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Green Templeton Meetings and Events Guidelines and Policies

This material includes information on a number of areas

  • Code of Practice on Meetings and Events
  • Health and safety information when organising events
  • Prevent Duty
  • Security when organising events
  • Safeguarding Policy
  • Overseas visitors

Code of Practice on Meetings and Events

Green Templeton put the following guidelines and polices document together in line with University of Oxford policies at the time of drafting.

Preamble

1. Freedom of speech and academic freedom are central tenets of university life.

2. Green Templeton College, University of Oxford seeks to protect robustly civic and academic freedoms and to foster an academic culture of openness and inclusivity, in which members of our community engage with each other, and the public, in debate and discussion, and remain open to both intellectual challenge and change.

3. The legal duty of UK universities to protect free speech is enshrined in legislation, including the Education (No 2) Act 1986 and the Human Rights Act 1998 and academic freedom is protected by the Education Reform Act 1988. Section 43 of the Education (No 2) Act 1986 specifically requires universities to: (a) ‘take such steps as are reasonably practicable to ensure that freedom of speech within the law is secured for members, students and employees of the establishment and for visiting speakers’; (b) ‘ensure so far as is reasonably practicable, that the use of any premises of the establishment is not denied to any individual or body of persons on any ground connected with a. the beliefs or views of that individual or of any member of that body; or b. the policy or objectives of that body.’; and (c) issue and keep up to date a code of practice for meetings and events.

4. The central importance of freedom of speech and academic freedom in a university underlies this code.

Scope

5. This Code of Practice must be followed by all members, students and employees of the college and visiting speakers in respect of: (a) all meetings and other events, to be held outdoors or indoors, on college premises, including those organised by third parties; and (b) all meetings and other events, which are college funded, affiliated or branded regardless of location, including online.

6. It is not anticipated that events and meetings which have been organised as part of the academic curriculum or cocurriculum would cause concern such as to require formal referral to the Proctors under the provisions of this code.

7. Freedom of speech and academic freedom must be protected.

8. Green Templeton believes that a culture of free, open and robust discussion can be achieved only if all concerned engage critically but courteously with each other. The college does not tolerate any form of harassment or victimisation and expects all members of the college community, its visitors and contractors to treat each other with respect, courtesy and consideration.

9. Green Templeton is committed to fostering an inclusive culture which promotes equality, values diversity and maintains a working, learning and social environment in which the rights and dignity of all members of the college community are respected.

10. All activity must be risk assessed and planned in accordance with the college’s health and safety policies.

Procedure

11. Members, students and employees of the college who are organising meetings or events or are responsible for administering external bookings of the college premises are responsible for assessing whether there are any major risks or issues in the context of this code, in particular with reference to paras 7–8 and 10. (If they are in any doubt or have any questions or need for further information, they are encouraged to discuss the situation with colleagues locally in the first instance, and then seek advice, as appropriate, from senior management, University Security Services or the Proctors’ Office.).

12. Events and meetings must be formally notified to the Green Templeton Events team on email events@gtc.ox.ac.uk where there are concerns that the meeting or event:

a. May give rise to an environment in which people will experience, or could reasonably fear, discrimination, harassment, intimidation, verbal abuse or violence, particularly (but not exclusively) on account of their age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy, maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation;

b. Is likely to pose a risk to the safety of those lawfully on college premises; or that it may prompt a risk to public safety.

As required by section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000, the college will not give permission to hold a meeting or event where it is known that:

a. the proposed speaker belongs to, or professes to belong to, a proscribed organisation; or

b. the proposed speaker will use the event to support, or to further the activities of, a proscribed organisation.

13. In the context of this Code, the college Events team is entrusted with the duty to assess the implications of events formally referred to them and to act in accordance with the college’s legal responsibilities, including:

a. The importance of academic freedom (as required eg by the Education Reform Act 1988);

b. the need to ensure that freedom of speech within the law is secured (as required eg by the Education (No 2) Act 1986);

c. the rights and freedoms enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights and incorporated into domestic law by the Human Rights Act 1998;

d. to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, promote equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between different groups in accordance with the Public Sector Equality Duty; and

e. the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 which requires universities and other ‘specified authorities’ to ‘have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism’ (section 26 (1)) and which also provides that ‘when carrying out the duty imposed by section 26 (1)’, universities ‘must have particular regard to the duty to ensure freedom of speech; and to the importance of academic freedom.’7 12 The college shall act in a risk-based and proportionate manner and with the desire, wherever possible, to enable events or meetings to proceed.

Referral

14. An intentional or reckless breach of this Code of Practice or a frivolous, vexatious and/or malicious referral may lead to disciplinary action being taken under the appropriate college procedure.
Decisions

15. The Green Templeton Events team have the power to postpone or relocate a meeting or event or to impose conditions. The responsibility for fulfilling these conditions rests with the organisers.

16. In the exceptional event that the Events team considers that the risks cannot be mitigated by the imposition of conditions, or the organisers refuse to comply with these conditions, the Events team have the right to cancel the meeting or event and they may do so even if a booking form has been provided.

17. The Events team will communicate their decision promptly and will set out the reasons for the decision.

Appeal

18. If an organiser or any member of the college or college staff who has consulted the Events team with concerns about a meeting or event is unhappy with the outcome of a decision of the Events team they may write to the Principal of Green Templeton setting out clear reasons for their unhappiness with the decision and requesting a reconsideration of the decision.

19. The Principal will delegate (as appropriate) and will communicate their decision on the appeal promptly and will set out the reasons for the decision.
Health and Safety when organising events at Green Templeton

The 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act stipulates that you need to take steps so far as is reasonably practical to provide a duty of care.

It is the responsibility of the Event Organiser to plan, manage and monitor the event to ensure that workers, guests, contractors and the visiting public are not exposed to health and safety risks. The level of detail in your planning should be proportionate to the scale of the event and the degree of risk. Green Templeton has risk assessments in place for meeting rooms and catering facilities which can be shared on request. Specific risk assessments for your event will need to be created. Guidelines

Prevent Duty

The government’s Prevent duty requires universities to consider and review their policies and procedures in a number of areas, including the management of events that take place on University premises, or are University affiliated, funded, or branded or hosted online. Schools and universities have a legal responsibility to “have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”.

Given the rise of extremist voices it’s important that this is considered for your event to understand how to protect attendees from this threat. Understanding how the Prevent duty is embedded as part of the wider safeguarding policy will help you to:

  • Protect from radicalising influences
  • Build resilience to extremist narratives
  • Identify any vulnerabilities or worrying changes in behaviour
  • Know what to do if you have concerns

As part of our prevent duty you will be asked to sign on our booking form to acknowledge that you have carried out the relevant risk assessments in respect that the Prevent duty has been carried out for your event. You can find more information in:

Security when organising events

As the Event booker, you have a ‘duty of care’ to ensure that those attending or involved with your event are safe and that the event venue is secure. It is the responsibility of the Event booker to comply with Green Templeton’s Code of Practice on Meetings and Events, and to identify any risks and take steps to mitigate those risks. If your event does require security please inform the GTC Events Team. More information

Safeguarding Policy

Please find the information outlining Green Templeton’s approach to preventing and reducing harm to children when they are in contact with University staff, workers, volunteers, students and any personal on Green Templeton College Grounds.

Overseas visitors

If you are planning to organise an overseas speaker or guest to your event please find out more information regarding visitor visas.

Last reviewed September 2024
Updated 2020