About this page
Central is a scholarly and collaborative community which embraces diversity and inclusion. As members of this scholarly community, all students are required at all times throughout their registration, on and off campus, to act responsibly in their behaviour and to conduct themselves in a manner that is professional, considerate, courteous and respectful of others, and which helps maintain good order and a safe environment conducive to teaching, learning, research, working, and the enjoyment by students of a positive student experience.
Student Code of Conduct
- General Principles
- Equal Opportunities
- General Behaviour
- Sexual Misconduct
- Racism
- Hate Incidents
- Social Media and Online Behaviour
- Alcohol and Drugs
Central is a scholarly and collaborative community which embraces diversity and inclusion. As members of this scholarly community, all students are required at all times throughout their registration, on and off campus, to act responsibly in their behaviour and to conduct themselves in a manner that is professional, considerate, courteous and respectful of others, and which helps maintain good order and a safe environment conducive to teaching, learning, research, working, and the enjoyment by students of a positive student experience.
Central regards as unacceptable any behaviour by students which improperly interferes with or adversely affects Central’s community and/or:
- Central’s interests, activities, property, or reputation; and/or
- the health, safety, well-being, activities or interests of its students and staff, as members of the Central community, or of its governors or visitors.
This includes (but is not limited to) unacceptable behaviour which takes place:
- during Central-related activities (such as teaching, performance, placements or non-curricular events), including those delivered in collaboration with partners or other higher education providers;
- on or off Central’s premises, including online or on social media; and/or
- during or outside of term time.
In implementing its Student Disciplinary Procedures to deal with suspected breaches of the Student Code of Conduct, Central is not investigating suspected breaches of the criminal law or determining whether a criminal offence has occurred.
The Student Disciplinary Procedures set out the potential sanctions that Central may apply in response to a determination that a student has breached this Code of Conduct.
What follows is intended to outline key headline areas, alongside illustrations of the kinds of behaviour that may result in the Student Disciplinary Procedures being triggered. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all behaviours that would contravene the Student Code of Conduct. You should make yourself familiar with this document so that you are able to conduct yourself in a professional, courteous and inclusive manner. Any behaviours which negatively impact on the people that make up the Central community (and all those who come into contact with it) or the physical environment of the campus will not be tolerated.
Central aims to be a community where staff and students are treated on the basis of their intrinsic value as human beings and where opportunities are available for all to use and develop abilities in order to realise potential. Central considers that equality and diversity are enriching, both collectively to the School community and individually to its members. It aims to create and sustain a learning, research and working environment and student experience in which true equality for all is created through understanding and behaviour. This includes fostering equality of opportunity through promoting good relations among and between staff and students.
Central has duties under the Equality Act 2010 not to discriminate against students on the basis of any of the protected characteristics prescribed in the Act. These protected characteristics are: age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. The School requires students not to treat other students or staff unfavourably on such (or other) bases. Discrimination takes place when an individual is treated less favourably than others based on a protected characteristic. The School is committed to equality of opportunity for all, irrespective of gender, race, age, ethnic or national groups, marital status, sexuality, LGBTQIA+, disability, religion, political belief or trade union activity.
Central requires all members of its community – students and staff – to conduct themselves in a professional, courteous and inclusive manner. The following is an indicative (but not exhaustive) list of behaviours that would result in Student Disciplinary Procedures being triggered.
- Bullying, aggressive, threatening, indecent, disorderly, offensive, violent or other unreasonable behaviour or language, however expressed including orally, in writing or electronically (such as on social networking websites);
- Harassment: that is, unwanted physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct which may (intentionally or unintentionally) violate a person’s dignity or create an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment, and/or which interferes with an individual’s learning, working or social environment;
- Victimisation, which includes treating someone less favourably because they have submitted or refused to submit to such behaviour in the past;
- Misuse or unauthorised use of the School’s premises, facilities or property, including misuse of a computer or networks in breach of the relevant IT and library regulations and policies;
- Misappropriation of funds or assets belonging to the School or the Students’ Union;
- Conduct which prevents or disrupts teaching, learning, assessment or research at the School or in a placement organisation, or the School’s administration, or the orderly conduct of any meeting or activity of the School or involving the School;
- Conduct likely to cause loss, damage or harm to the School, its staff or students or members of the public on School premises, or to their property or safety or the School’s property;
- The possession, supply or consumption of illegal drugs or the misuse of prescribed drugs (see also below);
- the consumption of alcohol on Central premises (other than in the student bar) or activities (including placements), or being drunk whilst in attendance on Central premises (other than in the student bar) or activities (see also below);
- Serious, willful or recurrent disregard for the School’s health and safety procedures;
- Behaviour which breaches the School’s equality, diversity and inclusion values (see also below);
- Any criminal offence committed on the School’s premises;
- Any criminal offence committed outside the School which is detrimental to the School, or to any student or member of staff or governor of the School;
- Failure to comply with a disciplinary penalty imposed under the Student Disciplinary Procedures;
- Failure to comply with precautionary measures that have been imposed under the Student Disciplinary or Health, Wellbeing and Support for Study Procedures;
- Behaviour which either impedes or undermines the integrity of the School’s student procedures.
