# data[].attributes.headline
AI in Education #10: Five Things I Learned from Kris Boulton about Alpha School, Paying Kids, and Where AI Actually Fits

# data[].attributes.subject
AI in Education #10: Five Things I Learned from Kris Boulton about Alpha School, Paying Kids, and Where AI Actually Fits

# data[].attributes.body
This is the tenth in a series of AI in Education specials, where I speak to the world’s leading experts about how AI is changing teaching and learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
AI in Education #10: Five Things I Learned from Kris Boulton about Alpha School, Paying Kids, and Where AI Actually Fits

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This is the tenth in a series of AI in Education specials, where I speak to the world's leading experts about how AI is changing teaching and learning.

# data[].attributes.headline
Worked Examples and Self-Explanation Prompts: Elementary Students’ Mathematics Motivation and Error Perceptions

# data[].attributes.subject
Worked Examples and Self-Explanation Prompts: Elementary Students’ Mathematics Motivation and Error Perceptions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Research Bite #68: Worked Examples and Self-Explanation Prompts: Elementary Students’ Mathematics Motivation and Error Perceptions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Megan Botello, Kamal Chawla, Kelly M. McGinn & Christina Areizaga Barbieri

# data[].attributes.body
A 4-part documentary by Steplab

This documentary captures one configuration of effective teaching, inviting schools to reflect on how they might enhance teaching in their own contexts. It follows a range of teachers over multiple lessons across two schools (one secondary and one all-through), featuring teacher interviews and expert analysis.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Steplab Videos | Watch Great Teaching, Unpacked

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Browse videos produced by the Steplab team.

# data[].attributes.body
Reforms to the schools and SEND systems in England to ensure that every child can achieve and thrive.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Reforms to the schools and SEND systems in England to ensure that every child can achieve and thrive.

# data[].attributes.headline
DfE Mental Health Guidance: Government guidance on promoting wellbeing in schools and colleges.

# data[].attributes.subject
DfE Mental Health Guidance: Government guidance on promoting wellbeing in schools and colleges.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools and colleges

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Find resources to help you develop a whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing.

# data[].attributes.headline
Anna Freud 5 Steps Framework: Guidance for leaders to embed mental health across the whole school.

# data[].attributes.subject
Anna Freud 5 Steps Framework: Guidance for leaders to embed mental health across the whole school.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
5 Steps to Mental Health and Wellbeing is a free, evidence-based framework to help you develop a whole-school or college approach to mental health.

It's interactive, it's simple and it's free. The framework aligns with the eight principles outlined in the Department for Education and Public Health England's whole-school approach guidance.

The 5 Steps will help you to take a considered approach to the mental health needs of pupils and staff, the importance of leadership, and the role of the community.

Any whole-school or college approach to mental health must also consider the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion, which are woven through the 5 Steps framework.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Mental health is everyone's responsibility.

# data[].attributes.headline
Young Minds Teaching Resources: Lesson plans and assemblies for student mental health.

# data[].attributes.subject
Young Minds Teaching Resources: Lesson plans and assemblies for student mental health.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This online webinar was held on 4 November 2021. It was designed to be an opportunity to reflect on how you look after your mental health and well-being, find tips on building more opportunities for rest in your daily schedules, and where to go for more support.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Mental health resources for schools, parents, caregivers and young people

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Explore all our resources designed to assist schools, education staff, parents, children and young people look after their mental health.

# data[].attributes.headline
Every Mind Matters (School Zone): Free, curriculum-linked teaching resources for KS2, KS3, and KS4.

# data[].attributes.subject
Every Mind Matters (School Zone): Free, curriculum-linked teaching resources for KS2, KS3, and KS4.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Welcome to the new home for School Zone

Our look has changed but you can still find our flexible teaching resources for both primary and secondary schools. They cover a range of topics including nutrition, physical activity and mental wellbeing.

You will need to register for an account and sign in to download School Zone resources. This is free and quick to do.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Explore our flexible teaching resources for both primary and secondary schools. They cover a range of different topics including nutrition, physical activity and mental wellbeing.

# data[].attributes.headline
Anna Freud Mentally Healthy Schools: Quality-assured resources for primary, secondary, and FE settings.

# data[].attributes.subject
Anna Freud Mentally Healthy Schools: Quality-assured resources for primary, secondary, and FE settings.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Browse our free mental health resources for those working in primary, secondary and FE settings.

# data[].attributes.headline
Mentally Healthy Schools (Staff Tool): An NHS-approved online action plan for school staff.

# data[].attributes.subject
Mentally Healthy Schools (Staff Tool): An NHS-approved online action plan for school staff.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Online self-help tool for school staff : Mentally Healthy Schools

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This free tool, approved by the NHS, offers customised self-help suggestions following a brief quiz about your emotions and experiences.

# data[].attributes.headline
NHS Mind Plan: A quick quiz to get a personalized mental health action plan.

# data[].attributes.subject
NHS Mind Plan: A quick quiz to get a personalized mental health action plan.

# data[].attributes.headline
Education Support Resources: Self-care guides and tools for teachers.

# data[].attributes.subject
Education Support Resources: Self-care guides and tools for teachers.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Mental health & wellbeing resources for teachers & education staff

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Free articles, guides and video with advice and information to support the mental health & wellbeing of teachers & education staff

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Mental health & wellbeing resources for teachers & education staff

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Free articles, guides and video with advice and information to support the mental health & wellbeing of teachers & education staff

# data[].attributes.body
PLAY DETECTIVE

AMBIGUITY & UNCERTAINTY

INDEPENDENT LEARNING: VIDEO TUTORIALS

ACTIVITY ROTATIONS

CREATIVITY: OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHOICES

CREATIVITY: OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPERIMENT

PLAY IN PRACTICE

ROLE-PLAYS & SIMULATIONS

DEEP END

KEEP IT REAL: AUTHENTIC PRODUCTS

# data[].attributes.body
SSDD SYNOPTIC PRACTICE QUESTIONS

A REPERTOIRE OF RETRIEVAL ROUTINES

CONSOLIDATION

ACCOUNTABLE INDEPENDENT READING (AIR)

