How do I get help?
The National Film and Television School is committed to providing a positive experience for all students, staff and visiting tutors. We believe that bullying, harassment and discrimination are never acceptable.
What is discrimination?
Discrimination is when someone is treated unfairly because of who they are or because of a protected characteristic such as age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership or pregnancy and maternity. Treating someone less favourably because of who they are is a form of direct discrimination, however you don’t have to have a protected characteristic to be discriminated against. If someone thinks you have a characteristic and treats you less favourably, that’s a form of direct discrimination by perception.
Indirect discrimination is when a provision, criteria or practice is applied in the same way for everyone, but this has the effect of putting people sharing a protected characteristic at a disadvantage. It doesn’t matter if there was no intention to disadvantage that group. What matters is whether that action does disadvantage that group in some way. An example of this could be a dress-code or rules on appearance which might indirectly discriminate against individuals or groups of a particular religion, belief or gender.
Indirect discrimination applies to all protected characteristics other than pregnancy and maternity, although something that disadvantages pregnant women or new mothers may be indirect sex discrimination.
Immediate help?
Are you in immediate danger? If you are in immediate danger or seriously injured call 999 (or 112 from a mobile).
Find a safe space. If an incident has just happened, try and find somewhere you feel safe. If you are at the School you can call Security on 01494 731400 or go to your nearest building and ask someone to phone Security for you.
Support for students
· You can use the Support & Report system to report your concerns or speak to a Student Wellbeing Advisor from the School’s Student Support and Wellbeing team for advice and support.
· The School has a range of wellbeing support. If you are not sure who to contact, you can speak to an Advisor from the School’s Student Wellbeing. They can be contacted via email swellbeing@nfts.co.uk or via Facebook Workplace.
· Consider submitting extenuating circumstances if your studies have been/are being affected using the Schools Extenuating Circumstances Policy.
Support for staff members
· Talk to your line manager. Particularly if your work has been or is being affected.
· Have an informal conversation with a member of the HR team.
· All staff have access to the School’s Employee Assistance Programme where you can find online resources as an immediate source of support. https://www.legalandgeneral.com/…/worklife-solutions/eap/
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· Contact Citizens Advice for support and advice about discrimination at work.
· Access staff wellbeing tools via the Facebook Workplace Wellbeing Hub.
Other sources of support
· You can contact Equality Advisory and Support Service for advice and support if you think you have been treated unfairly.
· Victim Support provide support to anyone who has been the victim of a crime. They can support you cope with the after effects of crime and help with reporting to the police.
Reporting for students, staff members and visiting tutors
· We encourage students, staff and visiting tutors to contact somebody at the School in the first instance to help support you with any concerns you have.
· Some individuals may prefer to use the School’s Support & Report tool. Students, staff, tutors and visitors can report an incident, both named and anonymous, via the School’s Support & Report system.
· To the police. You can report a crime by calling the non-emergency number, 101 or online.
· Make a formal complaint using the School’s Bullying, Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Policy (for students) or to the HR department using the Grievance policy (for staff)
