The University of Worcester has won a national award recognising its work to share its approach to inclusive physical education around the world.
The University was named the winner of the Internationalisation category at last night’s Guardian University Awards. The University was also shortlisted in the Widening Access and Outreach category.
It comes just days after the University was ranked number one in the UK and 26th globally for Quality Education in the Global Impact rankings published by the authoritative Times Higher Education.
Professor David Green CBE, Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive, said: “We are thrilled to win this award recognising the outstanding work colleagues at the University have pioneered to develop and share inclusive physical education across the globe. This work is having as truly transformative impact on the lives of children and adults alike, bringing the joy of active participation in sport to marginalised groups around the world.”
In recent years, the University of Worcester has developed a genuine reputation for excellence in inclusive sport. Worcester was the first to launch a degree in disability sport, in the afterglow of London 2012, and developed the UK’s first sports venue purpose designed to include the wheelchair athlete, the University of Worcester Arena. The University is now working on creating the world’s first purpose designed indoor inclusive cricket centre, with strong support from the England Cricket Board and England Disability cricket.
In the last 18 months the University has established key strategic partnerships across the world, including in Japan and China, where the Tokyo 2020Paralympic Games and Beijing 2022 Winter Games, afford a global opportunity in helping to create a lasting legacy for inclusive sport – and the concept of inclusion more widely.
This work builds on the University’s wider commitment to inclusion, which saw it ranked so highly in last week’s THE Global Impact rankings, based on universities’ commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. As well as coming in at number one in the UK for Quality Education, the University was also ranked number one in the UK, and joint 4th globally, for Gender Equality.
The United Nation’s Sustainability Goal for Quality Education is to ‘Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’.
Professor Green said: “At the University of Worcester we have long believed that every child and every adult matters. Every student who comes to the University enjoys the opportunity to make more of their own precious human potential through high quality education and participation in a dynamic, supportive community. This approach which we sum up as ‘Inspired for Life’ has created an outstanding community of students, staff and graduates who really make a difference for the good in society.
“The Guardian Award for Internationalisation, along with being shortlisted in the category of Widening Access and Outreach for our work with The Learning Institute, and our placing in the recent THE rankings, are all recognition of our on-going commitment to inclusion and the belief that everyone, no matter where they live, be that in a rural part of England, China, Japan India and many other countries, no matter what their background, their physical ability, gender, race or religion is, has a fundamental right to education and the opportunity to make the very best of their own potential. I am very proud of the wonderful, inspiring work by dedicated, imaginative, hard-working colleagues at Worcester and our many partners.”