CLOSE READING

I SAY, YOU SAY; MY TURN, YOUR TURN

SUSTAINED INDEPENDENT PRACTICE

TAs: WORKING IN TANDEM

# data[].attributes.body
COLD CALL VARIATIONS

STRATEGIES TO CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING

CLASS DISCUSSION

SHOW CALL

SCAFFOLD VERBAL RESPONSES

SHORT FEEDBACK LOOPS

C|R|A|F|T FEEDBACK TIME

ASSESSMENT FOR STUDENT AGENCY

FORMATIVE USE OF TESTS

ASSESSMENT PORTFOLIOS

# data[].attributes.body
GIVING AN EXPLANATION

EXAMPLES & NON-EXAMPLES

SEQUENCES, CAUSES & CONSEQUENCES

PREDICT & VERIFY

CHUNKING

ADVANCE ORGANISERS

THE CREATIVE WRITING PROCESS

WRITING: DEVELOPING ACADEMIC VOICES

GRAPHIC ORGANISERS: KERNEL SENTENCES

MODELLING HANDOVER: I DO, WE DO,
YOU DO

# data[].attributes.body
BIG QUESTIONS

THE MUSEUM CURATION ANALOGY

INTER–DISCIPLINARY UNITS

PRINCIPLES OF CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION

TYPES OF SUBJECT KNOWLEDGE

BUILDING A CULTURE OF READING

ASSESSMENT: TEST DESIGN

ASSESSMENT: TRIANGULATE THE DATA

ADAPTIVE ONLINE ASSESSMENT PLATFORMS

COMPARATIVE JUDGEMENT

# data[].attributes.body
FRONT-LOADING BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT

SEATING PLANS

BUILD A VOCAL REPERTOIRE

CERTAINTY v. SEVERITY

MODELLING MINDSETS

ENDING LESSONS: THE LAST 10 MINUTES

PASTORAL CONVERSATIONS: VISUAL RECORDS

REPAIR & REBUILD

# data[].attributes.body
HANDS ON

ORACY: PUBLIC SPEAKING

ORACY: PRESENTATIONS

ORACY: RECITATION & PERFORMANCE

OFF-PISTE

SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING

MUSEUM/GALLERY VISITS

ONLINE CLASS FORUM

# data[].attributes.body
MAKE EVERYONE THINK

MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

FLASH CARDS

DUAL CODING: MAPPING

PRACTISE EXPLAINING

THRESHOLDS & PATHWAYS

A LADDER OF DIFFICULTY

THE FACE IT REVISION MODEL

# data[].attributes.body
NO OPT OUT

HANDS UP FOR ASKING OR IDEAS

RANDOMISED QUESTIONING

NORMALISE ERROR & UNCERTAINTY

REDRAFTING

SELECTIVE MARKING

SPOT YOUR MISTAKES

SUCCESS CRITERIA

# data[].attributes.body
PRE-READING INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLEX TEXTS

WHOLE-CLASS READING ROUTINESS

DEVELOPING READING FLUENCY

SUMMARISING ACADEMIC READING

GIVING PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATIONS

DUAL CODING: DIAGRAMS

ANALOGIES

SEND: COGNITIVE DIFFICULTIES

COMPARE, CONTRAST & CATEGORISE

EXEMPLARS

# data[].attributes.body
TRIVIUM IN PRACTICE

MODE A, MODE B

DIVERSITY: WAYS INTO CURRICULUM

AUTHENTIC CONNECTIONS

THEMES & TOPICS

LEARNING OBJECTIVES vs TASKS

RESPONSIVE LESSON PLANNING

TEACH TO THE TOP

SEND: AIM HIGH, PLAN SUPPORT

TEXTBOOKS & WORKBOOKS

# data[].attributes.body
ASSERTIVENESS

GETTING LESSONS STARTED

GATHER AROUND

KEEPING ON TASK

SILENCE IS GOLDEN

TRANSITIONS BETWEEN ACTIVITIES

LESSON DISRUPTION

PERSPECTIVE: THE DOT IN THE EMPTY SQUARE

# data[].attributes.body
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING

HOMEWORK AS GUIDED STUDY

ENQUIRY PROJECTS

OPEN RESPONSE TASKS

ORACY: DEBATING

ORACY: TALK FOR WRITING

ORACY: INSTRUCTIONAL INPUTS

INDEPENDENT LEARNING: PRE-READING

# data[].attributes.body
QUIZZING

ELABORATIVE INTERROGATION

USING A KNOWLDEGE ORGANISER

REHEARSAL & PERFORMANCE

PEER-SUPPORTED RETRIEVAL

WEEKLY & MONTHLY REVIEW

CONCRETE EXAMPLES

GUIDED PRACTICE

INDEPENDENT PRACTICE

BUILDING FLUENCY

# data[].attributes.body
COLD CALLING

THINK, PAIR, SHARE

SHOW-ME BOARDS

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING

SAY IT AGAIN BETTER

PROBING QUESTIONS

PROCESS QUESTIONS

FEEDBACK THAT MOVES FORWARD

FEEDBACK AS ACTIONS

WHOLE-CLASS FEEDBACK

# data[].attributes.body
Worked examples and backward fading

Dual Coding

Deliberate vocabulary development

Big picture, Small picture

Abstract model with concrete examples

Live modelling

scaffolding

Metacognitive talk

Set the standards

Head-on misconceptions

# data[].attributes.body
DESIGNING A KNOWLEDGE-RICH CURRICULUM

SEQUENCE CONCEPTS IN SMALL STEPS

COHERENT MAPPING

BLEND KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE

PITCH IT UP

PLAN FOR READING

TIERED QUESTIONS & PROBLEMS

DELIVER CORE; SIGNPOST HINTERLAND

# data[].attributes.body
POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS

ESTABLISH YOUR EXPECTATIONS

SIGNAL, PAUSE, INSIST

POSITIVE FRAMING

REHEARSE ROUTINES

CHOICES & CONSEQUENCES

# data[].attributes.headline
Please request log-in details from your school - everyone has access :)

# data[].attributes.subject
Please request log-in details from your school - everyone has access :)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Members' Area - Teaching WalkThrus | Multi-Platform Teaching Tools & Resources To Support Teachers - Primary Schools - Secondary Schools - Further Education - Coaching Tools - Webinars | Oliver Cavigioli - Tom Sherrington | UK

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This is the main location for our online resources embedded in an easy-to-navigate Google Site

# data[].attributes.headline
Sexual abuse in schools - curriculum approach

# data[].attributes.subject
Sexual abuse in schools - curriculum approach

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Introduction

Ofsted was asked by the government to carry out a rapid review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges. This report summarises our findings and recommendations.

We were asked to report on the following:

Safeguarding and curriculum

Is the existing safeguarding framework and guidance for inspectors strong enough to properly assess how schools and colleges safeguard and promote the welfare of children?

How can schools and colleges be supported further to successfully deliver the new RSHE (relationships, sex and health education) curriculum, including in teaching about sexual abuse, cyber bullying and pornography as well as healthy relationships and consent?

Multi-agency safeguarding arrangements

How well are safeguarding guidance and processes understood and working between schools, colleges and local multi-agency partners?

Does working between schools, colleges and local safeguarding partners ( LSPs), including local authority children's social care, the police, health services and other support, need to be strengthened?

Victims' voice and reporting

How does the current system of safeguarding in schools and colleges listen to the voices of children when reporting sexual abuse whether occurring within or outside school?

What prevents children from reporting sexual abuse?

Do victims receive timely and appropriate support from the right place?

Have inspections by ISI (the Independent Schools Inspectorate) and Ofsted been robust enough in relation to the issues raised?

Other considerations

In addition to what the government asked us to report on, we have also considered:

the range, nature, location and severity of allegations and incidents, together with context

the extent of schools'/colleges' (and other agencies' and adults') knowledge of specific incidents and more general problems

schools' safeguarding responses to known incidents and wider social and cultural problems, including:

their immediate response to specific incidents, including referrals to LSPs and victim support (and liaison with other schools/colleges, where those involved attend different schools/colleges from abusers)

schools'/colleges' use of sanctions

any factors that have limited any immediate or subsequent response

schools' safeguarding knowledge, culture and effectiveness, including their willingness to function as part of the wider safeguarding system with other partners

the adequacy of schools' RSHE/ PSHE (personal, social, health and economic) curriculum and teaching

the extent to which recent inspections explored relevant cases and issues

Executive summary and recommendations

The review included visits to 32 schools and colleges. In these, we spoke to over 900 children and young people about the prevalence of peer-on-peer sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online, in their lives and the lives of their peers. We also spoke to leaders, teachers, governors, LSPs, parents and stakeholders. Finally, we reviewed the extent to which inspection has given sufficient oversight of this issue and considered how statutory guidance could be strengthened.

This rapid review does not report on individual schools and colleges or cases, all of which remain anonymous. We made a number of visits to schools named on the Everyone's Invited website, as well as others not named. But this should not be assumed to be a fully representative sample of all schools and colleges nationally. It presents a picture of strong and weaker practice across participating schools and colleges, from which we have drawn our conclusions. Our conclusions reflect the strengths and limitations of the evidence. They focus on what we were asked to report on. You can find a full description of the methodology at the end of this report.

This rapid thematic review has revealed how prevalent sexual harassment and online sexual abuse are for children and young people. It is concerning that for some children, incidents are so commonplace that they see no point in reporting them. This review did not analyse whether the issue is more or less prevalent for different groups of young people, and there may well be differences, but it found that the issue is so widespread that it needs addressing for all children and young people. It recommends that schools, colleges and multi-agency partners act as though sexual harassment and online sexual abuse are happening, even when there are no specific reports.

On our visits, girls told us that sexual harassment and online sexual abuse, such as being sent unsolicited explicit sexual material and being pressured to send nude pictures ('nudes'), are much more prevalent than adults realise. For example, nearly 90% of girls, and nearly 50% of boys, said being sent explicit pictures or videos of things they did not want to see happens a lot or sometimes to them or their peers. Children and young people told us that sexual harassment occurs so frequently that it has become 'commonplace'. For example, 92% of girls, and 74% of boys, said sexist name-calling happens a lot or sometimes to them or their peers. The frequency of these harmful sexual behaviours means that some children and young people consider them normal.

When we asked children and young people where sexual violence occurred, they typically talked about unsupervised spaces outside of school, such as parties or parks without adults present, although some girls told us they also experienced unwanted touching in school corridors.

Children and young people, especially girls, told us that they do not want to talk about sexual abuse for several reasons, even where their school encourages them to. For example, the risk of being ostracised by peers or getting peers into trouble is not considered to be worth it for something perceived by children and young people to be commonplace. They worry about how adults will react, because they think they will not be believed, or that they will be blamed. They also think that once they talk to an adult, the process will be out of their control.

Children and young people were rarely positive about the RSHE they had received. They felt that it was too little, too late and that the curriculum was not equipping them with the information and advice they needed to navigate the reality of their lives. Because of these gaps, they told us they turned to social media or their peers to educate each other, which understandably made some feel resentful. As one girl put it, 'It shouldn't be our responsibility to educate boys'.

In the schools and colleges we visited, some teachers and leaders underestimated the scale of the problem. They either did not identify sexual harassment and sexualised language as problematic or they were unaware they were happening. They were dealing with incidents of sexual violence when they were made aware of them, and following statutory guidance. But professionals consistently underestimated the prevalence of online sexual abuse, even when there was a proactive whole-school approach to tackling sexual harassment and violence.

When it comes to sexual violence, it appears that school and college leaders are increasingly having to make difficult decisions that guidance does not equip them to make. For example, some school and college leaders told us that they are unsure how to proceed when criminal investigations do not lead to a prosecution or conviction. Schools and colleges should not be left to navigate these 'grey areas' without sufficient guidance. Furthermore, the current guidance does not clearly differentiate between different types of behaviour or reflect the language that children and young people use, particularly for online sexual abuse.

Schools and colleges cannot tackle sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online, on their own, and neither should they. For example, the prevalence of children and young people seeing explicit material they do not want to see and being pressured to send 'nudes' is a much wider problem than schools can address. While they can play their part, it is not only their responsibility to solve it. The government will need to tackle this issue through the Online Safety Bill, and other interventions.

