Spring Term Insight Report Academic Year 2025/26
Introduction
This insight report covers all reports made in Spring Term, Academic Year 2025-26 (including the summer break). This insight report informs LSE leadership and management on the experiences of our community and is an important tool in helping shape our strategic plans in relation the prevention and response to harassment, bullying, discrimination and sexual misconduct.
All forms of harassment, bullying, discrimination and sexual misconduct are wholly unacceptable and there is no place for this kind of behaviour in the LSE community. We understand that reporting your experience can be a significant and challenging step to take and the School acknowledges our responsibility to use this information in a meaningful way.
We are committed to increasing student and staff trust in our systems and processes. A key step in this is transparency about what is being reported to us and how the School is responding to these reports. We publish termly insight reports on reports received on the Report + Support platform, as well as an annual insight report that includes details of formal case outcomes and sanctions. Click here to view the Academic Year 24-25 report.
Key insights
There were 73 reports made in period 5th May 2026 - 31st August 2026 (inclusive).
This is compared to 57 reports in the same period in Academic Year 24/25. Prior to Academic Year 24/25 the School had a different reporting tool named 'Report it Stop it'. In Academic Year 23/24, during the same period, the School received 46 reports.
Out of the 73 reports, 37 reports were made with contact details (51%) and 36 were anonymous reports (49%).
There were 40 reports from students (29% anonymous, 26% with contact details) during this period, and 12 reports from staff (11% anonymous, 6% with contact details).
The most common self-reported incident was General Concern (38%) followed by Harassment (30%).
Students most commonly reported a General Concern followed by Harassment, but for Staff, the most common was General Concern followed by Bullying.
In 25 reports, the reported person was alleged to be an LSE student and in 34 of the reports, it was alleged to be LSE staff.
Staff were reporting other staff in 92% of reports, students were reporting fellow students in 45% of reports, and students were reporting staff in 40% of reports.
The top reason for reporting anonymously was 'I'm worried about the repercussions for me or others' followed by 'I want you to have this information, but I don't want to be identified'.
For students, the top reason was 'I don't want to go through a formal process.' For staff, the most common reasons were 'I'm worried about repercussions for myself or others' and 'I'm worried about being called a trouble maker.'
The top location for incidents reported was online (40%).
For students the top location was online, whereas for staff it was 'other'. 'Other' was used to describe specific spaces on campus, and used to name that there had been multiple locations. The top incident type reported for online incidents was General Concern and Harassment, followed by 'A hate incident'.
The top suspected factor as to why the reporting person thinks they may have been targeted was Ethnicity / Race (38%).
For students the most common suspected factor was Ethnicity/ Race, for staff the most common was 'Other'. There were reports where the free text-box attached to 'other' were not used, and sometimes it was used to give more details of the incident rather than to name a suspected factor.
Out of 33 reports eligible for anonymous messaging 61% opted in.
In Winter Term, we introduced the new anonymous messaging tool. This tool provides the opportunity anonymous reporters to opt-in to an anonymous messaging service which allows them to communicate with LSE advice and engagement team whilst staying completely anonymous. This tool has been introduced on a trial basis and will be open to all reporters on 1st September 2026.
Resolving reports
Timelines
The vast majority of cases are reviewed by the respective teams on the day the report is received. Anyone who has reported with contact details should receive a direct response from Student Services or HR within 3 working days.
94% of the reports opened and closed in this period were reviewed, assessed and closed within 1 month of the report being received, with 74% resolved within 7 days.
The time taken from report to outcome can vary depending on factors including complexity of the case (e.g. evidence and number of people involved), and availability/ response times from involved parties.
Of the 73 reports made in the period 05 May 2026- 31 August, 8 remained open on 01 September 2026.
The annual report for Academic Year 26-27 will include timelines for all reports received in the year period, including those reports that were not opened and closed within the same term and therefore not included in the termly insight report.
Outcomes
There are several factors that impact on case outcomes. This includes: the severity of the incident/s, the details provided by the reporting person, the reporting persons wishes as to how the report be handled, the safety of the LSE community, evidence available and anonymity.
