Last month we shared an initial announcement about upcoming changes relating to the University’s approach to combating harassment and sexual misconduct, to ensure compliance with the Office for Students’ (OfS) new condition of registration — which comes into effect on 1 August 2025.

We would now like to make you aware of those changes and how they may impact you.

Why are we making changes?

Condition E6 requires all HE institutions to take robust, proactive steps to prevent and respond to harassment and sexual misconduct towards students. From 1 August 2025, all higher education institutions are required to meet these conditions to maintain their registration with the OfS.

What has the University been doing?

A Task & Finish Group with representation from across the University has been working alongside our trade unions, SU and other groups to consult on all key policy changes and to design and implement these changes by the 1 August deadline.

Key Implications for students

Here’s what you need to know:

Staff-Student Relationships

We have revised the Personal and Professional Relationships Policy, which now prohibits staff from entering into intimate personal relationships with students over whom they have teaching, research, pastoral, wellbeing or other professional responsibilities.

From 1 August 2025, staff are required to report an intimate personal relationship with a student without delay. This process will ensure that all necessary actions are taken to support and protect all those involved. If you are in an existing staff-student relationship that needs reporting, the member of staff is responsible for informing the university and should contact Richard Brooks, Director of Human Resources, who will advise on next steps.

We would like to emphasise that if there is a relationship and it is reported without delay, then it will almost always be possible to make changes, so the staff member is not in a position of responsibility or power over the student who they are in an intimate personal relationship with. This reporting process is focused on protecting all those involved and will be managed sensitively, supportively and confidentially.

Is my relationship reportable?

The University has been careful in only applying the ban on intimate personal relationships to substantive roles where the member of staff has academic, assessment, supervisory / managerial, pastoral, wellbeing or other professional responsibilities for the students or is expected to have this over the period of the student’s study at the University over the next year. 

To be an intimate personal relationship it must involve one or more of the following elements:

  • physical intimacy including isolated or repeated sexual activity; or
  • romantic or emotional intimacy.

Excluded relationships and scenario examples

If you are in an intimate personal relationship that existed before the date condition E6 comes into force (1 August 2025) and that remains in existence or existed before the date that the staff member became a relevant staff member in relation to that student, this is excluded from the ban. However, the relationship still needs to be recorded so alternative arrangements can be made to ensure the member of staff no longer has any professional responsibilities for the student.

Please read the scenarios below for some more examples of excluded relationships.

I am a student that also works in a casual role at the university, can I be in a relationship with another student?

In the University many of our students undertake in casual and/or low FTE employment (low-fractional) roles. Therefore, the prohibiting of staff-student relationships will exclude members of staff where their primary status is as a student, but they also undertake one or more casual worker or low-fractional employee contract roles, such as sports coaches, student ambassadors, food and beverage assistants or cleaners. The only such roles that will be included in the ban are where a student works in a role that has some form of authority or professional responsibilities towards the student with whom they are in an intimate personal relationship. For example, a PhD student undertaking a Graduate Teaching Assistant role. This is because these are significant roles where the postholders do have a position of responsibility, and from this power, over the students they are assessing.

I am a student in an existing relationship with a member of staff who does not have professional responsibilities for me, is my relationship now banned?

The ban on intimate personal relationships only applies to substantive roles where the member of staff has academic, assessment, supervisory / managerial, pastoral, wellbeing or other professional responsibilities for the student or is expected to have this over the period of the student’s study at the University over the next year. If you are unsure, please contact Student Support who can advise. 

I am a student in an existing relationship with a member of staff who has professional responsibilities for me; do I need to tell anyone, and will I get in trouble?

The member of staff is responsible for reporting the relationship, not the student. If the relationship is reported without delay, then it will almost always be possible to make changes, so the staff member is not in a position of responsibility or power over the student who they are in an intimate personal relationship with. This reporting process is focused on protecting all those involved and will be managed sensitively, supportively and confidentially.

Reporting a staff-student relationship

The member of staff is responsible for informing the university and should contact Richard Brooks, Director of Human Resources, who will advise on next steps.

Other changes to be aware of from 1 August

The University has created a single comprehensive source of information which will go live on our staff and student webpages on 1 August 2025. This sets out all our policies, procedures and guidance on what you need to do on matters relating to incidents of harassment and sexual misconduct, all in one place. Please visit the site once it goes live and familiarise yourself with the information.

The University has also revised our existing #NeverOK training for staff and students to help you understand your responsibilities under Condition E6 and how to respond to incidents or concerns. The new modules go live from 4 August 2025.

Thank you for engaging with these changes. We are aware that this is a very complex area, and we will keep these arrangements very closely under review as the new policy comes into effect.

If you have any immediate questions or concerns about any of these changes, please contact Student Support who will be able to give you advice on a confidential basis.