The LSPs that we met had varying levels of oversight and understanding of the issues for children and young people in their area. Some LSPs had been working closely with schools to track and analyse data from schools, and understood children's experiences of sexual harassment and violence, including online. However, a small number told us that they were not aware that sexual harassment and violence, including online, in schools and colleges were significant problems in their local area. In light of what children and young people told us, they almost certainly are significant problems in every area. Gaining an overview of the issues requires effective joint working between LSPs and all schools and colleges, something that is not currently happening consistently. Some schools and colleges also reported that working across a number of local authorities presented challenges, as the level of support varied from area to area. Clearer guidance would help to overcome some of these difficulties, as would more learning and sharing of practice across LSPs, schools and colleges.

As a result of the findings of this review, we recommend the following.

Recommendations for school and college leaders

School and college leaders should create a culture where sexual harassment and online sexual abuse are not tolerated, and where they identify issues and intervene early to better protect children and young people.

In order to do this, they should assume that sexual harassment and online sexual abuse are happening in their setting, even when there are no specific reports, and put in place a whole-school approach to address them. This should include:

a carefully sequenced RSHE curriculum, based on the Department for Education's ( DfE 's) statutory guidance, that specifically includes sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online. This should include time for open discussion of topics that children and young people tell us they find particularly difficult, such as consent and the sending of 'nudes'

high-quality training for teachers delivering RSHE

routine record-keeping and analysis of sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online, to identify patterns and intervene early to prevent abuse

a behavioural approach, including sanctions when appropriate, to reinforce a culture where sexual harassment and online sexual abuse are not tolerated

working closely with LSPs in the area where the school or college is located so they are aware of the range of support available to children and young people who are victims or who perpetrate harmful sexual behaviour

support for designated safeguarding leads ( DSLs), such as protected time in timetables to engage with LSPs

training to ensure that all staff (and governors, where relevant) are able to:

better understand the definitions of sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online sexual abuse

identify early signs of peer-on-peer sexual abuse

consistently uphold standards in their responses to sexual harassment and online sexual abuse

Recommendations for multi-agency partners

Multi-agency partners should:

work to improve engagement with schools of all types in their local area, tailoring their approach to what their analysis (produced in partnership with schools/colleges and wider safeguarding partners) indicates are the risks to children and young people in their local area

Recommendations for government

The government should:

take into account the findings of this review as it develops the Online Safety Bill, so it can strengthen safeguarding controls for children and young people to protect them from viewing online explicit material and engaging in harmful sexual behaviour using social media platforms

establish better coordinated arrangements between the Education and Skills Funding Agency ( ESFA), Ofsted and ISI for how to deal with complaints that inspectorates receive about schools

strengthen the 'Working together to safeguard children' guidance to make the involvement of all state and independent schools and colleges with LSPs more explicit, including their engagement in multi-agency safeguarding audits

produce clearer guidance for schools and colleges to help them make decisions when there are long-term investigations of harmful sexual behaviour, or when a criminal investigation does not lead to a prosecution or conviction

review and update the definitions of sexual abuse, including peer-on-peer, to better reflect the experiences of children and young people

develop an online hub where all safeguarding guidance is in one place, with any updates clearly visible and ideally made in good time in the school year to aid planning

in partnership with others:

develop a guide that helps children and young people know what might happen next when they talk to an adult in school or college about sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online sexual abuse

develop national training for DSLs

develop resources to help schools and colleges shape their RSHE curriculum

launch a communications campaign about sexual harassment and online sexual abuse, which should include advice for parents and carers

Actions for the inspectorates

This review has identified a number of areas where Ofsted and ISI can sharpen practice and, in doing so, focus schools' and colleges' attention on this important area of their work.

Peer-on-peer sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online, have been considered during inspection as part of safeguarding in schools and colleges over the last few years. However, changes to government guidance and some inconsistencies in inspection documentation across education remits mean that updating of inspection handbooks is required. For example, from September, Ofsted's inspection handbook for further education and skills will include the same references to peer-on-peer sexual abuse as the current school inspection handbook. Inspectors for Ofsted and ISI will also consider how well schools fulfil the new duties to deliver the compulsory RSHE curriculum.

For 2021/22 and beyond, Ofsted and ISI will work together to produce and jointly deliver further training on inspecting safeguarding in education settings, including looking at issues of peer-on-peer sexual abuse.

In line with our practice for schools, Ofsted will request that college leaders supply records and analysis of sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online, to inspectors. ISI will also specifically request for schools to provide the same records on notification of inspection, in addition to its current practice. There will be additional training for inspectors from both inspectorates to ensure that they record how they have followed up this information on inspection. Additionally, inspectors will hold discussions with single-sex groups of pupils where this helps to understand better a school's or college's approach to tackling sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online.

Definitions

Peer-on-peer sexual abuse

The term 'peer-on-peer' sexual abuse includes:

sexual violence, such as rape, assault by penetration and sexual assault

sexual harassment, such as sexual comments, remarks, jokes and online sexual harassment, which may be stand-alone or part of a broader pattern of abuse

upskirting, which typically involves taking a picture under a person's clothing without them knowing, with the intention of viewing their genitals or buttocks to obtain sexual gratification, or to cause the victim humiliation, distress or alarm

sexting (also known as 'youth-produced sexual imagery')

There were a wide variety of behaviours that children and young people told us happen online. These include:

Typical platforms for sharing material between peers tended to be WhatsApp or Snapchat.

'Keeping children safe in education' says that all staff should be aware that children are capable of abusing their peers and that they should be clear about their relevant policies and procedures to address peer-on-peer abuse.

We acknowledge that the term 'peer-on-peer' does not refer only to sexual abuse, but also to other forms of child-on-child abuse, such as bullying. The term 'peer-on-peer abuse' is helpful in focusing professionals' attention on the fact that children can abuse other children. However, in the context of sexual abuse it could lead to professionals dismissing potentially harmful sexual behaviour as simply 'developmental', when there are power dynamics, age imbalances and other aspects that would warrant further investigation. In this report, we use the term 'peer-on-peer' while recognising its limitations.

Harmful sexual behaviour

Sexual behaviours expressed by children and young people under the age of 18 years old that are developmentally inappropriate, may be harmful towards self or others, or abusive towards another child, young person or adult.

Any child or young person who exhibits harmful sexual behaviour may need a safeguarding response or intervention. Professionals should respond with interventions that address the behaviour of the perpetrator, while also providing an appropriate level of support. Professionals involved should be aware that harmful sexual behaviour may be an indicator that the child has been abused.,

It is also important to note that, although professionals' awareness of the vulnerability of children and young people could be helpful, it could also contribute to stereotypes about how a victim and survivor of child sexual abuse should look or behave. This may run the risk of victims who differ from that picture being overlooked or unwilling to come forward for fear of not being believed.

The following model is used to explain the continuum of sexual behaviours presented by children and young people, from normal to violent. Harmful sexual behaviour encompasses a range of behaviour, which can be displayed towards younger children, peers, older children or adults. It can occur online and offline or a mixture of both.
Figure 1. Definition: Sexual behaviours across a continuum

- Developmentally expected
- Socially acceptable
- Consensual, mutual, reciprocal
- Shared decision-making

- Single instances of inappropriate sexual behaviour
- Socially acceptable behaviour within peer group
- Context for behaviour may be inappropriate
- Generally consensual and reciprocal

- Problematic and concerning behaviour
- Developmentally unusual and socially unexpected
- No overt elements of victimisation
- Consent issues may be unclear
- May lack reciprocity or equal power
- May include levels of compulsivity

- Victimising intent or outcome
- Includes misuse of power
- Coercion and force to ensure victim compliance
- Intrusive
- Informed consent lacking or not able to be freely given by victim
- May include elements of expressive violence

- Physically violent sexual abuse
- Highly intrusive
- Instrumental violence that is psychologically and/or sexually arousing to the perpetrator
- Sadism

Source: Hackett, S, 'Children, young people and sexual violence' in 'Children behaving badly? Exploring peer violence between children and young people', 2010.
The DfE has published guidance for schools and colleges to help them to respond to sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online, between children. This explains that it is an offence for anyone to have any sexual activity with a person under the age of 16 and provides specific protection for children aged 12 and under who cannot legally give their consent to any form of sexual activity. The guidance acknowledges that professionals may be required to make complex decisions in situations of peer-on-peer sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online. It stresses the importance of effective training and clear policies for staff to help them take a considered and appropriate response.

Therefore, when schools and colleges[footnote 10] are made aware of sexual activity involving a child under the age of 13, they should always refer this to the police and children's social care. They should use the statutory guidance and their professional curiosity to establish whether risk factors are present before making a decision on whether to engage external agencies if the children are aged 13 to 17.

What did we find out about the scale and nature of sexual abuse in schools?

What existing research and data tell us

Data on this topic largely focuses on child sexual abuse in general, not specifically peer-on-peer. We know that issues of under-reporting and inconsistency in how professionals define harmful sexual behaviour mean that accurate data collection is difficult.[footnote 11] We explore the issues of under-reporting and data tracking in later sections of this report.

Nationally collected statistics show that there has been a sharp increase in reporting of child sexual abuse to the police in recent years. Figures that include all child sexual abuse cases show that the police recorded over 83,000 child sexual abuse offences (including obscene publications) in the year ending March 2020.[footnote 12], [footnote 13] This is an increase of approximately 267% since 2013. Research estimates indicate that approximately one quarter of cases of all child sexual abuse involve a perpetrator under the age of 18.[footnote 14]

Although anyone can experience sexual harassment and violence, research indicates that girls are disproportionately affected. For example, 90% of recorded offences of rape in 2018-19 of 13- to 15-year-olds were committed against girls.[footnote 15], [footnote 16] In the past year, girls aged between 15 and 17 reported the highest annual rates of sexual abuse for young people and children aged 25 and younger.[footnote 17]

It is hard to get an accurate picture of the scale and nature of sexual harassment and violence between children and young people in schools and colleges, as there is no centralised data collection of incidents and crime statistics are not published with a level of analysis to shed any light on this. It would be helpful if this information was available routinely.