Every report, including anonymous reports, are reviewed and assessed by either our Student Services or HR team.
When Student Services or HR meet with a reporting person for the first time, they ask more about the incident/s, and provide information on what next steps are possible. In all cases, even when no intervention/ actions are possible, reporting persons are signposted to support. If the reporting person is not a student or staff member, the support signposted may be external support available to members of the public.
There are some instances when a reporting person does not wish to take any further action. They may ask for support options, and for their report to stay on file. As far as possible, our teams work collaboratively with the reporting persons to identity and agree next steps, acknowledging the importance of choice and empowerment when someone has experienced harassment or sexual misconduct. This is done whilst balancing any risk to the reporting person and the wider community.
Our LSE Policies and Procedures include information on handling reports 'informally'. We use the language 'informal action' to distinguish this from formal action, investigations and outcomes under the relevant complaint, grievance and disciplinary procedures. Our teams take a flexible approach to handling reports informally, and there is a wide range of options when it comes to informal actions including:
- Mutual agreements that may include agreed no-contact or agreed restrictions from campus space/ events.
- The relevant Department/ Division is made aware of an ongoing issue or reporting theme in order to increase support, resource and training.
- The reported party is asked to engage in training.
- Genuine insight and apology for the behaviour is given by the reported person and received by the reporting person.
- A warning is given to the reported person.
- Parties engage in organised mediation.
The majority of reports in Spring Term 25/26 were closed as anonymous, or informal action was taken from the anonymous report.
In Winter Term 2026, the most common reporting outcome was support only (internal).
The outcomes of the reports opened and closed in Spring Term were as follows:
Outcome | Number of Reports |
|---|---|
Informal action (with support) | 12 |
Closed as anonymous | 17 |
Support only (internal) | 14 |
Informal action from anonymous report | 16 |
Support only (external) | 8 |
The annual report for Academic Year 26-27 will include outcomes for all reports received in the year period, including reports that were not resolved within the same term reported and therefore not included in the termly insight reports. The annual report will also detail case outcomes and any applied sanctions where cases where dealt with through formal reporting procedures.
Reporting Data
Number of reports year-on-year
Incident Type
| A hate incident | 12 (16.4%) |
|---|---|
| An assault | 9 (12.3%) |
| Bullying | 15 (20.5%) |
| General concern | 28 (38.4%) |
| Harassment | 22 (30.1%) |
| I'm not sure (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Other | 13 (17.8%) |
| Sexual misconduct | 6 (8.2%) |
NB - Multiple options could be selected in a single report. This is self-reported by reporting person and substance of the report may not meet LSE policy or Legal definition.
Incident happened to....
| Me | 46 (63.0%) |
|---|---|
| Prefer not to say | 13 (17.8%) |
| Someone else | 14 (19.2%) |
Reporting person/ impacted person's relationship to LSE
| A member of the public, not in the LSE community | 7 (11.7%) |
|---|---|
| A visitor (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| An LSE Alumni | 5 (8.3%) |
| General Course (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| I don't know (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Other (e.g. intercollegiate) (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Postgraduate (Taught) | 15 (25.0%) |
| Postgraduate Research (e.g. MRes) (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Prefer not to say | 7 (11.7%) |
| Staff | 12 (20.0%) |
| Summer School (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Undergraduate | 14 (23.3%) |
NB- 'I don't know' is most likely selected in third party / witness reports where the reporting person does not know the identity of the person impacted by the incident.
