what panels discuss and look for.
Plan the application and all resources. With one person leading, it will take up a lot of their time. Do not leave it to the end and write a panic application.
Engage with staff, get the positive people on board, and make sure you keep gathering that qualitative data
Understand what is currently happening in your department – what is making an impact or a difference to your staff
Analyse the data and find the leaks – this is a huge piece of work. Divvy it out or hire a PhD, whatever works, but the application can’t begin until you have done this.
This is an exercise is telling a story, provide a narrative that is positive, proactive, interesting and engaging – it will capture the panellists attention.

26. Resources and Useful Information
28 November 2018
Resources and Useful Information
Advance HE Website:
Athena SWAN Charter awards handbook, May 2015
Athena SWAN Good Practice Initiatives Web page:
Join University of Bristol Athena SWAN Network on Yammer