Sexual misconduct which includes (but is not limited to) the following, within or outside a sexual or romantic relationship, including where consent to sexual activity has been given then withdrawn, or if consent has been given on previous occasions: sexual intercourse or engaging in a sexual act without consent; attempt to engage in sexual intercourse or a sexual act without consent; sharing private sexual materials of another person without consent; kissing or touching inappropriately without consent; inappropriately showing genitals to another person; making unwanted remarks of a sexual nature. For the avoidance of doubt, in this paragraph, ‘without consent’ includes purported consent obtained by force, intimidation, manipulation or coercion. Sexual harassment, that is any form of unwanted or persistent behaviour of a sexual nature.
The term ‘racism’ relates to discriminatory attitudes, beliefs, behaviour, distinctions, exclusions, restrictions or preferences that are based on presumptions about a group or person’s race. Racially based conduct that subjects a student or a staff member to discrimination on the basis of race or has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an individual’s work or study performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive work or study environment.
Racial harassment may include, but is not limited to the following: verbal or written racial slurs, epithets, jokes, comments or terms; repeated remarks to a person that contain racial, derogatory or demeaning implications; sabotage of work or projects when associated with other forms of racial harassment; racially oriented graffiti; verbal, written, or physical expressions of hatred due to race; display or distribution of racially oppressive or demeaning objects, pictures, literature, magazines, cartoons, posters or images; harassment involving objects or items historically or stereotypically associated with race; unwelcome physical contact, close physical proximity or looks when associated with other forms of racial harassment.
Hate incidents and hate crime are acts of violence or hostility against a person or property that is motivated by hostility or prejudice towards a person due to a particular characteristic. This could be a disability, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, transgender identity or an alternative sub-culture hate crime.
Hate incidents can take many forms: verbal abuse like name-calling and offensive jokes, harassment, bullying or intimidation, physical attacks, threats of violence, online abuse.
Central has adopted the IHRA’s working definition of anti-Semitism, and will use it to establish whether behaviour that is in breach of this Code of Conduct is anti-Semitic.
Social Media and Online Behaviour
All students have a responsibility to conduct themselves in a professional, courteous and inclusive manner - this includes all online and virtual spaces and all types of social media.
Central will not tolerate online bullying or other activities (such as posting indecent or offensive content) undertaken on the internet that have a damaging or pernicious effect on other individuals or on the School.
Any inappropriate or damaging comments or activities undertaken anywhere online will be subject to formal Student Disciplinary Procedures.
For the avoidance of doubt, this includes emails (whether sent from a Central or other account), chat rooms, email, texts, instant messaging (e.g. WhatsApp), Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and any other social media platform or internet forums.
As a community, students and staff can expect to work, study and socialise together in a reasonable manner, free from the effects of alcohol, drugs and other intoxicating substances and within a safe environment.
The possession, supply or consumption of illegal drugs or the misuse of prescribed drugs or the consumption of alcohol on Central premises (other than in the student bar) or activities; or being drunk whilst in attendance on Central premises (other than in the student bar) or activities is regarded as misconduct.
The School also has a requirement to comply with the Licensing Act 2003 covering bars and the use of public spaces.
Students who are suspected of being under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol may not be permitted to attend studies at the discretion of the Programme/Course/Pathway Leader. In such circumstances the formal Student Disciplinary Procedures will be triggered.
Students must not be under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol when taking any active part in any performance or production on Central’s premises or on offsite projects or placements.
Activities by students rendering the School liable to legal prosecution may be treated, under the Student Disciplinary Procedures. Serious offences may be referred to the police.