Equity and Diversity

Bristol is a city marked by vast socio-economic inequality and despite being considered a prosperous city, with an above average educational system, Bristol has more areas categorised as being in the most deprived 10% in England compared to other cities in the country. Bristol also shoulders a very specific legacy in the context of colonial history including the slave trade as well as the Civil Rights Activism of the 1960s.

In 2020, the Edward Colston statue fell in Bristol; huge numbers of NBP16 staff and students witnessed this first hand. The energy released from this moment in history created repercussions in our community and a renewed energy for social justice.

As a result, we made a shared commitment to amplify the voices of the marginalised in our community, as well as challenging privilege. We are working to achieve this by educating and implementing structural change for the empowerment of our black and brown students, continuing the work of making our whole community an antiracist space. This important work is undertaken with an understanding that social justice (and injustice) is intersectional, therefore the needs and interests of all marginalised groups will need to be brought into this conversation.

Promoting equality, celebrating diversity and championing inclusion is our priority and we are committed to the social justice and equity required to give all our students the knowledge, experience and skills to counter inequality and build a world that is a fairer and safer place for all when they leave us.

On this page you can find updates on how we are working to put that commitment into action. We look forward to sharing our progress in the weeks, months and years ahead:

“I hear people asking ‘How do I get started? How do I do this?’ You just start. It won’t be perfect. It’ll be messy and it’ll be hard, but you’re on your way.”
-  Ava Duvernay