Reported person/ perpetrator's relationship to LSE
| A member of the public, not in the LSE community | 5 (8.6%) |
|---|---|
| An LSE Alumni (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| I don't know | 6 (10.3%) |
| Other (e.g. intercollegiate) (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Postgraduate (Taught) (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Postgraduate Research (e.g. MRes) (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Prefer not to say (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Research (PhD/MPhil) (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Staff | 34 (58.6%) |
| Summer School (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Undergraduate | 13 (22.4%) |
Reasons for reporting anonymously
| I don't know what to do (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
|---|---|
| I don't want to get anyone in trouble (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| I don’t want to go through any formal process | 9 (12.3%) |
| I feel embarrassed/ashamed | 7 (9.6%) |
| I feel I don’t have enough evidence to prove anything (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| I feel like they have more authority than me | 7 (9.6%) |
| I want you to have this information but I don’t want to be identified | 11 (15.1%) |
| I'm concerned it might impact my future career/studies | 7 (9.6%) |
| I'm worried about being called a trouble maker | 6 (8.2%) |
| I'm worried about the repercussion for me or others | 12 (16.4%) |
| I'm worried I won't be believed | 6 (8.2%) |
| I've reported in the past and nothing happened (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| I've told someone before but it wasn't taken seriously (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| It's not serious enough (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Other (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
Location of incident
| Halls of Residence | 5 (6.8%) |
|---|---|
| In a campus bar or club (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| In a private residence | 7 (9.6%) |
| In an academic setting | 6 (8.2%) |
| In an off-campus bar or club (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| In another on-campus facility | 6 (8.2%) |
| In the Student Union building (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Online (e.g. social media, email, WhatsApp etc.) | 29 (39.7%) |
| Other | 12 (16.4%) |
| Prefer not to say (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
Suspected factor
| Age | 10 (13.7%) |
|---|---|
| Being trans/non-binary (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Disability or impairment | 6 (8.2%) |
| Ethnicity/race | 28 (38.4%) |
| Gender | 13 (17.8%) |
| Having caring responsibilities (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Having children/being pregnant (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Nationality | 15 (20.5%) |
| Not answered | 12 (16.4%) |
| Other | 17 (23.3%) |
| Religion/belief | 8 (11.0%) |
| Sexual orientation (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
NB - Multiple options could be selected in a single report.
Demographic Data
Gender
| I don't know (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
|---|---|
| Man | 11 (15.1%) |
| Non-binary (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Prefer not to say | 5 (6.8%) |
| Woman | 37 (50.7%) |
Gender matches birth
| I don't know (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
|---|---|
| No (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Not answered | 18 (24.7%) |
| Prefer not to say | 7 (9.6%) |
| Yes | 43 (58.9%) |
Ethnicity
| Another Asian background (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
|---|---|
| Another ethnic group (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Another Mixed or Multiple background (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Another White background (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Asian or Asian British - Chinese | 17 (23.3%) |
| Asian or Asian British - Indian | 5 (6.8%) |
| Black or Black British - African (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| I don't know (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Mixed or multiple background - Black African and White (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Mixed or multiple background - Black Caribbean and White (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Not answered | 18 (24.7%) |
| Prefer not to say | 7 (9.6%) |
| White - British, Northern Irish, Scottish, Welsh | 7 (9.6%) |
| White - Irish (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
Sexual identity
| Asexual (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
|---|---|
| Bisexual (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Gay woman/lesbian (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Heterosexual | 25 (34.2%) |
| I don't know | 5 (6.8%) |
| Not answered | 21 (28.8%) |
| Pansexual (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Prefer not to say | 14 (19.2%) |
Age
| 18–21 years | 13 (17.8%) |
|---|---|
| 22-25 years | 16 (21.9%) |
| 26-35 years | 11 (15.1%) |
| 36-45 years (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| 46-55 years (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| 56 years and over (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| I don't know (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Not answered | 10 (13.7%) |
| Prefer not to say | 9 (12.3%) |
| under 18 (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
Disability
| A mental health difficulty, such as depression, schizophrenia or anxiety disorder | 8 (11.0%) |
|---|---|
| A specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia, dyspraxia or AD(H)D (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| D/deaf or have a hearing impairment (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| I don't know | 15 (20.5%) |
| No known impairment, health condition or learning difference | 14 (19.2%) |
| Not answered | 24 (32.9%) |
| Prefer not to say | 9 (12.3%) |
Faith/belief
| Buddhist (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
|---|---|
| Christian | 10 (13.7%) |
| Hindu (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| I don't know (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Jewish (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Muslim (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| None | 17 (23.3%) |
| Not answered | 22 (30.1%) |
| Prefer not to say | 14 (19.2%) |