Three sources of information that were available for this review are: published school exclusions data,[footnote 20] Ofsted complaints data and an FOI request made to the police in 2015 by the BBC.

Published school exclusions data shows:

In the 5 academic years to 2018/19, permanent exclusions for which the primary reason was sexual misconduct averaged 91 per year, 1.3% of all permanent exclusions.

Most of these permanent exclusions were from secondary schools. There are approximately 3,400 mainstream state-funded secondary schools, so, if evenly spread, this would mean on average around 2% of secondaries currently make a permanent exclusion for this reason in any given year.

While the total number of permanent exclusions increased during that period, there was no clear trend in the number of exclusions for sexual misconduct.

In the same 5-year period, suspensions for which the primary reason was sexual misconduct averaged 2,100 per year, 0.6% of all suspensions.

Again, most of these exclusions were from secondary schools. As stated above, there are approximately 3,400 mainstream state-funded secondary schools. So again, if evenly spread, this would mean on average 55% of secondaries currently make a suspension for this reason in any given year.

In the latest reported year (2018/19), suspension for sexual misconduct fell by 13% relative to the average of the previous 4 years.

Ofsted receives complaints from pupils and parents who have been unable to resolve complaints through local routes. Between September 2019 and March 2021, we received 291 complaints about schools that referred to peer-on-peer sexual harassment or violence, including online sexual abuse, out of 13,834 complaints (2% of the total). ISI reports that between the same dates, it received 37 complaints about schools that referred to peer-on-peer sexual harassment or violence, out of 618 complaints (6% of the total).

The scope of this review was such that we cannot say anything about which children and young people are most likely to be targeted for sexual harassment and/or violence or about which are most likely to abuse others.

What did children, young people and professionals tell us about sexual harassment and violence between peers and where did perceptions differ?

During our visits, we gathered the views of approximately 900 children and young people in focus groups. Of those, we surveyed just over 800 children and young people aged 13 and above about their perceptions of sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online sexual abuse.

Children and young people tended to talk to us about the issues that were the most common in their lives, which were typically sexual harassment and online sexual abuse. However, we are aware of the significant impact that sexual violence has on some children and young people's lives and we heard several distressing examples from DSLs as part of this review. While this section focuses largely on what children and young people told us was most common, we do not want to minimise or ignore other experiences that children told us about. Where we can, we reference these experiences and use wider literature to supplement our findings where there are gaps.

The girls who responded to our questionnaire indicated that, in order of prevalence, the following types of harmful sexual behaviours happened 'a lot' or 'sometimes' between people their age:

Non-contact forms, but face-to-face:

Non-contact forms, online or on social media:

being sent pictures or videos they did not want to see (88%)

being put under pressure to provide sexual images of themselves (80%)

having pictures or videos that they sent being shared more widely without their knowledge or consent (73%)

being photographed or videoed without their knowledge or consent (59%)

having pictures or videos of themselves that they did not know about being circulated (51%)

Contact forms:

These findings are strongly supported by existing research into harmful sexual behaviour between peers.[footnote 22], [footnote 23]

Boys were much less likely to think these things happened, particularly contact forms of harmful sexual behaviour, as shown in the chart below:

Figure 2. These things happen 'a lot' or 'sometimes' between people my age (%)

Note: around 790 pupils answered the question for each type of harmful sexual behaviour. The number varies slightly by question because a few children and young people skipped some questions.
In the focus groups, many children and young people talked about teachers not 'knowing the reality' of their lives, or being 'out of date'. In general, they reported much higher incidences of sexual harassment, online sexual abuse and bullying behaviours than teachers and leaders tended to be aware of.

In some schools, leaders' estimation of the scale of the problem was more aligned with that of the children and young people's perceptions than that of teachers. This may be explained by the fact that leaders and DSLs typically deal with confidential safeguarding cases. However, it does point to the need for development and training for all school staff on prevalence and what constitutes harmful sexual behaviour. For example, in one school, children and young people told us that the sharing of 'nudes' was widespread and that 'body shaming' and 'slut shaming' were also common. However, staff in this school thought that incidents largely happened outside school. One male member of staff said that there were 'high levels of mutual respect' between children and young people in school. Leaders were more aware of issues in the school, and the need to change what they referred to as the 'rugby culture', but this did not translate to all staff recognising the scale of the problem.

More positively, in some schools, staff and leaders' perceptions of the extent of harmful sexual behaviour seemed to be fairly aligned with those of children and young people. This appears to be the case in schools where the topic has been - and continues to be - openly discussed and challenged, and where records of incidents are kept and analysed.

Generally, older teens (aged 16 and above) were more likely to say that sexual harassment and violence, including online, between peers was prevalent than younger teens (aged 13 to 15) were. For example, 79% of young people aged 16 to 17 and 86% of those aged 18 and above said that rumours about sexual activity occurred a lot or sometimes between peers compared with 61% of those aged 13 to 15. Similarly, 54% of those aged 16 and above said unwanted touching occurred a lot or sometimes, compared with 40% of 13- to 15-year-olds. While figures are high for both groups, this increase could suggest that sexual harassment and violence, including online, happen more as children and young people grow older, or that they become more aware of them.

In terms of sexualised language, children and young people told us that 'slag' and 'slut' were commonplace and that homophobic language was also used in school. Many felt that staff either were not aware of this language, dismissed it as 'banter' or simply were not prepared to tackle it. Many also commented that they would be wary of tackling their peers' use of this language, even when they did not feel comfortable with such terms. Sometimes, children and young people themselves saw the use of derogatory language as 'banter' or 'just a joke'. In one school, the girls spoke of lots of 'cat calling', often focused on their bodies, their hair colour, their size or whether they were wearing glasses. In another, girls said that boys used terms such as 'flat, curvy or sick' to describe them and girls found this derogatory. In another, children and young people reported boys giving girls marks out of 10 based on their physical appearance while they were travelling to and from school together.

Some children, young people and staff mentioned sexual and sexist comments happening in corridors. Some girls felt uncomfortable when boys walked behind them up stairs and in stairwells where people can see up their skirts from below. Boys in another school said that they felt anxious when walking behind girls or women, including out of school, as they did not want the girls to feel at risk, so tended to cross the road or move away. In another school, girls said that they were 'touched up' regularly in crowded corridors. Some named the areas of the college or school where they felt wary of being - either because they were out of sight of staff or because they felt uncomfortable with the people who 'hang around' there.

Other areas or situations were school-specific. For example, we heard cases of boys' toilets with no locks, a swimming pool changing room where a single door meant that girls believed people could see them naked as they walked by, and a male teacher who gave girls compliments about their appearance.

Overall, children and young people tended to say that they felt physically safe at college or school, although there was a clear emotional impact on girls who experienced regular sexual harassment or other harmful sexual behaviour. This highlights the need for school leaders to take an approach to tackling sexual harassment and bullying behaviours that goes beyond tackling incidents in isolation. Given that children and young people talked in particular about sexual harassment happening in unsupervised spaces, such as in corridors between lessons, school leaders should identify where there might be 'hot-spots' of poor behaviour and act accordingly. When children and young people talked about feeling physically unsafe, this generally related to situations that occurred outside school.

Boys and girls sometimes, though not always, had different perspectives and concerns. In one school, for example, girls told us that sexual harassment was 'a big deal' but boys did not recognise that it was happening or identify it as abuse. Girls in this school described routine name-calling, sexual comments and objectification. Boys described jokes and compliments - but said that, for them, homophobia and racism were concerns. In another example, girls thought that things like sexist or sexualised language were common and that being asked to share inappropriate images happened regularly, but boys did not see this as an issue. Boys recognised some of the behaviours described but did not see them as widespread.

Some schools on our visits had existing LGBT+ pupil groups that were willing to speak to us. LGBT+ children and young people in those groups also reported a big gap between staff's knowledge of incidents and their daily experience of harmful sexual behaviour. Homophobic and transphobic insults and bullying in corridors and classrooms and at social times were mentioned as issues in several schools. Some LGBT+ children and young people reported constant verbal abuse and occasional physical assault, which left them feeling physically unsafe. One teacher reported that she frequently heard both homophobic and sexist language but did not challenge this as she did not think she would be supported by other staff and her challenges would be disregarded. Literature on the experiences of LGBT+ young people also indicates that they are more likely to experience child sexual abuse and less likely to report sexual abuse than their peers.[footnote 24]

What did children, young people and professionals tell us about sexual abuse between peers online?

Previous research indicated that children and young people who are sending nudes and semi-nudes are in the minority. For example, research in 2017 indicated that 26% of young people had sent a nude image to someone they were interested in and 48% had received one of someone else.[footnote 25] However, more recent data on youth-produced sexual imagery for under-18s indicates that they are increasingly taking photos and videos of themselves to send to others. This includes incidents where they are groomed by adults to do so.

