From September 2026, York St John University will introduce Core Inclusive Practices across all taught courses. These are a set of minimum expectations designed to create a more accessible, inclusive and supportive learning environment for all students. This article outlines the practices you should experience throughout your studies and what to do if you need additional support.
Please note: Core Inclusive Practices apply to students studying on taught courses from September 2026 onwards. Some practices may already be in place on your course before this date.
What you can expect
We've built inclusive practices into all our courses and modules to help make your learning experience accessible and supportive.
Teaching and Learning Materials
Your recommended reading and research should be clearly organised into essential resources and further resources, so you know what to prioritise. Essential resources will usually be no more than 5–10 items per module.
You should receive session summaries, slides, handouts and discussion materials at least 24 hours in advance, including anything you're expected to read during the session.
You should be given content notes in advance for any material deemed sensitive or distressing.
Your learning materials should be accessible:
Written information should be made available electronically.
Transcripts of audio recordings should be provided.
Videos should have closed captions enabled.
Teaching Sessions
You should be told in advance about scheduled fire alarms and testing times. These are also available on the Fire Safety webpage.
You should be told when planned breaks are happening. You can also take additional breaks or step out if needed, but please try to minimise disruption to others.
You won't be asked to read aloud without notice. If this is part of a session, materials will be shared at least 24 hours in advance.
You should receive clear content warnings before sensitive topics are discussed, both on Moodle and in sessions. If you plan to share sensitive content yourself, please let others know first.
Tutors should include pauses to help you process complex or new information.
Any complex instructions should be provided both verbally and in writing, with time to ask questions.
Lectures should be recorded wherever possible. Where recording is not possible, an alternative way of accessing the information will be provided, such as a pre-recorded version, a summary of the key concepts, or a brief audio recording after the session. More information can be found in the Lecture Recording Policy.
You can use a laptop in teaching sessions to assist with note-taking and are permitted to audio record lectures instead of taking notes. It may not be appropriate to record some sessions where confidential or sensitive subject matter is being discussed. Teaching staff will advise you when recording is and isn't permitted.
You can photograph information that isn't provided in another format, for example, information written on flipcharts or whiteboards.
You can use quiet fidget tools and noise-cancelling headphones in classrooms to support concentration and focus.
Assessments and Presentations
You should be provided with sufficient time to plan, prepare and practise for presentations.
Presentations will be assessed on their content. Difficulties such as recall, anxiety, word finding, eye contact, volume or pace of delivery should not form part of the assessment criteria unless these are explicit learning outcomes.
Unless written English is a competence standard, you will not be marked down for minor spelling or grammatical errors where these do not affect the overall meaning or clarity of your work. Feedback may highlight these errors to support your academic writing development.
All assessment information should be available in writing on Moodle.
You should be offered regular tutorials to allow you to clarify your understanding of assessment tasks. The frequency of these may depend on tutor availability, but there should be a minimum offer of:
Foundation Year and Year 1 undergraduate students
Six individual academic tutorials per year.
Two group tutorials per year.
Additional module tutorials as required.
Years 2 and 3 undergraduate students
Four individual academic tutorials per year.
One group tutorial per year.
Additional module tutorials as required.
Postgraduate taught students
Two to three academic tutorials during the course.
Additional module tutorials as required.
More information can be found in the Tutorial Policy.
Feedback should be clear, constructive and provided in an electronic format. More information can be found in the Student Hub article on feedback.
If you need additional support
These inclusive practices are designed to support all students. However, you may still benefit from additional support because of a disability, long-term health condition or neurodivergence.
If this applies to you, you can contact the Disability Support and Inclusion Team (DSIT) to discuss your needs and create a Learner Adjustment Plan (LAP).
If something isn't working as expected
We're committed to making sure these inclusive practices are part of your learning experience. If you feel these expectations aren't being met, there are several ways you can raise this.
You may feel comfortable:
Speaking with your tutor or module leader.
Contacting your programme team.
Talking to your course representative.
If you'd prefer not to raise this directly, you can also share your experience through the Core Inclusive Practice Form. You can either provide your details so the matter can be raised with the relevant module lead, or submit feedback anonymously.
We regularly review this feedback to help improve teaching and learning across the University. Your feedback helps us make positive changes for all students.
If, after raising your concerns, you remain dissatisfied that Core Inclusive Practices are not being implemented, you can raise a complaint through the University's complaints process.