ESB works hard to ensure everybody using our services is treated fairly, with respect and with dignity.  In doing so, we also recognise our legal and moral responsibilities, in accordance with current equality and diversity legislation, including the Equality Act 2010.

All ESB staff and assessors are required to support these responsibilities, both in spirit and in practice. ESB is committed to the prevention of discrimination on any grounds which are not appropriate to good employment or learning practice. We actively promote equality, diversity and inclusivity in access and entitlement to our services.

ESB qualifications and employment are open to all, regardless of race, culture, religious faith, marital status, disability, nationality, origin, age, sexual orientation or gender. ESB’s development of its qualifications includes steps to ensure there is no bias in content or language, nor any use of assessment methods, which might place unnecessary barriers to specific groups of learners, subject to maintaining the integrity and credibility of qualifications.

One way that we do this for our assessments is by our Reasonable Adjustments practice. Reasonable adjustments are steps that can be taken during an assessment to lessen or remove the effects of a disadvantage to a learner with disabilities. We want to ensure that reasonable adjustments are appropriate and fair to the learner, but that any adjustments do not undermine the value of a qualification and how it is used to show what a candidate can and cannot do. ESB qualifications are appropriate for those with learning, reading, seeing, hearing and/or mobility difficulties. The Policy and Procedures document  “Reasonable Adjustments” (available to download right or by request from the office) and syllabus handbooks describe the procedures for entering candidates with particular assessment requirements. You can also download the form. If you are unsure whether or not these adjustments are needed for a particular candidate, please talk to us and we will help. 

ESB takes all necessary action to ensure that its equality and diversity policies are effectively implemented in recruitment, selection, promotion and assessment, treating everyone fairly according only to their merit and abilities.

ESB has enquiries, appeals and complaints procedures, details of which are in all service documents and available from the Downloads section on the website.