Commenting on Ofsted’s review of sexual abuse in schools and
colleges, Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of
School and College Leaders, said:
“Nobody can fail to be shocked by the finding that children and
young people don’t see any point in reporting sexual harassment
because it is seen as a normal experience.
“Schools and colleges have a crucial role to play in addressing
this issue and they are determined to do so.
“Safeguarding and the welfare of the children and young people in
their care is their number one priority.
“No child should feel that sexual harassment is a normal part of
growing up and they must always feel able and encouraged to
report such incidents.
“We fully support Ofsted’s recommendations and in particular
recognise the need to ensure that Relationships, Sex and Health
Education is of the highest possible quality.
“It seems that a gulf has opened up between what children and
young people experience in terms of everyday sexual harassment
and abuse and what adult understanding is of the scale and
severity of this issue.
“It is a generational divide which goes beyond schools and
colleges and points to a much wider societal problem.
“The reasons why sexual harassment has become such a widespread
issue are complex but it seems obvious that more must be done
with greater urgency to tackle the misuse of social media and the
availability of online pornography.”
