Policies

Harassment, Bullying and Sexual Misconduct

Our Commitment

Vogue College of Fashion (“the College”) is committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment for all members of our College community. We do not tolerate any form of harassment or sexual misconduct. We take all reports seriously and respond in a fair, timely and supportive manner.

You will find all the information that you need on this page, and it will remain the authoritative, final and current resource.

As a student of Vogue College of Fashion, our approach to preventing and addressing bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct will apply to you. Below you will find a list of relevant policies:

Relevant Policies

You should use the most recent version of the relevant policy/procedure. If the policy/procedure is updated after you have informed us of a case of harassment and/or sexual misconduct, you should use the version that was approved at the time your report was made. If the policy/procedure has been updated since the incident(s) occurred, but before the College has been informed, you should use the most recent (current) version.

What is Bullying?

Bullying is unwanted physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct which may intentionally or unintentionally violate a person’s dignity or create an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment which interferes with an individual’s learning, working or social environment. It is persistent, offensive, intimidating, malicious, humiliating or insulting behaviour – often associated with the misuse of power or position which aims to undermine the confidence and self-esteem of the recipient. Some examples of bullying include:

  • Verbal and/or physical intimidation;
  • Ignoring, patronising or ostracising;
  • Setting arbitrary or unachievable workloads in an unreasonable manner, and making threats associated with failure to achieve;
  • Excessive supervision
  • Public reprimand, ridicule, sarcasm or humiliation
  • Posting offensive comments on social networking sites or in other media;
  • Sending offensive text messages, or emails;
  • Intentionally blocking a person’s training, learning or development opportunities.
  • Threatening to expose someone as a member of a protected group

What is Harassment?

Harassment (as defined by Part 2 Section 2 of the Equality Act 2010) includes unwanted behaviour or conduct which has the purpose or effect of violating a person’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment because of, or connected to, one or more of the following protected characteristics:

  • Disability
  • Race
  • Age
  • Religion and belief
  • Sexual Orientation
  • Sex
  • Gender Identity
  • Marriage and civil partnership
  • Pregnancy or maternity (where interpreted as discrimination)

Harassment is often defined as the act of systematic and/or continued unwanted actions of one party or group, including threats and demands; however, an isolated incident or threat could amount to harassment if it causes distress. Harassment may also breach other legislation and may in some circumstances be a criminal offence, e.g. under the provisions of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.

The Protection from Harassment Act 1997 (Section 1) makes it unlawful to pursue a course of conduct which you know or ought to know would be harassment, which includes causing someone alarm or distress.

If you are affected by this type of harassment, you can report the matter to us, and you will be supported by our dedicated Student Support team. You could also report the incident to the police, and you will be able to receive College support, whether you decide to follow this route or not.

Our Harassment, Bullying and Sexual Misconduct Policy contains further information, and staff and students are encouraged to familiarise themselves with this document.

What is Sexual Misconduct?

Sexual misconduct is defined as any unwanted conduct of a sexual nature which occurred in person or by letter, telephone, text, email or other electronic and/or social media and includes, but is not limited to, the following behaviour:

  • Engaging, or attempting to engage in a sexual act with another individual without consent (including rape);
  • Sexually touching another person without their consent;
  • Conduct of a sexual nature which creates (or could create) an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive environment for others including making unwanted remarks of a sexual nature;
  • Inappropriately showing sexual organs to another person;
  • Repeatedly following another person without good reason;
  • Distributing private and personal explicit images or video footage of an individual without their consent.
  • Arranging or participating in events which may reasonably be assumed to cause degradation and humiliation to those who have experienced sexual violence, for example inappropriately themed social events or initiations.
  • Exploiting a position of authority to coerce someone into sexual activity.

**The College has a separate document with advice on what to do following rape or sexual assault **

How to Report Harassment and/or Sexual Misconduct

If you, or someone you know have been affected by harassment and/or sexual misconduct, or if you have witnessed this happening to someone else, you can report it to us.

If you are in immediate danger or need urgent help, call 999.

You can report concerns in the following ways:

  • Complete the Disclosure of Misconduct Form, accessible through the link in the list of policies above
  • Complete the online Disclosure of Misconduct Form, accessible through this link
    • This option allows you to report an incident either anonymously, or with your contact details.
  • Speak to a Trusted Contact
    • You can raise your concern with your Personal Tutor (or other member of staff, such as the Global Academic Director); you could do this face-to-face, via email or Microsoft Teams. You can raise your concern with one of the College’s Safeguarding Leads:
    • Dione Hyland – Registrar & Director of Operations (Senior Safeguarding Lead
    • Katie Pope – Undergraduate Course Coordinator and Registry Officer (Deputy Safeguarding Lead)
    • Audrey Parr, Director of Human Resources
    • Nicola Lowe, Human Resources Manager

An incident does not have to be formally reported in order for it to amount to sexual misconduct and/or harassment, and the College reserves the right to investigate cases it becomes aware of, even where there is no formal complainant.

