Bullying Bartlett: abused ex-students are poised to take legal action

摘要

The Bartlett School of Architecture is widely held up as the UK's premier institution for architectural training. Run by University College London (UCL) from its campus in Bloomsbury, the school consistently tops university rankings for architecture and has produced countless celebrated architects.Like many elite education institutions, the school is notoriously tough to get into and is known for pushing its students hard. But former students say its survival of the fittest culture has gone too far.In May, the school made headlines in The Guardian when current and former students went public with serious allegations of racist and sexist comments made by its teachers. Now the AJ can reveal a group of former students, under the banner Bartlett United, has instructed a lawyer to look at potential legal action against UCL.The growing collective claims the school has failed to tackle a decades-long problem with bullying and discrimination. Some of its members say they have suffered long-term mental health conditions as a result. Their lawyer says testimonies show evidence of several possible breaches of the law, including negligence and discrimination by race and sex.