In May 2022 a review of the sports culture at Oxford Brookes was conducted by an external consultant, British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS), to ensure that policies and practices within Brookes Sport promote the culture, behaviours and values we expect of all our students. This included consultations, surveys and workshops with students, staff, sports club members and coaches across the University.
As a result of the BUCS review findings, the University committed to an action plan to address the identified areas for improvement. As we approach the anniversary of this commitment, we reflect on the progress that has been made so far, and how we intend to continue this work, including a new Sports Culture Survey that we’re launching today.
Actions taken following the BUCS review include:
An updated Sports Behavioural Contract has been added as a mandatory step for joining any student sports club. The Brookes 'It's Not OK’ video has also been included in the sign-up process.
A thorough ‘Student Conduct and Sport’ process has been developed alongside colleagues in the Student Investigation and Resolution Team. Additionally, three members of staff have been trained as Sports Conduct Officers to help facilitate the process.
18 Beyond Equality workshops have been delivered by external facilitators to help educate student sports club committees about equality, inclusion, team culture and support structures.
Brookes Sport has partnered with Sporting Wellness to provide all of our TeamBrookes student-athletes with free, 24/7, confidential access to mental health and emotional wellbeing support.
Trained Sports Club Welfare Officers have been introduced within all of the University’s sports clubs to provide peer-to-peer support and signpost students towards the relevant support services.
Zena Wooldridge OBE, President of the World Squash Federation, has been appointed as an external consultant to help develop the University Strategy for Sport, which will outline the continued development of Brookes Sport to ensure it supports our wide range of students.
Sports Club Committee training has been introduced on Moodle to support the face-to-face or online training workshops provided annually by staff.
Brookes Sport staff have attended a ‘Turning Guiding Principles into Action’ workshop as part of a staff development day.
This progress is positive but remains ongoing, and the student perspective is a crucial part of the work. Whether you’re a TeamBrookes member, or you’ve never engaged with sports at the University, you’re invited to share your honest thoughts, feedback and experiences in the Sports Survey 2023.
This will help the University to:
gain a better understanding of how students view the sports culture at Brookes
benchmark the results against the findings of the previous survey
identify key themes and areas for continued improvement.
By completing the survey, you will also be entered into a prize draw to win a £50 Amazon voucher! The survey is now open and will close on 8 May 2023.
If you have any questions about the survey or the sports culture at Brookes, please contact sport@brookes.ac.uk.