The School of Psychology has been recognised for its commitment to equality in higher education and research by achieving the Gold Award from the flagship accreditation scheme Athena Swan.
The Athena Swan Charter (Scientific Women's Academic Network) is an equality charter mark framework and accreditation scheme for higher education and research institutions, established in 2005 by the UK's Equality Challenge Unit. It recognises and promotes commitment to advancing gender equality, particularly in relation to representation, career progression, and success for women.
In achieving the Gold Award, the School of Psychology has now secured its third and most prestigious Athena Swan Award, building on its earlier Bronze (2016) and Silver (2020) recognitions. This significant milestone highlights the School’s long-standing commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
Commenting on the award, Head of School, Ali Pike said:
“This award recognises the significant progress we have made since our previous Silver, and it strongly motivates us to continue building upon that work. Psychology’s success reflects not just sustained attention to gender equality, but our commitment to embedding inclusive practice at the heart of our culture, strategy, and governance. A central feature of our submission was our explicit focus on intersectionality – ensuring that gender equality is understood alongside ethnicity, disability, socio-economic inequality, and other aspects of identity and experience. This approach has shaped our sector-leading policies for staff with caring responsibilities, informed the removal of gender gaps in promotions and research funding, and driven innovative, student-led developments in inclusive pedagogy.
"While we are proud of these achievements, our Gold Action Plan rightly challenges us to go further in tackling bullying and harassment, enhancing transparency, strengthening support for carers, and promoting wellbeing. We will continue to prioritise this work, recognising that meaningful cultural change is ongoing. There remains more to do to ensure that every colleague and student within the School of Psychology is able to thrive, and I am committed to working collaboratively to deliver that future.”
The School’s EDI leads, Sophie Forster and Matt Easterbrook added:
“Engaging with Athena Swan has been a powerful driver of progress, motivating us to embed gender equality and broader EDI principles into every aspect of our work. Achieving the award would not have been possible without the support of many, many colleagues across the school, particularly our fantastic EDI committee, and the firm commitment to embedding EDI across the School from Ali Pike, our current Head of School, and her predecessor Robin Banerjee (now Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Global and Civic Engagement). Without their unwavering support and backing, this would not have been possible. Looking ahead, the new Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine structure offers exciting opportunities to share best practice across schools and to build robust infrastructures that support and amplify the School-led work and outstanding grassroots initiatives that have played such a key role in driving positive and progressive change at Sussex.”