Responsible bodies for further and higher education
Further sources of information
It is the ‘responsible body’ of a further or higher education institution that is liable for any breaches of the Equality Act. The table in Annex B sets out the responsible body for each type of further and higher education institution.
The responsible body for a further or higher education institution is liable for the actions of its employees and agents of the institution unless it can show that it took ‘all reasonable steps’ to prevent the discrimination, harassment or victimisation from taking place. In some circumstances an employee or agent (someone who works for you on your behalf) of the institution may be personally liable for acts of discrimination, harassment or victimisation. This is explained in more detail in Key concepts