Winter Term Insight Report Academic Year 2025/26
Introduction
This insight report covers all reports made in Winter Term, Academic Year 2025-26 (including the Spring 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 99 reports made in period 19th January 2026 - 4th May 2026 (inclusive). This is compared to 91 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 23 reports.
Out of the 99 reports, 55 reports were made with contact details (56%) and 44 were anonymous reports (44%). Only 12 reports were from Staff- 67% anonymous and 33% with contact details. This is compared to 75 reports from current students- 39% anonymous, 61% with contact details.
The most common self-reported incident was Harassment for all reporting persons, including current staff and students.
In 59 reports, the reported person was alleged to be an LSE student and in 20 of the reports, it was alleged to be LSE staff. Staff were reporting other staff in 50% of reports, students were reporting fellow students in 72% of reports.
The top reason for reporting anonymously was 'I'm worried about the repercussions for me or others' followed by 'I feel embarrassed/ ashamed'. For students, the top reason was 'I'm worried about the repercussions' followed by 'I feel embarrassed/ ashamed.' For staff, the most common reasons were 'I'm worried about repercussions for myself or others' and 'I reported in the past and nothing happened'.
There were 20% of reports that said the incident/s happened in a private residence, and 19% in an academic setting. Academic setting was the top location for staff, whilst private residence was the top location for students, followed by 'other'.
The top incident type reported as occurring in an academic setting was Harassment. The top incident type reported as occurring in a private residence was 'other'.
The top suspected factor as to why the reporting person thinks they may have been targeted was Ethnicity / Race at 40%, followed by Gender at 36%. For current students the most common suspected factor matched the top suspected factors, for staff the most common was Ethnicity / Race followed by Religion/ Belief.
Out of 36 reports eligible for anonymous messaging 81% 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 is currently not available to staff.
For the reporters that have opted in to anonymous messaging, our advisers have been able to provide further information on sources of support and request further details on reports. In some cases, anonymous reporters have responded to messages, but there have been no cases to date when the anonymous reporter has subsequently chosen to share contact details.
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.
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.
83% of all reports were reviewed, assessed and closed within 1 month of the report being received, with many reports (50%), reviewed, assessed and closed within 1 week of the report being made. A further 10% were resolved within 2 months, and then 6% within 3 months. The remaining 1% were resolved within 3+ months, with just over 4 months being the maximum time a case was open.
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 received is 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.
Of the 99 reports made in the period 19 January 2026- 04 May, 11 remain open on 19th May 2026.
The majority of reports in Winter Term 25/26 were resolved via support only.
In Autumn Term 25/26, the most common reporting outcome was information action (with support). This outcome has decreased in Winter Term, and support only (internal) has increased.
The outcomes of the reports were as follows:
Outcome | Number of Reports |
|---|---|
Informal action (with support) | 7 |
Closed as anonymous | 17 |
Support only (internal) | 42 |
Informal action from anonymous report | 12 |
Support only (external) | 4 |
Referred to formal complaint/grievance or disciplinary (with support) | 4 |
Referred to the police | 2 |
Reporting Data
Number of reports year-on-year
Incident Type
| A hate incident | 19 (19.2%) |
|---|---|
| An assault | 19 (19.2%) |
| Bullying | 19 (19.2%) |
| General concern | 32 (32.3%) |
| Harassment | 39 (39.4%) |
| I'm not sure (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Other | 21 (21.2%) |
| Sexual misconduct | 18 (18.2%) |
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 | 67 (67.7%) |
|---|---|
| Prefer not to say | 9 (9.1%) |
| Someone else | 23 (23.2%) |
Reporting person/ impacted person's relationship to LSE
| A member of the public, not in the LSE community (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
|---|---|
| An LSE Alumni (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| General Course (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| I don't know (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Other (e.g. intercollegiate) (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Postgraduate (Taught) | 20 (25.3%) |
| Postgraduate Research (e.g. MRes) | 13 (16.5%) |
| Prefer not to say (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Research (PhD/MPhil) (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Staff | 12 (15.2%) |
| Undergraduate | 34 (43.0%) |
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) | 0 (0.0%) |
|---|---|
| An LSE Alumni (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| I don't know | 10 (11.9%) |
| Other (e.g. intercollegiate) (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Postgraduate (Taught) | 11 (13.1%) |
| Postgraduate Research (e.g. MRes) | 13 (15.5%) |