Similarly, where sexual misconduct and/or harassment may have occurred away from College premises, and/or by person(s) not connected to the College, you can still access sources of support by contacting:

If you are member of staff who wishes to report an incident(s) of harassment and/or sexual misconduct, please use the online Disclosure of Misconduct Form, or contact your Line Manager, Department Head or Human Resources. Similarly, you can raise your concern with one of the College’s Safeguarding Leads as noted above.

What Happens Next

Once a report is made:

  • We will treat it seriously and with respect and confidentiality.
  • We will outline the support options available to you.
  • You will be guided through your options, including informal resolution or formal investigation procedures.
  • You have the right to choose whether or not to participate in any formal process.
  • We will ensure the process is fair and transparent.

All reported cases of harassment and sexual misconduct will be investigated in accordance with the Non-Academic Misconduct Policy (for students) or the Grievance and/or Disciplinary Procedures (staff).

The College adopts an objective approach to investigations, and the perception of the reporting party, the circumstances surrounding the case and whether it is reasonable for the conduct to have had the effect it has, will all be considered. We aim to complete investigations and outcomes within reasonable timeframes as per our policies, and complainants will be kept informed throughout.

Any judgement reached by the College in cases of reported bullying, harassment or sexual misconduct do not constitute a legal ruling and do not, therefore, draw a conclusion on whether criminal activity has taken place.

You will be offered support from the moment you notify us (or it comes to our attention) that you have been affected by bullying, harassment or sexual misconduct. You will continue to be supported throughout any investigation procedure and thereafter.

Support Services

We offer specialist and general support for students through:

  • Our student casework team, who have been trained to respond to harassment and sexual misconduct disclosures; and
  • Our counselling and mental health services, delivered by our dedicated College Student Counsellor Sarah Fysh

We can also assist with:

We provide this support to all current students who are registered with Vogue College of Fashion. Please reach out to us if:

  • You wish to make an allegation about bullying, harassment and/or sexual misconduct (either for yourself or for someone else);
  • You have experienced bullying, harassment and/or sexual misconduct;
  • You have been accused of bullying, harassment and/or sexual misconduct;
  • You have witnessed bullying, harassment and/or sexual misconduct directed at someone else.

You can access our support services by contacting the Registrar, the Global Academic Director, or College Student Counsellor Sarah Fysh directly.

Training

The College will provide mandatory training for all students and staff. Additionally, senior staff, as well as staff who are likely to handle disclosures of bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct (key staff), will receive specialist training. Information will be sent to you via your Vogue College of Fashion email address.

Prevention

Vogue College of Fashion is actively working to prevent bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct through:

  • Clear behavioural expectations, communicated through our Bullying, Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Policy, as well as Student Code of Conduct and Policy on Intimate Personal Relationships between Staff and Students.
  • Campaigns and events (including induction week) promoting respect, consent, and active bystander intervention.
  • Providing online and in-person services to report misconduct and harassment.
  • Collecting and collating data to inform practice and address any systemic issues.
  • Providing training for all students and staff members of the College.

Non-Disclosure Agreements

A Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) could prevent you from reporting harassment and sexual misconduct. The College strictly prohibits the use of NDAs in cases of harassment and sexual misconduct and will never ask staff or students to sign one in these circumstances.

Should you be asked to sign an NDA from an external party (i.e. work experience placement) that is affecting a sexual misconduct or harassment case, you can inform Dione Hyland, Registrar and Director of Operations (DHyland@voguecollege.com), or Johannes Reponen, the Global Academic Director (JReponen@voguecollege.com), who can seek legal advice.

Freedom of Speech

We recognize that during academic tuition and discussion, there may be certain topics that some may find offensive. These topics, which could be controversial and/or sensitive in nature, are pedagogically relevant, form part of the course content and are intended to inform healthy academic debate. Exposure to sensitive and/or controversial topics is not a form of harassment or sexual misconduct, and the College will facilitate academic expression as part of our commitment to the principles of freedom of speech; however, we will not tolerate abuse, malicious targeting or intimidation of an individual.

The Equality Act 2010 recognizes protected characteristics and students must conduct themselves in a manner that adheres to this. Academic expression should always remain topical, relevant and respectful.

Institutional Responsibility

Vogue College of Fashion recognizes the need to maintain clear, accessible policies on bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct, and ensure fair, independent investigation and disciplinary procedures.

We will regularly review and improve our prevention strategies as well as collect and analyse data to understand trends, which in turn will inform our practice and response.

Policy on Intimate Personal Relationships between Staff and Students

Vogue College of Fashion recognizes that positive, supportive and encouraging relationships between staff and students are a positive aspect of being an active member of our community and a vitally important dimension of the student experience. However, the nature of staff/student relationships imposes particular responsibilities and duties on staff. This policy is intended to ensure that appropriate safeguards and processes are in place to prevent abuses of power and sexual harassment and misconduct of students by staff. You can access the full policy by clicking this link.

Contact Us

If you have questions or need further support, please contact:

**Remember, we are here to support you. **