Advance HE Community Listening Exercise

Share Your Experiences and Perspectives

We know recent developments have prompted a range of thoughts, feelings and questions across our community. This is an opportunity to share your experiences, listen to others, and help us better understand what inclusion, dignity, respect and belonging mean to students at UWE Bristol today.

UWE Bristol has commissioned Advance HE to lead an independent Community Listening Exercise for staff and students.

Following recent developments, including the Supreme Court ruling, EHRC guidance, updates to the Trans and Non-Binary Policy, and the Equality Impact Analysis (EIA), we recognise that people have a range of experiences, perspectives and questions. Advance HE will provide a safe and impartial space to share these views

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Steve West, and Students' Union Officers will also explain the purpose of this independent Community Listening Exercise and the importance of providing a respectful and inclusive space where staff and students can share a range of experiences, perspectives and questions.

Ways to Take Part

You can participate in whichever way feels most comfortable and accessible to you.

Online Reflection Form

An anonymous online reflection form is available for anyone who would prefer to share their views in writing.

Student Opportunities

You can participate in whichever way feels most comfortable and accessible to you. 

To help make sure as many people as possible can take part, please only book one session. You may choose either an online group session, an in-person group session, or a 1:1 session. 

Places for 1:1 sessions are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. There are eight places available, intended for those who feel unable to attend an open forum.

Register: Registration - Advance HE Community Listening Student Sessions

Have Your Say

Every student's experience of university is unique. Whether you've felt supported, challenged, heard, uncertain, or somewhere in between, your perspective matters. This is an opportunity to contribute to a wider conversation about how we build a respectful and inclusive university community together.

FAQs

Q: Why are we doing this?

A: This community discussion is an opportunity to listen and learn.

The aim is to better understand:

• The lived experiences of staff and students.
• What inclusion, dignity, respect and belonging look and feel like across our community.
• Experiences of facilities and spaces across UWE Bristol.
• How different perspectives and experiences are navigated within our university community.
• What UWE Bristol can learn from the experiences shared.

Q: Who are Advance HE and the facilitators? 

These conversations will be facilitated by David Bass, Advance HE's Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and Baljit Birring, Senior Consultant - Inclusive Leadership . Together, they bring extensive experience of supporting universities to navigate complex inclusion issues, facilitate sensitive conversations, and create safe, respectful spaces where diverse experiences and perspectives can be shared and heard.

Q: How is this listening opportunity different from the Equality Impact Analysis?

A: The EIA was a formal engagement process that helped the University understand the impacts of the policy update and informed the subsequent You Said, We Did: Trans and Non-Binary Policy Update | Student blog response published Wednesday 3rd December 2025.

This Advance HE community discussion is different.

It is:

• An independent listening exercise.
• Focused on lived experiences and community perspectives.
• Facilitated externally by Advance HE.
• Designed to understand experiences, impacts and community dynamics.

It is not:

• A consultation on policy changes.
• A review of policy wording.
• A legal review.
• A decision-making forum

Q: How will sessions be facilitated?
A: The group sessions, one-to-one conversations, and online reflection form will be guided by the following five questions:

1. What has been your lived experience of working or studying at UWE over the last few months following the Supreme Court ruling, the revision of UWE’s Trans and Non-Binary Policy, and the publication of the final EHRC guidance?
2. When you think of an inclusive and respectful environment, what does that look and feel like?
3. How effective are UWE’s current facilities, such as gender-neutral toilets, single-sex toilets, changing facilities, and accessible spaces? Where could improvements be made?
4. How does the University balance differing rights, needs, and perspectives within its community? Can you share examples of successful collaboration across differing viewpoints?
5. Is there anything else about your experience that you would like UWE to understand or consider?

These questions provide a framework for the discussion. Participants will also have the opportunity to raise any other experiences, views, concerns, or suggestions that they would like to share

Q: How will confidentiality be protected during the discussion?

A: Advance HE will independently manage registrations, facilitate the sessions and analyse the information gathered.

Feedback will be reported thematically, and comments will not be attributed to named individuals. UWE Bristol will not receive participant-by-participant accounts of discussions or one-to-one conversations. 

 If you join a group session, other participants will know who is taking part. Everyone will be asked to engage respectfully and in line with agreed principles of participation, including listening to understand, speaking from personal experience, respecting difference and maintaining confidentiality about what is shared within the group.

Q: What happens after the engagement period ends?

A: Following the engagement period, Advance HE will independently analyse the themes emerging from the reflection forms, group listening sessions and 1:1 conversation. 

To ensure transparency, the findings will be shared with all staff and students through an open webinar presentation. The playback will consist of a presentation of the key themes, experiences, and insights identified through the review. Individual comments will remain anonymous and will not be attributed to participants.

Q: What support is available to me? We recognise that discussions about identity, belonging, inclusion and lived experience can be personal and, at times, emotionally challenging.

• Wellbeing Support Services
• Report and Support
• TransActual
• TransLucent
• Gendered Intelligence
• Intercom Trust
• MindOut

Q: Who should I contact if I have accessibility requirements or questions?

A: If you have any accessibility requirements or questions about taking part, please respond to this in the registration form. This will enable the team facilitating the engagement activities to provide any support or adjustments you may need.

If you have any remaining questions about taking part in this listening exercise, please contact baljit.birring@advance-he.ac.uk

Thank you for considering taking part. Whether you choose to attend a session, complete the online form, or simply learn more about the process, we value the role students play in shaping a respectful and inclusive UWE Bristol community