Sexual harassment and violence in colleges and universities consultation opened by OfS

Today (Thursday 9 January) the Office for Students has published its proposed set of expectations on how universities and colleges should deal with reports of harassment and all forms of sexual misconduct. They form the basis of a consultation that opens today and the Association of Colleges will respond on behalf of the colleges delivering HE. Chief Executive David Hughes said: “Every student has the right to learn and train in a safe and secure environment, without the threat of violence and harassment. One incident is one too many and AoC will be responding on behalf of all colleges who teach higher education students to ensure reporting and levels of support and protection are working properly in our institutions. Colleges are already held to high child protection and safeguarding standards by DfE and Ofsted for their further education students. OFS will need to ensure that their proposals fit with these systems and don’t create confusion or misunderstanding when implementing zero tolerance policies.”