Data from the Internet Watch Foundation ( IWF) shows a sharp increase in online sexual abuse images involving young people, which it partially attributes to a rise in the sharing of 'self-generated' content.[footnote 26] In the first 6 months of 2020, 44% of all child sexual abuse content dealt with by the IWF was assessed as containing self-generated images or videos, compared with 29% in 2019. The proliferation of online imagery makes it a challenge for researchers, multi-agency partners and schools to keep up, despite recent government guidance.[footnote 27]

Children and young people told us that online forms of sexual abuse were prevalent, especially being sent sexual pictures or videos that they did not want to see. The vast majority of girls said being sent sexual images, being coerced into sharing images, or having their images reshared were common. A significant proportion of boys agreed. In terms of definitions, being sent sexual pictures of images that children and young people do not want to see includes both explicit online material, such as pornographic videos, or self-generated images or videos, such as 'dick pics'.

Images and videos were typically shared on platforms such as WhatsApp or Snapchat. Some DSLs told us that children and young people were sometimes added to large groups of peers on WhatsApp without their permission, where graphic material was shared without them properly knowing who they were interacting with.
Figure 3. These things happen 'a lot' or 'sometimes' between people my age (%)

Note: the number of both boys and girls who answered the question for each type of harmful sexual behaviour is around 790, and slightly different for each. This is because a few children and young people skipped some questions.
Although some school leaders defined online sexual harassment as 'happening out of school', we saw some clear evidence of how online sexual harassment has a significant impact on the normalisation of harmful sexual behaviour and unhealthy cultures within school. This was something that the victims' groups we spoke to also highlighted. In one school, for example, children and young people told inspectors that 'boys talk about whose "nudes" they have and share them among themselves - it's like a collection game'. Many children and young people told inspectors that this behaviour was so commonplace that they just saw it as a 'part of life'. One Year 12 student said, 'The problem is that it's so widespread it's like playing whack-a-mole.'

Girls talked about boys being very persistent when asking for images - 'they just won't take no for an answer' - some explained that if you block them on social media 'they just create multiple accounts to harass you'. In one school, the girls spoken to by inspectors reported that some girls can be contacted by up to 10 or 11 different boys a night to be asked for nude/semi-nude images. Some children and young people thought that it was 'ok' and 'acceptable' to ask someone for a nude picture, but had been taught to think about who else might see the pictures apart from the original recipient, and not to share them further.

Some girls expressed frustration that there was not explicit teaching of what was acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. They felt that the need to educate peers had been left to them. One girl said: 'It shouldn't be our responsibility to educate boys.' A minority of boys felt that gender stereotyping meant that they were being made to 'feel guilty all the time' and that they were being unfairly blamed for things they had not done. Nearly half of boys also said that being sent sexual images or videos they did not want to see was something that happened 'a lot' or 'sometimes' to them or their peers.

Research in this area indicates that, while most secondary school pupils recognise the harm that sexual approaches from adult strangers online bring, there is less clarity about what constitutes sexual harm within the context of peer relationships or existing online networks.[footnote 28] This shows the need for a whole-school approach that tackles sexual harassment and online sexual abuse proactively. This should include a well-sequenced RSHE curriculum, which incorporates time for open discussion of areas that children and young people tell us they are finding particularly difficult.

There is some evidence that suggests access to technology and the sharing of inappropriate images and videos are also issues in primary schools. For example, in one all-through school, leaders have identified a trend of cases in the primary school that are linked to social media. There is a no-phone policy in this school, so incidents are likely taking place outside school. Incidents cited include viewing pornography, requests to look up pornography websites and viewing inappropriate images on social media. There was an example from another school of children in Years 6 and 7 sending nudes.

Although there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that viewing pornography leads directly to harmful sexual behaviours, there is evidence to suggest that young people appear to become desensitised to its content over time and that it can shape unhealthy attitudes, such as acceptance of sexual aggression towards women.[footnote 33], [footnote 34] More frequent consumption of pornography is also associated with victim-blaming attitudes. For example, it may lead to the belief that if a woman is affected by alcohol or drugs, she is at least partly responsible for whatever happens to her.[footnote 35]

When children and young people talked to us about online sexual abuse, they did not use the terms that government guidance did. It can be difficult to address issues when the definitions are not up to date or are grouped unhelpfully. For example, 'Keeping children safe in education' uses the phrase 'sexting' for online sexual abuse. None of the children and young people we spoke to used this phrase and it appears to be out of date. In any future updates of government guidance, the full range of children and young people's experiences should be reflected in the language used. Clearer categories of the types of sexual harassment and online sexual abuse would also be helpful for professionals.

What did children, young people and professionals tell us about sexual abuse outside school?

Children and young people in several schools told us that harmful sexual behaviour happens at house parties, without adults present, and that alcohol and drugs are often involved. In one school, leaders talked about parties that have happened when parents have left children and young people unsupervised and they 'are allowed to see, do and hear what they want'. In another, governors talked about a culture of 'affluent neglect' and leaders said that some parents bought alcohol for their children to have at parties when they were away. It is important to note, however, that incidents of harmful sexual behaviour or unhealthy cultures were certainly not confined to 'affluent' children or young people.

An analysis of key words in the 2,030 publicly available testimonies on the Everyone's Invited website found that a third (670) mentioned drugs or alcohol. Of these, words equating to 'drunk', 'party', alcohol or names of different types of alcohol and 'drinking' featured in the most testimonies.[footnote 36] These findings should be treated with caution as they are not representative. They do, however, give an insight into the experiences of some children and young people.

Some children, young people and leaders also identified parks as places where sexual harassment and violence took place.

In a minority of schools, children, young people and leaders talked specifically about cultural factors that contributed to boys' harmful sexual behaviour. One Year 12 boy talking about other boys told inspectors: 'Essentially, they only spend time with boys, then hit puberty and start going to parties with booze and drugs and girls, and they don't know how to handle it. And some of the boys are very wealthy and have never been told "no" before.' In another school, girls similarly told inspectors that some of the boys had a sense of entitlement and had never 'been told no'. They talked about a sense of 'male superiority' in the school. In another school, children and young people said that harmful sexual behaviours occurred outside school at parties but that victims did not want to disclose it because of the 'power and money culture' within which they live. As one girl put it, 'victims do not want to commit social or career suicide'. These findings point to the power dynamics that are often present where there are sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online. These dynamics and social hierarchies are present across all school types.

Girls talked about feeling uncomfortable because of behaviour from peers on bus journeys (including school buses), where they said they experienced the kind of sexual harassment and bullying behaviour that happened in school. Girls in one school, for example, said that boys often made 'rape jokes' on the school bus. More widely, some children and young people said they did not feel safe from strangers on trains or in parks, alleys, car parks and side streets. Some girls in particular said that feeling unsafe in these situations was pervasive. One girl said that a man had deliberately brushed her younger sister's leg recently and another girl had told her sister to get used to it as 'this is what happens'. Younger girls aged 12 to 13 in another school said that they felt uncomfortable walking through town in their uniforms. Evidence from other research also indicates that this is an issue. A recent survey of girls and young women aged 13 to 21 found that more than half have felt unsafe walking home alone and had experienced harassment or know someone who has, and nearly half feel unsafe using public transport.[footnote 39]

How does the current system of safeguarding listen to the voices of children and young people?

In this section, we outline what children and young people told us about why they do not speak to adults about sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online. We also share the practices that we identified in schools that both enable and act as barriers to children and young people telling adults about their experiences.

On our visits, we found that children and young people rarely speak to adults about sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online, even though they told us that sexual harassment and online sexual abuse are prevalent in their daily lives.

Research indicates that, even when some children and young people attempt to tell someone about abuse, they are not always listened to or believed. For example, NSPCC research on young adults who experienced abuse and family violence as a child found that 80% had to make more than one attempt to tell someone about the abuse before they were listened to and taken seriously. Ninety per cent of the young people who told someone had a negative experience at some point, mostly where those they told had not responded appropriately.[footnote 42] Our joint targeted area inspection into child sexual abuse in the family also found that some groups of children, such as boys, disabled children and children from some minority ethnic groups face greater barriers to talking about abuse and are less likely be believed when they do.[footnote 43] The 'Beyond referrals' research into harmful sexual behaviour in schools found that, even where schools had provided a range of ways for children and young people to talk to staff about peer abuse, there remained significant barriers to them reporting abuse.[footnote 44]

On our visits, we found that professionals still rely too much on children telling someone about abuse instead of recognising other indicators, such as emotional or behavioural changes. We also found this in our joint targeted area inspection on the theme of child sexual abuse in the family.

In some schools we visited, teachers recognised that they needed to do much more than rely on children and young people's verbal reports of sexual violence or sexual harassment, including online. In these schools, they had taken steps to create a culture where it is clear what acceptable and unacceptable behaviour is for staff, children and young people. Teachers were encouraged to log indicators of concern on a centralised recording system so that DSLs could 'build a picture' and decide whether further investigation was required.

Professionals' and victims' groups we spoke to also said that it is rare that children and young people talk about abuse as a 'one-off' and that this may be a process that happens over time. Victims' groups we spoke to also considered that children and young people are much more likely to talk about abuse when secure and trusting relationships have been developed within a supportive culture.

Who, if anyone, do children and young people talk to about sexual harassment and violence?

Most children and young people we surveyed told us they would feel able to tell someone about their experiences of sexual harassment or sexual violence, including online (either inside or outside school). In order of most likely to least likely, they said they would tell:

Most of the children and young people said they would feel most comfortable talking to friends, something that was also highlighted in our discussions with victims' groups. This emphasises the importance of schools teaching acceptable and unacceptable behaviours, with clear guidance and support, so that children and young people can support each other to bring issues to trusted adults.

