Skip to navigation | Skip to main content | Skip to footer
Menu
Search the Staffnet siteSearch StaffNet

Advice and response

OfS: Sexual Harassment and Misconduct

In 2021, a taskforce was created, made-up of a broad group of individuals across different University areas and the Students' Union, to assess Office for Students (OfS) recommendations on sexual misconduct.  Later, in 31st July 2024, the OfS transformed its work on recommendations into a new condition of registration in relation to harassment and sexual misconduct (E6), which will come into force on 1st August 2025. Moving forward, all higher education providers registered with the OfS will be required to evidence how they meet these conditions.

We are already doing some great work in this area, but there are some key areas of focus as we move towards 1st August, that will ensure we meet these conditions and strengthen our approach to tackling harassment and sexual misconduct.

This work is being coordinated through a steering group, made up of colleagues from across the institution with particular expertise and focus in this area. This group will also be collaborating with students and student groups.

Progress towards the conditions includes:

  • Expand and develop our training offer to tackle harassment and sexual misconduct – We are developing a tiered model of training, to ensure that training is relevant and is accessed by those who need it. Topics include Consent, harassment and active bystander.
  • Creating an online single source for all information, policies, procedures and resources relating to harassment and sexual misconduct -We are bringing together everything related to harassment and sexual misconduct, to ensure our approach and vision are clear, to enable our university community to easily access valuable resources.
  • Publish our harassment and sexual misconduct data – The Advice and Response team are preparing to publish an annual report which will provide an insight into what is being reported to the university through the Report and Support platform. This report will include both colleague and student reporting data and will also include information about how reports are managed and the wider work the team do around prevention, education and support.