The Office for Students has launched a pilot survey on the prevalence of sexual misconduct within English universities as it continues to mull over its plans to place restrictions on staff-student sexual relationships.
The regulator is currently reviewing responses to its consultation from earlier this year on harassment and sexual misconduct and expects to publish the outcomes in the coming months.
Its preferred option is to require institutions to keep a register of all staff-student relationships, but an outright ban – which some academics said might be less “confusing” – could still be implemented.
The OfS had also previously said that it would introduce a condition of registration for providers, alongside a survey of students, with the aim of identifying universities where there is “high prevalence and low reporting”.
