Harassment, bullying and sexual misconduct
Bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct is not tolerated at Kingston University. Get the support you need and find out how to make a report.
Preventing and addressing harassment and sexual misconduct
Kingston University is a diverse and vibrant learning community. Everyone has a shared responsibility for creating and maintaining a welcoming and inclusive environment. We want everyone working and studying at Kingston University to have a positive experience, where they are accepted as their authentic selves and treated with respect.
Our work to prevent and address harassment and sexual misconduct includes having the right support in place for those who have witnessed or experienced discrimination, bullying or other unwanted behaviours. It also includes clear formal and informal reporting options for staff and students.
Our commitment
Kingston University is committed to building an inclusive and supportive environment with a culture of acceptance without exception. We stand against all forms of sexual violence and fully endorse the anti-racism pledge.
We do not tolerate any form of harassment, bullying or sexual misconduct. All allegations will be taken extremely seriously. Every member of our community has the right to be treated with respect at all times. We expect everyone to behave respectfully and with consideration for others, both on and off campus.
We will never use, enforce, or rely on non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in matters relating to harassment, bullying and sexual misconduct.
Kingston University recognises the potential for there to be an abuse of power between staff and students. We do not allow close personal and/or intimate relationships where a staff member has a direct responsibility for, or involvement in, a student’s academic studies and/or personal welfare. For example, we would not allow a member of staff who was directly teaching a student or marking their work to engage in an intimate relationship with that student. Further information about our policy can be found in our Personal Relationships Policy.
How to report harassment, bullying and sexual misconduct
Bullying, harassment, or sexual misconduct can have a significant negative impact upon your life. Speaking up may not feel easy, but we will always aim to support you in an open and non-judgemental way. If you experience or witness any behaviour that makes you feel uncomfortable, support is available for you, so please do report it.
If you are unsure about the correct procedure to follow or want to speak to someone about your concerns, Kingston Students' Union offers impartial and expert advice. The Union is a separate organisation to the University. You can be assured that its advice is independent and confidential.
Support
We offer support proactively to any student who is involved an incident of bullying, harassment or sexual misconduct when this is reported to us. Any student can access support directly themselves via the wide range of support available via the University’s Student Wellbeing Hub. This includes bookable counselling, listening and time and stress management session amongst a range of other services.
Support can also be accessed through the Kingston Students Union.
Students can also access external support, including:
- Nightline: Peer support from students from 6pm to 8am during term time – 020 7631 0101
- Samaritans: 116 123
- Get Connected – The Mix: (support for under 25s) – 0808 808 4994
- Papyrus: (support for under 35s) – 0800 068 41 41
- SupportLine: 01708 765200
- Victim Support: free 24/7 National Support line and Live chat options – 08 08 16 89 11
- The Havens: specialist London centres for people who have been raped or sexually assaulted – 0203 299 6900.
Urgent support
If there is an immediate risk to life, violence or another emergency, call 999.
You can contact campus security on +44 (0)20 8417 6666 where appropriate.
What is bullying, harassment or sexual misconduct?
How Kingston fosters a collective understanding of appropriate behaviour
Kingston University is developing a programme of educational content related to appropriate conduct which will be made available to all students from September 2025.
All staff are required to complete mandatory annual training on Safeguarding and Diversity in the Workplace. These training modules cover appropriate expected behaviours and how to identify and report behaviour that may constitute harassment and/or sexual misconduct. Additional training is provided to staff who are involved in supporting students (including victims and alleged perpetrators) and/or those who are responsible for undertaking investigations into incidents of harassment or sexual misconduct.
How prevalent is harassment and sexual misconduct at Kingston University?
We actively encourage students to report incidents of harassment and sexual misconduct, no matter how significant these incidents seem to be, via campaigns which run throughout the year, so that we can get a real sense of the prevalence of these issues within our community. We monitor informal reports made through Report and Support and the formal reports we receive. These are included in annual reports, presented to academic and non-academic committees. The University understands that an increase in the number of cases being reported and investigated does not necessarily indicate a negative direction of travel, but can mean that students and other members of our community feel supported to report incidents to us and can be reassured that these will be taken seriously.
In September 2025, the Office for Students will be making available data that they have collected via their own prevalence surveys. These have been undertaken with final year students. We will be analysing the data we receive from the OfS and updating this section during the 2025/6 academic year. We will also add our own 2024/5 data below. This will start to build up a more robust picture of the prevalence of harassment and sexual misconduct at Kingston.
Office for Students: Condition E6
We are committed to aligning with the principles and guidance set out in the Office for Students’ (OfS) Condition of Registration (E6). This resource is the Single Source of Information (SSI) referenced in E6.2.
Condition E6 covers subject matter relating to incidents of harassment and/or sexual misconduct which affects one or more students (including the conduct of staff towards students and/or the conduct of students towards students). It applies in relation to students on higher education courses provided in any manner or form by or on behalf of a provider.
Links to Report and Support and other relevant policies and procedures
Technical notes
The University’s policies and regulations are published on our website, along with an archive of previous versions.
The University’s policies and regulations are designed in collaboration and consultation with our student body. Students are represented in key decision-making bodies such as Education Committee, Regulatory Framework Committee, Student Life Committee, Academic Council and Board of Governors. Students have been involved in developing our institutional approach to preventing and addressing harassment and sexual misconduct. Student Equality Collaborators have contributed to the development of this page and associated resources.
We are committed to seeking and acting on feedback to help us continuously review and improve our approach to addressing bullying, harassment, and sexual misconduct. Feedback can be emailed to [email protected].
Contact us
Need more information?
Contact us to find the right person to reach out to, or call our switchboard on +44 (0)20 8417 9000.
