The Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Annual Report 2021-22 focuses on our achievements in the first year of our new D&I Strategy 2021-25.   

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This report provides a full assessment of our current position and details the targets we have set to realise our ambition to be a diverse and inclusive organisation at all levels.  

While encouraged by the tangible progress we are making towards our objectives, we have a significant programme of work remaining and the NAO Board and Executive Team remain focused on diversity and inclusion as a top priority.  

Key highlights over the past year include:  

  • Achieving our most ethnically diverse trainee intake, with 53% of new trainee entrants being from an ethnic minority background 
  • Strengthening our internship and work experience programmes, expanding these to include our Newcastle Office 
  • Improving diversity at senior grades, including at director level, with 35% women, 8% ethnic minorities and 12% who have declared a disability 
  • Relaunching our successful diversity mentoring programme, with a greater number of partnerships covering a broad range of protected characteristics 
  • Expanding our pay gap reporting to cover disability, in addition to gender and ethnicity, with a mean disability pay gap of 2.2% and a median disability pay gap of zero 
  • Launching our social mobility equality action plan in March 2022 and introducing parental occupation as a more accurate indicator of social mobility 
  • Entering the social mobility index for the first time where we were ranked 77 out of 203 organisations that completed the index 
  • Updating our approach to equality impact assessments, creating clear guidance and ensuring transparent accountability and reporting 

We will continue to build on this progress to achieve our vision of an NAO which values an increasingly diverse workforce and fosters a culture of inclusion and respect. 

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