“There Will Always Be More To Achieve”: Drama Schools Respond To Complaints Of Sexual Misconduct & Discrimination
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In the first part of Deadline’s “Drama Schools Uncovered” series of stories, we revealed that 11 prestigious UK performing arts institutions were hit with nearly 100 complaints over sexual misconduct, bullying, and discrimination.
The figures, disclosed through Freedom of Information Act requests, are the first real attempt to establish the scale of inappropriate behavior in drama schools, which have helped give rise to stars including Anthony Hopkins and Judi Dench.
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Not a single one of the schools questioned agreed to an interview, but Deadline is publishing their statements in full below, starting with some of the highest-profile institutions.
For each school, we have included the number of complaints and upheld (or partially upheld) complaints between 2020 and 2023. The figures represent the minimum number of complaints because some schools did not disclose precise grievance tallies for data protection reasons. The actual number of complaints is likely to be higher.
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Sexual harassment: 1
Racism: 7 (1 partially upheld)
Bullying: 1
Gender discrimination: 2
Disability discrimination: 2
Comment: “We applaud the work of Deadline in ensuring the issue of racism stays at the forefront of discussions around both the arts and our teaching of them.
“At RADA we consider any complaint of racism as one too many, while at the same time we have ensured that it is easier for students to bring complaints so we can address any underlying issues.
“During the last year the number of complaints of racism was zero, and we have faith in the systems we have put in place to address matters of racism if they arise.
“Long-term commitment is required for substantive systemic change, and we are confident that the long-term approach we are taking is the right one to properly embed the anti-racism practices and policies that we have put in place since 2020.
“Both our Principal, Niamh Dowling, and our Chair, Marcus Ryder, see this work as a top priority and are proud of the ongoing work.”
Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Sexual harassment: 6 (4 upheld)
Racism: 2 (2)
Bullying: 1 (1 partially upheld)
Gender discrimination: 0
Disability discrimination: 2
Comment: “Over the past three years, Central’s leadership has worked closely with students, staff and alumni to listen to their experiences, receive feedback on systems and processes, facilitate training, and strengthen accountability with the goal of improving lived experiences at the School.
“This work is ongoing and continues to remain a priority for Central. Whilst much has been done to date, we see this as a constant work and there will always be more to achieve.
“Central is committed to ensuring its policies are clear, effective and robust, and that it is providing space for members of its community to share their experiences and get support.
“When complaints are made, Central acts to address them. Allegations are taken seriously, and students are encouraged and supported throughout the complaints process. Work has been done to make the School’s complaints procedure more accessible in recent years, and anyone making a complaint is supported throughout the process.
“Central is wholly committed to this work, and to fostering an environment that is safe, inclusive and supportive for all members of its community.”
Guildhall School of Music & Drama
Sexual harassment: 0
Racism: 2 (2 upheld)
Bullying: 2 (1 partially upheld)
Gender discrimination: 1
Disability discrimination: 2 (1 partially upheld)
Comment: “In 2022, Guildhall School apologised unreservedly for the racism experienced by Paapa Essiedu, Michaela Coel and other alumni whilst they were studying at the School. The experiences they shared were appalling and unacceptable.
“Guildhall School has since undertaken a sustained programme of action to address and dismantle long-standing systemic racism within the Acting Programme, including commissioning an external report in April 2021 into historic racism, written with and for our Acting alumni, and a comprehensive and ongoing process of staff training and reflection.
“We have also undertaken a significant redevelopment of our Acting curriculum, including a departmental staff restructure, so that our teaching and learning culture prioritises inclusivity, representation and wellbeing. We understand that this work is long-term and requires sustained commitment to build a culture that is inclusive and equitable for everyone. You can read more details about this work on our website (click on Drama for information specific to this area).
“Guildhall School is committed to creating a training environment free from bullying, harassment and misconduct. The School has signed the Conservatoires UK Code of Practice and Respect, as well as publishing its own Safe Space statement internally which sets out expectations in our community to treat each other with respect, courtesy and consideration.
“The School has an in-house team of counsellors who are available to all students to address and support their mental health and wellbeing and a dedicated Head of Safeguarding who is responsible for ensuring quality assurance processes, safeguarding training and direct support to students and staff.
“The School is also in the process of recruiting a Head of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, to start this autumn, who will be responsible for managing the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion programme and the delivery of the School’s equality objectives.”
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
Sexual harassment: 6 (6 upheld)
Racism: 4 (1)
Bullying: 1 (1)
Gender discrimination: 2 (1)
Disability discrimination: 1 (1)
Comment: “Two years ago, as part of a zero-tolerance approach to gender-based violence and racism, RCS introduced a sector-leading Student Alternative Resolution Disciplinary (SARD) process as a robust mechanism to support students experiencing inappropriate behaviours from other RCS students on and off-campus.
“We believe having SARD in place is encouraging our students to call out rather than accept experiences that they believe may have included inappropriate behaviours towards them which, in turn, is helping us build a robust and positive culture of mutual respect, transparency and trust within our community.
“At the same time, RCS continues to develop further a range of internal and external compulsory and elective training on racism and gender-based violence training. We also work actively with a number of partners, including Open Door and the Emily Test Charter, to ensure we continue to develop our understanding and our practice and that we measure up to the highest standards as a sector-leading, positive and safe place to study and work.”