The children and young people we asked said that, if they were to talk to an adult, it would be a parent or someone in their family. Lower numbers of children and young people said they would talk to adults in their school. When children and young people said they would talk to someone in school about sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online, they tended to identify senior staff. Research indicates that when children and young people do tell a professional about these issues, it is most likely to be a teacher or leader at their school.[footnote 45] This highlights the importance of training leaders and teachers on good practice in this area and supporting children to bring issues to trusted adults. It also shows that taking time to build trusting relationships with children and young people can help them talk about abuse.

Inspectors found that, in more than half of the schools they visited, procedures were clear and safeguarding teams were visible and known to children and young people. Children and young people were aware of the procedure for reporting concerns and, in this respect, schools were supporting them to tell them about sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online sexual abuse. However, staff, children and young people told us that, even with this good practice, children and young people do not always report incidents for a variety of reasons.

This illustrates that schools cannot rely on children talking about sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online abuse. Just having clear procedures and visible staff are not sufficient to support children and young people to talk about these issues.

What prevents children and learners from reporting sexual harassment and violence?

Children and young people in the surveys and focus groups told us that there is a range of barriers that prevent them from talking about sexual abuse and harassment, including online. These included:

worry that what happened next would be out of their control

worry that they would be branded by their peers as a 'snitch' who got a peer into trouble

worry that they would be ostracised from friendship groups

worry that there would be damage to their reputation, for example through sexual rumours being circulated about them

feeling that they would not be believed

feeling that they might be blamed for doing things they were told not to do, for example sending nudes, even if they were pressured to do so

feeling that nothing would be done

feeling that things were so commonplace 'there's no point' in raising it

feeling embarrassment and shame when talking to someone from a different generation about sex

The most common reason that the children and young people who answered our survey gave for not reporting an experience was not knowing what would happen next. Victims' groups also told us that a poor response by professionals can leave children and young people feeling out of control. In one school, the DSL was aware of this issue and had educated children and young people about what would happen if they told someone about abuse, emphasising how children's best interests were at the heart of any investigation. In the same school, the DSL took the time to develop a trusting relationship with a victim of sexual violence. This helped the victim get to the point where they could talk about the incident fully to the school, the police and other multi-agency partners.

In focus groups, children and young people told us that deciding whether to report an incident depends on the perceived severity of the incident. For example, children and young people thought they would be listened to if they reported 'serious' incidents but would be less likely to report what they see as 'common' incidents, such as 'being asked for nudes' and 'comments from boys in corridors'. This is largely because they feel that some of the incidents are so commonplace 'there's no point' reporting them. Some forms of sexual harassment and online sexual abuse have become so normalised for children that they do not see the point in reporting and challenging this behaviour.

Some children and young people talked about previous incidents that have been reported, which in their view had 'come to nothing'. Consequently, they did not believe that the school would do anything if they did report abuse, especially if incidents took place outside school. Some DSLs told us that, at times, this view was compounded when criminal investigations did not lead to a prosecution or conviction. DSLs also told us that the confidential nature of investigations left some victims or children and young people perceiving that 'nothing had been done'. Again, this led to them thinking that there was little point in telling someone about abuse.

Schools and multi-agency partners need to strike the right balance. Over-criminalisation of children and young people is not desirable or helpful. This means that, when dealing with peer-on-peer abuse, multi-agency partners, including the police, may decide to provide intervention and support for the perpetrator. They may find this the best way of preventing further abuse, instead of criminalising the child. However, this can sometimes lead to the victim feeling that agencies have not responded appropriately. Furthermore, as safeguarding investigations must be confidential, it can also feel to some children and young people as though nothing has been done, when in reality action has been taken.

Our visits found that, in a minority of schools, there were unhealthy cultures that prevented children and young people from talking to adults about sexual harassment and online sexual abuse. They did not think anything would be done as a result. In these schools, many children and young people talked about not being believed. They also thought that teachers were willing to condone sexualised name-calling and harassment. Worryingly, one governor reported that 'blokeish banter' was just part of growing up. This is in line with previous research on the topic, where children and young people reported that some teachers dismiss sexual harassment as 'banter' or 'messing around'.[footnote 46], [footnote 47]

Reputational damage and social consequences

In more than half of schools, children and young people said worry about 'reputational damage', for example being ostracised from a social group or damage to a sexual reputation, stopped them reporting. They were also worried about being labelled as a 'snitch' who got their peers into trouble. Some said that by the time incidents were shared on social media it was too late for leaders to address reputational damage. As one pupil put it, although leaders were trying to help, they 'wouldn't be able to - it'd be too late'. Feedback from victims' groups also supported this finding.

In these discussions, it was clear that, while their sense of embarrassment and shame was a common reason for not reporting, children and young people also weighed up other complex issues. This included the social consequences for them if they did report, relative to the severity of the incident. Previous research on this topic identified that, when children and young people did talk about sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online, this resulted in social isolation and the victim being stigmatised and harassed by peers.[footnote 48]

Some children and young people had a clear desire for justice, but this was at odds with others who told us that harsh sanctions for their peers put them off talking to an adult about abuse. These children and young people told us that sometimes the consequences of reporting abuse have been so 'punitive' for the perpetrator that, rather than acting as a 'deterrent' to harmful sexual behaviour, the result is to 'put off' children and young people from reporting incidents. They were also worried about police involvement. They said that they would prefer a pastoral and supportive approach without the immediate threat of police involvement.

Some children and young people told us that their perceptions of the behaviour policy can be a barrier to reporting incidents to staff if, in their view, the policy is 'unfair'. These children and young people do not feel confident that staff would 'deal with things sensitively'. Some said that school leaders are not as interested in their 'personal well-being' as they are in the 'outward appearances' of the school.

This highlights the complexity for schools and multi-agency partnerships in managing peer-on-peer sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online. Children and young people need to feel confident that staff will respond in a proportionate and fair way to incidents. They also need to be told the different potential consequences of reporting. Schools need to have a range of responses to different forms of behaviour and intervene in a proportionate way at the right time.

We are aware of some research that explores how schools tackle sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online.[footnote 49] However, the terms of reference of this review did not include a consideration of which systems of consequences deter children and young people from future harmful sexual behaviour. It is an area that warrants further research.

We recognise that it can be challenging for school leaders to get their approach right and that, sometimes, what children and young people say they want is not necessarily in line with what statutory guidance requires. Schools are often the place that parents, children and young people turn to first in cases of sexual violence before going to the police. Professionals must follow statutory guidance. But they also have a responsibility to explain to children and young people what will happen if they do report abuse. Better dialogue in schools about the different forms of behaviours and likely responses to such behaviours may mean children feel better informed to make decisions about reporting. Ultimately, it is for schools (with the support of multi-agency partners where relevant) to decide the appropriate course of action.

Reaction from adults and worry about what would happen next

Some children and young people told us that they felt that if they did tell an adult about abuse, they could be 'blamed or not taken seriously'. These children and young people were worried that they would be judged and would feel embarrassed by the inevitable questioning.

Being blamed or parents finding out were the third and fourth most common reasons that children and young people who answered our survey gave for not talking about harmful sexual behaviour. In the focus groups, they said being worried about their parents finding out would be a reason for them not to talk to an adult about abuse. This was especially the case where drugs and alcohol were involved. Some also said that they feared they would be blamed for doing something they had explicitly been told not to do, for example sending nudes, even when they had been pressured into doing so. They were also worried they would have to show images to staff members and that they would feel embarrassed and ashamed when talking to someone from a different generation about sex.

These findings emphasise the need for adults, including parents, to be better educated and informed about sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online, between peers. It is also vital that adults are supported by professionals to provide appropriate, non-judgemental responses to children and young people who talk about abuse. Children and young people need reassurance and open discussion in schools about what they can expect, and what will happen if they do need to report concerns. They also need trusted adults they can talk to.

Understanding confidentiality

Pupils' concerns about confidentiality can be a barrier to reporting. Children and young people know that schools cannot always keep everything confidential and may need to share information with other agencies. But they want assurance that there are some things that are 'not to be passed on'. Children and young people do not always know 'what will be done with the information'. They are also worried that responses such as a whole-school assembly would just set the 'rumour mills going' and could undermine the anonymity of those involved.

While all the professionals we spoke to highlighted the need for confidentiality when a child reports sexual harassment and/or violence, including online abuse, some children and young people gave examples of how they could be made aware that an investigation was ongoing. As one pupil put it, 'sometimes if you report something in school everybody quickly knows about it. A teacher takes you out of a lesson. Everyone is like, "What was that about?" when you come back into the classroom'. Confidentiality may also be compromised if a pupil speaks to a friend first, as many told us they would, or if an incident is shared on social media before the child or young person has spoken to an adult about it.

In light of this, all schools should take a whole-school approach to tackling sexual harassment and online sexual abuse because it is likely that they are underestimating the scale of the problem. This should include speaking to children, and listening to their views and experiences and using these to inform a preventative approach to sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online sexual abuse.

What does good practice look like?

