Call of duty

MPs have been debating whether universities should have a statutory duty of care for students

It was in October last year that we first covered a petition urging the government to introduce a law that would impose on universities a statutory duty of care in relation to their students. The petition was launched by bereaved parents, including those of Natasha Abrahart, a student at the University of Bristol who took her own life in 2018.

The petition in question stated that a general statutory duty of care, which does not currently exist in higher education, “is owed to students, and the government should legislate for this”. Higher education providers should “know what their duty is” and students “must know what they can expect”.