AMOSSHE's response to the Office for Students' sexual misconduct survey 2025 results
On Thursday 25 September 2025 the Office for Students (OfS) published the results of the 2025 sexual misconduct survey. The survey aimed to enable national insight into the prevalence of sexual misconduct in the English higher education sector. It provides quantitative data on student experiences of sexual harassment, sexual assault / violence and reporting sexual misconduct to providers.
The data from the survey outline a disheartening and sobering reminder that further work is necessary to prevent harassment and sexual misconduct in higher education. We recognise the transparency the data offers in helping providers understand the areas where improvement is necessary.
On 1 August 2025, the Office for Students introduced condition E6: harassment and sexual misconduct, which requires English providers to demonstrate how they’re preventing and tackling sexual harassment and misconduct at their institutions. To support members in developing their approach to the regulation, we’ve been collating and sharing case studies of institutional practice from our members in the various areas of the condition. In addition, we’ve facilitated members’ discussions, hosted professional development events and sector dialogue with both experts and the OfS about tackling and preventing harassment. We’ll continue to do so in light of the survey results. Since the announcement of the implementation of this survey, we’ve continuously worked with the OfS and we’ve raised members’ questions about its practical implications, design and execution.
The release of this data will further support the development of evidence-based practices and will speak to the contextual nature of each institution to ensure an impactful approach.
We’ll continue to support our members by providing a further breakdown of the data and how it should inform members’ approach to tackling harassment and sexual misconduct. We welcome the commitment from the Office for Students to provide future collaborative opportunities to improve their approach to any future data collection.
For media enquiries or any information about our work, please contact us.
