Support and Report for students

Sexual Misconduct and Harassment

Sexual misconduct and harassment can come in many forms including: unwanted touching; stalking; degrading remarks or jokes; and sexually inappropriate or offensive communication sent via social media including the displaying of sexual inappropriate material (such as posting of images, videos, comments or links that could be regarded as offensive).

It is a criminal offence if someone touches you with sexual intent if you have not consented to such touching and if the person carrying out the offence does not reasonably believe that you consented. A person consents to something if that person ‘agrees by choice and has the freedom and capacity to make that choice’ (Sexual Offences Act 2003). 

We are committed to providing an environment where all students and colleagues are treated with dignity and respect, free of victimisation, bullying or harassment. We will not tolerate any form of sexual misconduct or harassment and incidents of this nature may be dealt with via the Sexual Misconduct and/or Disciplinary Procedures for Students, and/or Code of Conduct 

Everyone reacts differently to any situation; there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way. You shouldn’t feel under any pressure to respond in a particular way.

If you want to, you could:

  • report the incident via our Support and Report tool. This can be done anonymously if you prefer.
  • discuss your support options with the Wellbeing and Welfare Team who will work with you to identify your needs and your options for accessing support.
  • report the incident to our campus security teams:  
  • directly to the police by calling 999 in an emergency, or 101 (in a non-emergency situation) or via the textphone service on 18001 101 if you have a hearing or speech impairment, or anonymously through Crimestoppers. 

Your nearest Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) offers support and medical help and the staff are trained to collect evidence. Help is available 24 hours a day. You can find your nearest SARC on the NHS website.

They can help with the following:

  • if you think you have been given any type of drug, it is best to be tested within 24 hours
  • if you need emergency contraception, medication should be started within 72 hours
  • if you would like HIV prevention drugs, medication should be started within 36 hours

They can collect forensic evidence which can be stored whilst you decide what to do next. See the SARC website for advice on when forensic evidence can be collected. You can also call the NHS 111 service for non-emergency health issues, or visit their website here.

To call the police for non-emergency enquiries, use 101. If you have a hearing or speech impairment, use their textphone service on 18001 101. In an emergency where you, or someone else is in danger call 999. 

Everyone needs different types of support. We will work with you to find support that is right for you, but only if you want it.

Depending on the situation we may be able to:

  • arrange transport to the police, a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), or to hospital
  • review your safety arrangements on campus
  • make a short-term change to housing arrangements
  • help you decide whether you want to inform others about your situation  
  • help you explore your reporting options
  • rearrange your class schedule
  • explore alternative exam arrangements, including location adjustments or applying for mitigation
  • arrange an Individual Learning Plan if you feel your experience will impact on your learning 

We’ll listen to you and help you understand what is involved if you decide to report what happened. There is more information on what happens in different situations here.

If you, or someone you know, experiences any form of sexual misconduct please contact our Wellbeing team for help and advice. Or you can report the incident via our Support and Report tool.