, Labour’s
Shadow Schools Minister, responding to the Children’s Minister’s
statement on Ofsted’s review of sexual abuse in schools and
colleges, said:
“I would like to begin by paying tribute to the young girls and
young women who came forward to share their experiences under
extremely difficult circumstances, and which took huge bravery. I
hope that they will look at the action that is now unfolding and
will see that their bravery has been rewarded, because without
their action, the unfolding of policy recommendations wouldn’t
have happened.
“A young person’s experience at school shapes their future in so
many ways. It plays a key role in their development, socially and
emotionally, and few experiences can have quite such a scarring
effect as sexual abuse or harassment.
“Yet as today’s review shows, far too many children - especially
girls - are living in a world where this is normalised and have
no alternative but to accept it. From unsolicited touching and
explicit images to false rumours about sexual history – sexual
harassment in schools ruins lives, and must be rooted out.
“This is an issue on which I’m sure the entire House agrees, and
I welcome OFSTED’s report and comments from the minister today.
“I’d like to put on record Labour’s gratitude to the chief
inspector of schools, Amanda Spielman, not only for her thorough
report but also for taking the time to brief myself and
colleagues across the House in advance of publication.
“We all agree on the need for action, but I must ask the Minister
– why has it taken so long, and why did it take a national
scandal to force government to act? The Department for Education
was warned about routine sexual harassment in our schools as far
back as 2016.
“Since then, figures suggest that up to 1000 girls may have been
raped in school. In 2016, the Women & Equalities Select
Committee found that 29 per cent of 16- to 18-year-olds had
experienced unwanted sexual touching at school.
“They criticised the lack of central data collection on sexual
harassment – yet the government refused to act. ‘Routine
record-keeping and analysis’ is one of today’s recommendations,
something asked for five years ago.
“In 2019, schools’ awareness of safeguarding policies was so poor
that my colleagues the honourable members for Birmingham Yardley
and Hull West and Hessle were forced to write directly to
headteachers to raise awareness. They met with the head of OFSTED
to explain their concerns. Again, strengthening guidance and
training for teachers features prominently in today’s report,
another action government have known was needed for years.
“The Labour Party has produced a Violence Against Women &
Girls Green Paper. In it we call for a national strategy, backed
up with strengthened teacher training, inspection and policies,
requirements for data collection, and targeted action in the
Online Safety Bill.
“The Shadow Education Secretary and Shadow Minister for Domestic
Violence & Safeguarding wrote to the DfE in March this year
with an offer to work together on implementation.
“We have been calling for action and making constructive,
implementable policy recommendations for years. We now need a
clear plan to tackle sexual abuse and harassment in school,
backed up by clear dates for delivery. We need tough action in
the Online Safety Bill to tackle the forced & unwanted
sharing of nude photos and other online harassment.
“And finally, considering how many young people are living with
the consequences of past sexual abuse and harassment, I think it
would be appropriate for the minister to offer a heartfelt
apology to each of them for the failure to create a system that
keeps them safe from harm but instead, has normalised it.”