Rose Bruford College
Sexual harassment: 5 (3 upheld)
Racism: 3 (2)
Bullying: 6 (1)
Gender discrimination: 0
Disability discrimination: 0
Comment: “We aim to support all our students and staff, and respect all protected characteristics as outlined by the Equality Act 2010. The act is a legal framework that advances equality for all and protects against discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation. We also acknowledge the inequalities around social class and socio economics.
“We recognise that in the past the College may not have done enough to understand the lived experience of students and staff from backgrounds underrepresented in its community. We now work closely with a range of specialists and organisations that centre such lived experience and expertise, to ensure that the College becomes actively anti- discriminatory, anti-racist and inclusive. We are doing this through training for all staff and students, focussed discussion at College Committees and supporting EDI projects, particularly relating to diversification of the curriculum.
“In fulfilling our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, the College is actively working to identify and deconstruct the social inequalities that it may inadvertently uphold in its activity. To support this, we ensure that all staff are fully informed of their responsibility to promote and maintain equality and inclusion. Through our values we aim to actively create and maintain an anti-discriminatory and inclusive environment in which the individual is respected accountable for their own behaviour, alongside working to dismantle the societal structures that do not support our efforts for inclusion and equity.
“Students are actively encouraged to voice any concerns around experiences they may have had to our Student Services team, who are on hand to support them should they wish to pursue a formal complaint. Every effort is made to resolve the situation appropriately and in a timely manner immediately, should a formal complaint not be necessary.
“The College operates a robust Students’ Complaints Procedure informed by the QAA’s UK Quality Code for Higher Education (May 2018) Advice and Guidance: Concerns, Complaints and Appeals and the Good Practice Framework for handling complaints and academic appeals published by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator. Complaints are dealt with positively and constructively and the College seeks to resolve concerns and complaints in a spirit of cooperation and collaboration.”
East 15 Acting School
Sexual harassment: 3 (1 ongoing)
Racism: 0
Bullying: 9 (1 upheld, 2 ongoing)
Gender discrimination: 1
Disability discrimination: 1 (1)
Comment: “We make it very clear what our expectations are for our staff and students and we will always take appropriate action if concerns over behaviour are raised.
“The University has a range of measures in place to safeguard and promote a safe culture across the University community and to enable our students to realise their full potential in a safe, healthy and inclusive environment.
“We do not tolerate harassment and bullying of any kind. We actively encourage students to speak out if they have any issues and to report incidents directly to staff or through our Report + Support system so we can take appropriate action.
“East 15 recently reviewed and updated all its guidance on behaviour to ensure we continue to create a learning environment which respects individuals.
“If an allegation could also constitute a criminal offence, we expect students and staff to report the matter to the police.”
Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
Sexual harassment: 2 (1 partially upheld)
Racism: 1 (ongoing)
Bullying: 3 (1 upheld, 1 partially upheld, 1 ongoing)
Gender discrimination: 0
Disability discrimination: 3 (1)
Comment: “The safety of our students is our number one priority, and we offer a range of confidential support around the clock. We have robust policies for supporting our students, responding to safeguarding and similar disclosures and dealing with complaints or concerns. We continue to wait for the judgment in the recent legal action at the Central London County Court and because we respect the principle of protecting a fair legal process, we will not be offering any further comment on this specific case at this time.”
Guildford School of Acting
Sexual harassment: 2 (1 upheld)
Racism: 1
Bullying: 0
Gender discrimination: 1
Disability discrimination: 0
Comment: “We are proud of GSA’s track record of producing some of the country’s finest actors and creative professionals, and we are determined to continue developing the best talent the UK has to offer. In the interests of maintaining the trusting and safe environment that our students need to excel, the University will not tolerate any sort of inappropriate behaviour. Our staff are trained to provide a professional and supportive environment.
“Should anyone at our institution experience any sort of unacceptable behaviour, the University has measures in place to help individuals report it so that action can be taken and support provided.”
Manchester School of Theatre
Sexual harassment: 2 (1 ongoing)
Racism: 4 (1 upheld, 2 partially upheld)
Bullying: 2
Gender discrimination: 0
Disability discrimination: 0
Comment: “As the wellbeing of our students is always our top priority, we take any student complaint or concerns, whether it relates to matters at the University or not, very seriously. We provide our students with a number of ways where they can feel safe and confident to report any issues with us; sometimes this is received anonymously.
“The allegations of bullying, racism or sexual misconduct contained within this data cover a range of different matters, some of which relate to events outside of the University. All of the complaints have been examined, investigated thoroughly where appropriate and have resulted in action such as disciplinary proceedings where necessary.”
Arden School of Theatre
Sexual harassment: 0
Racism: 1 (1 partially upheld)
Bullying: 1 (ongoing)
Gender discrimination: 0
Disability discrimination: 0
Comment: “We are committed to being a fully inclusive organisation where students and staff of all backgrounds feel safe, respected and valued. As a values-based organisation, we work with staff and students on a continual basis to promote our values and regularly assess our practices to ensure that we go above and beyond our commitments – including working with independent third parties to test and challenge us – to create an inclusive and diverse community within The Arden.
“We will continue engaging with our stakeholders, including colleagues and students, to ensure that they contribute to building a culture where everyone is actively working to eliminate discrimination and support inclusion to create a safe and welcoming environment.”
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
Sexual harassment: 0
Racism: 0
Bullying: 1
Gender discrimination: 0
Disability discrimination: 0
Birmingham City University did not respond to a request for comment.
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