Case summaries

Free speech - CS082602

Case summary August 2026 | Not Justified

A student was withdrawn from their provider after they failed their final attempt at a core module. They complained to the provider that the marking of their work had departed from the published assessment criteria and had been influenced by the political views expressed in their work. The student said this was a violation of their freedom of speech and a breach of the Equality Act because it amounted to discrimination on the basis of religion or belief. 

Free speech - CS082601

Case summary August 2026 | Not Justified

A postgraduate student was conducting research on gender identity. The student did not pass their progress exam at the first attempt. The examiners had concerns about the student’s literature review and writing. They also raised an ethical concern about the research survey the student was using and said that the student should pause the survey and address their concerns.

Free speech - CS082604

Case summary August 2026 | Not Justified

A student complained to their provider about comments that had been made within a chat box by other students during an online teaching session. The session had explored historical arguments about the roles of women. The student said the comments were transphobic and discriminatory, and that the lecturer hadn’t taken proper steps to address them. The provider didn’t uphold the student’s complaint and the student complained to us. 

Free speech - CS082605

Case summary August 2026 | Settled

A provider received reports about a student’s conduct while living in its halls of residence, which said that the student had made comments that were queerphobic, transphobic and antisemitic, and that the student had made upsetting comments during a conversation about pregnancy and abortion rights. The provider considered the reports using its disciplinary procedures. 

Harassment and sexual misconduct - CS042608

Case summary April 2026 | Partly Justified

A student (student A) made an online report about bullying and sexual harassment by another student (student B). Student A and student B were living in the same student flat. At student A’s request, the provider arranged for student A to move to alternative accommodation.

Academic appeals - CS042602

Case summary April 2026 | Not Justified

A student appealed their final award outcome on the basis that the supervision they received when undertaking their dissertation was inadequate.

Academic appeals - CS042604

Case summary April 2026 | Justified

A student enrolled to study on a Graduate Diploma in Law with a pre-sessional module attached. The student submitted their pre-sessional assessment after the standard deadline, but within the permitted late submission window. This resulted in the mark being capped at pass.

Academic appeals - CS042603

Case summary April 2026 | Not Justified

A final-year student was attempting a module for the second time. They were struggling to complete coursework for the module, so they applied for a one-week extension. The extension was given but the student’s work did not subsequently achieve a pass. The student had to complete an additional assessment before they received their final award. This meant that they would not be able to graduate immediately.

Harassment and sexual misconduct - CS042609

Case summary April 2026 | Justified

A student (student A) made an online report to the provider describing a sexual assault by another student (student B). Three months later student A saw a caseworker to discuss the report in more detail and confirmed that they wanted the provider to take action to investigate the report.

Harassment and sexual misconduct - CS042610

Case summary April 2026 | Not Justified

A student reported receiving a number of hostile messages via social media and directly to their mobile phone, which they felt was bullying and harassment. It was clear from the content of the messages that they were written by someone with knowledge of the interactions between students and staff on a particular module. The messages expressed views supporting the physical harm of certain groups of people and caused the recipient significant distress.

We publish summaries of some of the complaints that we review. We always leave out of the summary any information that might identify the student who made the complaint. In some cases we decide that it is in the public interest to publish a summary of a complaint that includes the name of the provider.

Publication of case summaries and public interest cases

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