There are several good practice models that encourage children and young people to tell someone about abuse. The 'Beyond referrals' project includes several recommendations to help schools develop an environment where children and young people can talk to professionals about abuse. These recommendations include:

engaging students in small-group sessions to discuss different forms of harmful sexual behaviour

mapping the school and out-of-school spaces to identify where harmful sexual behaviour takes place

using a curriculum-based approach to tackle a culture where reporting is perceived as 'snitching'[footnote 50]

The project also highlights the following as important:

children having a trusting and positive relationship with an individual staff member

children being aware of previous positive experiences of school responses

teachers showing that they respect students, listen and respond subtly

having staff with a specialist role not linked to teaching or behaviour

The NSPCC has also developed guidance for professionals to support children and young people when they talk about abuse. This highlights the importance of:

demonstrating to a child that you are listening

putting a child in charge of the conversation

reassuring a child and showing empathy[footnote 51]

The recent guidance from the UK Council for Internet Safety outlines some good practice in dealing specifically with incidents of youth-produced sexual imagery.[footnote 52]

In our visits, we found promising practice that places the voices of children and young people at the heart of the approach to safeguarding. For example, one school had held 'listening events' to help children and young people share worries and speak to adults in a safe environment. Another school used an anonymous questionnaire to ask children and young people what the issues for their age group were and what language they used when discussing sexual harassment and online sexual abuse. Responses were built into staff training and helped build a culture where children and young people, leaders and teachers had a shared understanding of what sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online, were. One leader explained:

So often, nobody is talking to young people about these things - including or especially their parents. These conversations are awkward so there has almost been a tacit agreement not to have them. This means that we risk not knowing what young people do, or think, and how what they do is affecting them.

In some schools, we also found evidence of how RSHE lessons had helped children and young people's understanding of these issues. This had led to a culture where children and young people felt able to talk to someone about sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online, or to raise concerns about their peers. The victims' groups we spoke to also outlined the importance of creating this kind of supportive and open culture.

In some schools, leaders were reflecting on the testimonies on the Everyone's Invited website to critically evaluate and strengthen their processes. For example, in one school, there was a 'changing the narrative' pupil group. The group sensitively gathered information from other children and young people, talked about issues and informed leaders of their findings. In another school, leaders were trialling different reporting methods such as private messages through Teams chat. There was a whole-school approach to educating children and young people and encouraging them to come forward, delivered through assemblies, tutor time, posters and leaflets. They were also actively engaging parents and alumni to discuss concerns and address them where possible.

While it is too early for leaders to talk about the impact of such initiatives, children and young people in these schools told us that they can see that leaders are trying to respond in positive ways to the Everyone's Invited testimonies. They told us that they feel confident in talking about sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online, when there is a positive and open school culture.

To what extent do schools know about sexual abuse? When they do know, how do they respond?

In this section, we outline schools' understanding of the prevalence of sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online, and how they respond when they do know about it. We also share what approaches schools are taking to tackle these issues and where there are still gaps.

Responding to incidents

There were many examples where incidents of sexual violence were dealt with appropriately and school policies and statutory guidance such as 'Keeping children safe in education' were informing practice. Examples of practice in these schools often included:

However, our visits highlighted some inconsistencies in responses where professionals had interpreted guidance differently. There was also variability in DSLs' understanding of which incidents needed be referred to the police and children's social care, meaning that some historical incidents that should have been referred were not. Some of the schools in our visits used different mechanisms to strengthen their own decision-making processes. For example, they were part of wider networks of DSLs or would call on the local authority to 'sense check' decisions when unsure.

In around two fifths of the schools visited, inspectors noted that leaders had recently adapted either their safeguarding protocols, systems for monitoring or staff training on harmful sexual behaviours. This was in reaction to the Everyone's Invited website.

As we outlined earlier, many professionals tended to underestimate the scale of sexual harassment and online sexual abuse. DSLs and leaders in schools assessed the extent of the problem more accurately than teachers, although they acknowledged that reported incidents of sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online were the 'tip of the iceberg', as one DSL put it.

Furthermore, some schools were dealing with incidents of sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online, in an isolated way, without considering the context and wider safeguarding risks. This meant that they were not considering factors such as:

In these schools, incidents were dealt with reactively instead of proactively. In some cases, we found evidence that behaviours were not monitored well enough following an incident.

In addition, in about a quarter of schools, sexual harassment such as inappropriate sexualised language was not always addressed and identified early enough. In other instances where school leaders were aware of the problem, there was a limited and ineffective response to support children with this issue. Children and young people reported to inspectors that this behaviour had become normalised in their schools.

In one positive example, a group of girls raised issues with the headteacher after the Sarah Everard case about the normalisation of harmful sexual behaviour, which they felt needed to be addressed. Leaders updated the RSHE curriculum following this. The girls reported that, since this intervention, there had been a reduction in unwanted sexual language. The boys in this school also said they appreciated the changes to the curriculum and would like more time to discuss these kind of issues as they are so important.

Recent government advice for those in education on how to tackle the sharing of nudes and semi-nudes talks specifically about how individual case management impacts on school-wide culture:[footnote 53]

Individual incidents of peer abuse and sexual behaviour (the sharing of nudes and semi-nudes can fall under this category) can lead to unhealthy or damaging cultures within the school community. How these incidents - including incidents of 'low level' harmful sexual behaviour - are responded to directly affects the culture of the school. If handled poorly, an unsafe and unhealthy set of norms can be created which enable peer-on-peer abuse and this can also prevent other children and young people from disclosing. It must be recognised that the individual case management can affect school-wide culture, peer response and all children's ability to speak out.

It is a concern that this review has identified that many instances of sexual harassment, including the pressure to share nudes and the sharing of youth-produced sexual imagery without consent, are going unrecognised or unchallenged by school staff. We are especially concerned that for some children and young people this is so commonplace that they see no point in raising it as a concern with staff.

How schools perceive their responsibility in the context of sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online sexual abuse

Schools are in a difficult position when it comes to navigating responsibility and subsequent decisions when there is an incident of harmful sexual behaviour that occurs between peers outside school. When they are made aware of incidents, schools have a duty to inform multi-agency partners and work with them to prevent further abuse and ensure that children and young people are safe. In the schools we visited, it was clear that schools were following the guidance in this respect.

However, some leaders talked to us about how hard it is to take decisions when investigations are ongoing over a significant period of time or when the police do not have the basis to act. They reported feeling left with difficult decisions to make, such as whether to separate the peers when criminal investigations did not lead to a prosecution or conviction.

Leaders in some schools said they were unclear about the scope of their safeguarding responsibilities and about how and when they could intervene. They reported some of the challenges they faced as:

supporting children and young people to trust professionals enough to talk about harmful sexual behaviour that happened outside school

parents' lack of understanding about what their children were doing outside school

their ability to protect children and young people outside school, for example when parties take place with parents' consent and incidents happen there

the role of exclusion when there has been a serious incident of sexual violence and how this intersects with any criminal investigation and action (some leaders say that this has caused them great anxiety and further guidance on it would be welcome)

how they could help children and young people to be safe when using rapidly changing social media outside school

While recognising these challenges, it is interesting to note the different approaches of some school leaders. Clearly, if children are at risk, whether within or outside the school gates, schools have a responsibility to work with multi-agency partners to share information where appropriate and refer children on for support and protection. However, it is important to note that, while sometimes multi-agency work may continue, the 'aftermath' of any investigation is often left with school leaders, who have little guidance to support their decision-making. Some leaders also talked about how difficult it was to make effective decisions when police and other lengthy multi-agency investigations were ongoing.

In-school approaches to address sexual harassment and violence

In the schools we visited, leaders told us that they used a wide variety of sanctions for perpetrators of sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online sexual abuse. They intended these to be proportionate and to take account of individual circumstances. Examples included fixed-term exclusions, detentions, internal referrals and removal of privileges. Schools also included parents and carers as part of any response. Some children and young people were moved permanently to a different class or form. Some leaders said they found it more difficult to issue sanctions for incidents taking place outside school than inside school because they consider that their behaviour policy does not apply to these incidents.

Some children and young people, particularly girls, believe that sanctions are often not tough enough or that the wrong person is sanctioned. In one school, for example, girls felt that boys who pressured others to send 'nudes' were punished less than the girls who sent the images. In another, girls felt that the lack of severe sanctions meant that the harmful sexual behaviour continued. This suggests that, in some schools, the threat of being caught and punished is a much weaker influence on behaviour than an underlying culture where sexual harassment and online sexual abuse can thrive. In some schools, inspectors noted that children and young people did not seem to know enough about the range of sanctions that could be used and that this seemed to affect children and young people's willingness to talk to adults about sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online sexual abuse.

In addition to sanctions, many schools told us that they offered support to the victim and the perpetrator to prevent future incidents and tackle any underlying causes of harmful sexual behaviour. This included counselling, pastoral support, educative approaches and the involvement of families, social care and external agencies, such as child and adolescent mental health services and specialist services. Many schools recognised the importance of family involvement and the need to support parents and carers. In some schools, leaders said they would appreciate more support services for perpetrators of harmful sexual behaviour, especially at an early stage, when inappropriate and problematic behaviours are first identified.

The extent to which leaders evaluate whether sanctions and/or interventions are effective varies, as does the evidence of ongoing monitoring of children and young people who have perpetrated harmful sexual behaviour. For example, in one school, records state that perpetrators should have received education following an incident. But there was no evidence that this happened or what the content was. In other schools, leaders reported checking regularly with victims and perpetrators to ensure that support systems were having the desired effect.

