College policies
- Merton College Single Equality Scheme (also available in PDF format)
- Merton College Undergraduate Admissions Equality Information (PDF format)
- Merton College Graduate Admissions Equality Information (PDF format)
- Merton Current Students Equality Information (PDF format)
- Merton College Code of Practice on Staff Recruitment and Selection (also available in PDF format)
- Merton College Equality Report 2019-20 (also available in PDF format)
- 2022 Gender Pay Gap Report (also available in PDF format)
- 2021 Gender Pay Gap Report (also available in PDF format)
- 2020 Gender Pay Gap Report (also available in PDF format)
- 2018 Gender Pay Gap Report (also available in PDF format)
- 2017 Gender Pay Gap Report (also available in PDF format)
Under the Equality Act 2010 Merton has a general duty to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between different people when carrying out their activities. The College has established an Equality Committee to help it comply with the requirements of the Act. We have a specific equality duty to publish relevant, proportionate information showing compliance with the Equality Act on a yearly basis.
Equality data includes information relating to the people among our employees, our students, and other people who receive a service from the College and who share a relevant protected characteristic. Characteristics protected under the Equality Act are: age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. They include marriage and civil partnership in respect of the need to eliminate discrimination in employment.
There are limits on the information which we can publish. The need to protect individual privacy means we are not able to publish information on groups of fewer than ten people or in other cases where there would be a risk of identification of individuals. Moreover, we do not currently routinely capture information on all of the protected characteristics. We are committed to improving the quality and range of our equality data over time.
Overall information for the University of Oxford on gender, race and disability can be found on the University's Equality and Diversity pages.
The College has adopted a Safeguarding Policy (also available in PDF format). Any queries should be raised with the Academic Office.
- Policy and Procedure on Harassment (also available in PDF format) - this applies to Fellows, staff, and students
- Data Protection Policy (also available in PDF format)
- Privacy notices and RoPAs can be accessed at www.merton.ox.ac.uk/privacy.
- The College has an Information Security Policy (also available in PDF format), in order to formalise and regularise its existing good practice around its use of information.
- Mobile Device Security Regulations (also available in PDF format)
- Network Acceptable Use Regulations (also available in PDF format)
- Data Protection Breach Regulations (also available in PDF format)
- Password Policy (also available in PDF format)
- IT Administrator Usage Policy (also available in PDF format)
- IT Software Installation Policy (also available in PDF format)
Policies and procedures applying to students, including contractual information, academic and non-academic provision, obligations and discipline, confidentiality (medical and welfare), data protection, harassment and serious misconduct, grievances and complaints, computer use, freedom of speech, and health and safety are published in the College Handbook for Junior Members.
Policies and procedures concerning College staff are contained in the Staff Handbook and Health & Safety Manual, which may be provided electronically, or in hard copy on payment of a charge. These documents include coverage of terms and conditions of employment, data protection, computer misuse, grievances, misconduct, equality, and health and safety.
Further policies and procedures concerning Fellows and academic staff are contained in the Statutes and Bylaws.
This publication scheme for Merton College in the University of Oxford describes the information made publicly available by the College, how the information can be accessed, and whether a charge will be made for it to cover administration costs.
The aim is to give a clear description of College publications which are routinely accessible, so that members of the public are informed of the nature of college activities and objectives in a transparent fashion.
All publications are available either in hard copy, electronically or on this website.
Information may not be published for one or several of the following reasons:
- The College does not hold the information;
- The information is exempt under one of the Freedom of Information exemptions, or Environmental Information Regulations exceptions, or its release is prohibited under another statute;
- The information has been archived, is out of date or is otherwise inaccessible;
- Compilation of the information would be impractical or excessively time consuming.
All queries, complaints, comments and suggestions concerning this Publication Scheme, including requests for provision of information in a more accessible format, should be addressed in writing to the Information Officer, who is responsible for maintaining the scheme on behalf of the College:
Fra’ John Eidinow
Dean and Keeper of the Statutes
Merton College
Merton Street
Oxford OX1 4JD
Telephone: 01865 286341
Email: foi@merton.ox.ac.uk
Any dissatisfaction with a response by the Information Officer may be referred to the Warden, who will arrange for the matter to be reviewed internally. Any further dissatisfaction with the outcome may be referred to:
The Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
The publication scheme will be reviewed annually by the Information Officer and the copyright in this publication scheme and its contents is reserved to Merton College.
Merton College was founded in 1264 under royal charter by Walter of Merton, Lord Chancellor of England and Bishop of Rochester, and was established in Oxford by 1267. Merton is the earliest example of an independent English university college founded with its own statutes and endowment.
Legal Framework
The College is a charity whose object is for the public benefit to promote religion, education, learning and research through the provision of a college in Oxford or elsewhere. The College was registered as a charity number 1139022 on 15 November 2010. Prior to that date the College was an exempt charity as listed in schedule 2(b) of the Charities Act 1993.
The College’s governing documents are its Statutes enacted under the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge Act 1923 and its Bylaws. Both documents can be provided on request in hard copy for a fee or electronically by email attachment.
Structure
Information on the College's organisational structure can be found in the Annual Report and Financial Statements, which serves as the trustees' annual report.
Information on the College's strategies & plans can be found in the Annual Report and Financial Statements, which serves as the trustees' annual report.
All key decisions are made by the Governing Body of the College on the basis of reports and recommendations submitted by College Committees or College Officers.
Copies or extracts of Governing Body Minutes can be provided in hard copy on payment of a charge. Minutes of more recent meetings may be made available electronically.
College Committees and College Officers have delegated authority to make limited decisions within the framework of procedures and mandates that are approved by the Governing Body. These are set out in the Statutes and Bylaws, and in the College Handbook.
Policies and procedures applying to students, including contractual information, academic and non-academic provision, obligations and discipline, confidentiality (medical and welfare), data protection, harassment and serious misconduct, grievances and complaints, computer use, freedom of speech, and health and safety are published in the College Handbook.
Policies and procedures concerning College staff are contained in the Staff Handbook and Health & Safety Manual, which may be provided electronically, or in hard copy on payment of a charge. These documents include coverage of terms and conditions of employment, data protection, computer misuse, grievances, misconduct, equality, and health and safety.
Further policies and procedures concerning Fellows and academic staff are contained in the Statutes and Bylaws.
- Information about undergraduate student recruitment and graduate student recruitment
- Information for current students
- Information concerning the hire of College facilities for conferences and functions
- Library and archive services for scholars and members of the public
- Information about the College as a place of public worship and performance
- Information for visitors and members of the public
- Information of special interest to alumni and friends of the College
- News items are shown on the home page of this website