| Prefer not to say (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Research (PhD/MPhil) (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Staff | 20 (23.8%) |
| Undergraduate | 30 (35.7%) |
Reasons for reporting anonymously
| I am living with the perpetrator(s) (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
|---|---|
| I don't know what to do (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| I don't want anyone to know what happened (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| I don't want to get anyone in trouble | 7 (7.1%) |
| I don’t want to go through any formal process | 8 (8.1%) |
| I feel embarrassed/ashamed | 16 (16.2%) |
| I feel I don’t have enough evidence to prove anything | 5 (5.1%) |
| I feel like they have more authority than me | 6 (6.1%) |
| I want you to have this information but I don’t want to be identified | 10 (10.1%) |
| I'm concerned it might impact my future career/studies | 11 (11.1%) |
| I'm worried about being called a trouble maker | 10 (10.1%) |
| I'm worried about the repercussion for me or others | 22 (22.2%) |
| I'm worried I won't be believed | 9 (9.1%) |
| I've reported in the past and nothing happened | 14 (14.1%) |
| I've told someone before but it wasn't taken seriously | 7 (7.1%) |
| It's not serious enough | 6 (6.1%) |
| Other (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| The person didn't want to tell you themselves (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
Location of incident
| Halls of Residence | 9 (9.1%) |
|---|---|
| In a campus bar or club (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| In a private residence | 20 (20.2%) |
| In an academic setting | 19 (19.2%) |
| In an off-campus bar or club (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| In another on-campus facility | 11 (11.1%) |
| In the Student Union building (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Online (e.g. social media, email, WhatsApp etc.) | 11 (11.1%) |
| Other | 17 (17.2%) |
| Prefer not to say (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
Suspected factor
| Age | 16 (16.2%) |
|---|---|
| Being married/civil partnership (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Being trans/non-binary (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Disability or impairment | 11 (11.1%) |
| Ethnicity/race | 40 (40.4%) |
| Gender | 36 (36.4%) |
| Having caring responsibilities | 10 (10.1%) |
| Having children/being pregnant | 5 (5.1%) |
| Nationality | 22 (22.2%) |
| Not answered | 15 (15.2%) |
| Other | 13 (13.1%) |
| Religion/belief | 24 (24.2%) |
| Sexual orientation | 5 (5.1%) |
NB - Multiple options could be selected in a single report.
Demographic Data
Gender
| I don't know (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
|---|---|
| Man | 14 (14.1%) |
| Prefer not to say | 9 (9.1%) |
| Woman | 42 (42.4%) |
Gender matches birth
| I don't know (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
|---|---|
| Not answered | 31 (31.3%) |
| Prefer not to say | 9 (9.1%) |
| Yes | 55 (55.6%) |
Ethnicity
| Another Asian background | 7 (7.1%) |
|---|---|
| Another Black 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 - Bangladeshi (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Asian or Asian British - Chinese | 7 (7.1%) |
| Asian or Asian British - Indian | 5 (5.1%) |
| Asian or Asian British - Pakistani | 0 (0.0%) |
| Black or Black British - African | 6 (6.1%) |
| I don't know (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Mixed or multiple background - Asian and White (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Not answered | 38 (38.4%) |
| Prefer not to say | 14 (14.1%) |
| White - British, Northern Irish, Scottish, Welsh | 6 (6.1%) |
Sexual identity
| Asexual (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
|---|---|
| Bisexual | 6 (6.1%) |
| Heterosexual | 37 (37.4%) |
| I don't know | 7 (7.1%) |
| Not answered | 35 (35.4%) |
| Prefer not to say | 10 (10.1%) |
Age
| 18–21 years | 32 (32.3%) |
|---|---|
| 22-25 years | 9 (9.1%) |
| 26-35 years | 16 (16.2%) |
| 36-45 years (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| 46-55 years (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| I don't know (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Not answered | 27 (27.3%) |
| Prefer not to say | 9 (9.1%) |
Disability
| A long standing illness or health condition such as cancer, HIV, diabetes, chronic heart disease, or epilepsy (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
|---|---|
| A mental health difficulty, such as depression, schizophrenia or anxiety disorder | 16 (16.2%) |
| A physical impairment or mobility issues, such as difficulty using arms or using a wheelchair or crutches (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| A social/communication impairment such as a speech and language impairment or Asperger’s syndrome/other autistic spectrum disorder (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| A specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia, dyspraxia or AD(H)D | 5 (5.1%) |
| I don't know | 8 (8.1%) |
| No known impairment, health condition or learning difference | 15 (15.2%) |
| Not answered | 49 (49.5%) |
| Prefer not to say | 10 (10.1%) |
Faith/belief
| Buddhist (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
|---|---|
| Christian | 8 (8.1%) |
| Hindu (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| I don't know | 6 (6.1%) |
| Jewish (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Muslim (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |
| None | 19 (19.2%) |
| Not answered | 43 (43.4%) |
| Prefer not to say | 8 (8.1%) |
| Sikh (<5) | 0 (0.0%) |