Commenting on today’s written statement on Keeping
Children Safe in Education, updated statutory guidance for
schools which now includes additional advice on tackling sexual
harassment and violence, Kevin Courtney, Joint
General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“We welcome this advice on how schools can prevent and respond to
sexual harassment and violence in schools. Guidance is critical
in giving schools clarity about how to tackle sexism, and the
importance of doing so. The National Education Union urged the
Department for Education to issue advice in our December report
on sexism in schools, “It’s Just Everywhere”. (1) We particularly
welcome the updating of their guidance to include a broader range
of issues, including evidence from our own report on the scale
and nature of sexual harassment and sexual violence in schools.
We are pleased to see the integration of this guidance within
Keeping Children Safe in Education. (2)
“To make real progress school staff need to be empowered to think
about the whole school environment and how sexism influences
student’s language, attitudes and behaviour. This requires
education professionals having access to training and
professional development which our research shows teachers do not
have. Sexism is normalised in schools as in every other area of
life. Tackling harassment through schools needs to start with
understanding the link between sexist ideas and sexual
harassment. We must challenge sexist ideas about girls and boys
in every form – from pink and blue toys, through to ideas about
male and female teachers and education professionals. Treating
girls and boys differently must stop.
“We know prevention is key to address the high levels of sexual
harassment and sexual violence in schools. It is the everyday
sexist stereotypes and sexist language that drive harassment and
harms children and young people. Yet we also know that an exam
factory culture enforced by the Government squeezes out the
opportunities for learning about what respectful relationships
look like across the curriculum. If the Government is truly
committed to stamping out this behaviour, schools need the time
and capacity to focus on social development as well as test
scores. Real investment in training, high quality sex &
relationships education and a commitment to statutory PSHE is
needed.”
ENDS
Editor’s Notes:
1) https://neu.org.uk/sexism-in-schools
2) https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/keeping-children-safe-in-education-proposed-revisions