Staff training and development

Most staff receive annual safeguarding training, which includes updates on 'Keeping children safe in education'. This training aims to ensure that staff understand the latest guidance, and there were examples where it included an understanding of different forms of harmful sexual behaviour.

In most schools we visited, leaders understood the continuum of harmful sexual behaviours, but not all of them appeared to have shared this understanding with all staff. For example, only a handful of schools had provided detailed training for staff on the continuum of harmful sexual behaviour and how to address the context behind incidents of harmful sexual behaviour, such as peer group dynamics or unsupervised spaces where poor behaviour occurred. Where this training was in place, it was part of a wider school ethos and long-term strategy for preventing abuse. Evidence from previous research indicates that this is the most effective way to tackle sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online.[footnote 56]

Most staff training on harmful sexual behaviours tended to be piecemeal. This was often because it was incorporated into training on other important aspects of safeguarding. For example, in one school, information on peer-on-peer abuse was confined to one slide in a much longer presentation on safeguarding. In a few schools, there was no training on peer-on-peer sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online. These schools expected staff to read the guidance instead.

It is important that, in any school, governors have a good understanding of sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online, so that they can provide the right level of support and challenge for school leaders and DSLs. In just over a quarter of the schools we visited, inspectors reported that governors had some sort of safeguarding training, although it was not always clear that this included specific training on harmful sexual behaviour. Evidence indicates that there are gaps in governors' knowledge of online safety issues in particular.[footnote 57] Around a quarter of the schools we visited had a specific safeguarding governor, and some of those met regularly with the DSL. In around a third of the schools, inspectors highlighted that governors are involved in reviewing incidents, safeguarding logs, behaviour logs or procedures related to harmful sexual behaviour. This could be to help identify wider patterns, or to check that school policies and procedures have been adhered to. Our visits indicate that governors could receive better training and be more involved in tackling harmful sexual behaviours.

Training and development for DSLs

Being a DSL requires regular training and additional support to help with the emotional impact of the role and the expertise that is required. In some schools, we saw good practice. DSLs were engaging fully with the LSPs and forming support networks locally with other DSLs. They had protected time on timetables, opportunities for supervision and regular training from LSPs. However, some DSLs talked about a lack of high-level training at LSP level in how to address, manage and follow up on allegations of a serious sexual nature.

Some DSLs said it was hard to keep up with guidance, and that publishing updates before the summer holidays instead of September would allow them to plan staff inset days in September accordingly. The Home Office's 'Tackling child sexual abuse strategy' includes a commitment from the DfE to provide high-quality resources on addressing child sexual abuse.[footnote 58] These will be held on a digital support platform for DSLs. Once released, this should help to upskill professionals and help with some of the training needs that DSLs identified.

Learning from incidents

Inspectors noted there were inconsistencies in how staff were defining and recording instances of sexual abuse, including recording of discussions with multi-agency partners and the outcome of referrals. Without an agreed and shared system of recording, schools are limiting their ability to track and monitor concerns and appropriately plan their response to sexual harassment and violence in order to reduce risk. Some schools had systems in place for recording incidents, but they did not all then analyse the data and information to identify any patterns or trends that could inform their response.

A few schools had enhanced systems in place to record concerns and track patterns of behaviour. These, together with systems to gather information about pupils' concerns, for example through surveys, gave schools a better understanding and oversight of issues. DSLs were able to build a better picture of low-level changes in behaviour or incidents that may indicate a response is required, either at pupil, peer group or school level, instead of just referring on to multi-agency partners. These schools used the RSHE curriculum and assemblies, for example, to address concerning patterns of behaviour.

How are schools successfully delivering the new RSHE curriculum and how can they be supported further?

The terms of reference of this review asked us to consider the new RSHE curriculum. However, the disruption of the last year means that schools' ability to plan and deliver the new curriculum will have been significantly affected. Most children and young people talked about their previous experience of RSHE and PSHE, which we know does not necessarily address how the curriculum will support them in future. Where we can, we point to how schools and colleges are implementing the new RSHE curriculum and where they can be supported further. The DfE's research into schools that adopted the RSHE curriculum early also provides insights.[footnote 59] We recognise that RSHE is just one part of a whole-school approach to tackling sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online. Other factors, and the role of parents, are also vital.

In half of the schools visited, leaders had developed an RSHE curriculum. This commonly involved expertise from a trained RSHE/ PSHE lead in planning and organising the curriculum. Inspectors viewed detailed planning in these schools that showed clear examples of a strong curriculum narrative. Emphasis was placed on the importance of respect and prioritised teaching about consent and healthy relationships. Concepts were generally sequenced and interwoven in an 'age and stage' manner, allowing for content to be revisited and built on in further depth at appropriate points in children and young people's learning. Many leaders spoke knowledgeably about the content of their RSHE curriculum.

However, inspectors also noted that in many of these schools, despite a well-planned curriculum, there were often constraints in place that impacted on its implementation. Similar to our findings in other subjects,[footnote 60] some of the main weaknesses in the delivery of RSHE were linked to the lack of subject knowledge that teachers had on topics like consent, healthy relationships and sharing of sexual images.

In a few schools, planning was almost non-existent. Leaders did not value the importance of the subject. In others, leaders were confident in the delivery of some areas of PSHE, such as cyber-bullying and respecting differences, but were less assured when it came to including relationships and sex education. This meant that, in many of these schools, teachers were not teaching about consent, healthy relationships and the use of sexual imagery. These findings reflect the picture from our last PSHE subject survey.[footnote 61] In that report, we found some schools focused on the mechanics of reproduction and not enough on understanding healthy sexual relationships.

In a few schools, teaching about sexual relationships was covered in science or, in faith schools, religious education lessons, but this did not commonly address same-sex relationships. Some children and young people noted that RSHE lessons were not inclusive enough and only focused on heterosexual relationships. In a few schools, planning was piecemeal. Inspectors found that these schools treated it as a tick-box process to ensure that some coverage was provided over all the statutory requirements. It is a concern that in a few schools, children and young people told us that they had learned more about sexuality 'from social media than from school' or had got their education about relationships from their peers and social media.

In around half of the schools, teachers, who were often expected to deliver content through tutorial time, had not received any formal training on RSHE. Several teachers reported that resources for the lesson were sent late, sometimes too late for them to look through fully before having to teach the lesson. Others expressed resentment that they had to teach relationships and sex education beyond their own subject specialism. As children and young people from the focus groups suggested:

It's like a task that teachers have to do, they don't take it seriously, so it's not a good environment to learn about it. How can any of us take it seriously if they don't? You can tell they don't want to do the PowerPoint. It's always stuff we've done before anyway.

This meant they were less keen to discuss sensitive issues and speak to them about sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online. They were unsure what the reactions of less confident teachers would be.

In some schools, leaders did not regularly or systematically check on the effectiveness and impact of teaching. This meant they were unaware that some staff lacked knowledge or confidence in delivering content. Leaders also did not seek feedback from children and young people. This left them unaware that children and young people were not getting the rich discussion required to fully understand complex concepts, such as consent.

Some leaders told us that finding space in the timetable for RSHE was problematic. The actual hours set aside for it were sometimes minimal and did not meet the requirements set out in the curriculum plan to teach content fully. Therefore, teachers and tutors often struggled to cover the curriculum in the detail in which it had been planned. Several children and young people also identified that the time planned for RSHE was not always valued, particularly by some teachers, and was often 'taken for other things'. This was particularly the case for older children and young people who had other pressures, such as revision or catch-up interventions.

Children and young people were generally concerned that the curriculum did not take account of their level of maturity. They felt that they could deal with more challenging content than teachers realised. This was particularly raised as an issue in the teaching of issues around consent. Older children and young people accepted that teaching about consent through analogies made sense in younger years. But this became jarring and patronising for them when the same or similar content was repeated in their later years of school. Some said that the popular 'cup of tea' consent video could only go so far.

Year 6 pupils we spoke to had a good understanding of friendships and relationships. However, in one faith school, the Year 6 children said they were taught about being a good friend in an indirect way (through religious teachings) and would value something more direct.

How well are multi-agency safeguarding arrangements working?

Some LSPs we spoke to took a strategic approach to tackling sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online. For some, this was part of wider work on peer-on-peer abuse and extra-familial safeguarding. These LSPs reported that they had been working closely with schools and colleges to collate and analyse data on sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online. They could speak fluently about the experiences of children and young people, ranging from criminal cases to sexual harassment. They reported working closely with schools and colleges through the multi-agency audits and had systems in place to understand children and young people's experiences. They were aware that some of these issues were so common that may become somewhat normalised, a view that was also supported by the victims' groups we spoke to.

However, not all LSPs took this approach. A small number of LSPs told us that sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online, in schools and colleges were not significant problems for children and young people in their area. It was not clear whether this was because a clear assessment had been made or because they were underestimating the problems. Given what children and young people have told us about the prevalence of sexual harassment and online sexual abuse in their lives, it is likely to be the latter.

We were presented with a mixed picture of partnership working from schools, colleges and LSPs. There were examples of LSPs reporting effective engagement with a range of schools and colleges, including local authority, academy, independent and faith schools. But this was not the case in all areas. LSPs told us that some schools and colleges do not always engage as fully with them as they are required to as a 'relevant agency'. For example, LSPs reported that independent schools may commission outside training rather than accessing partnership training, which makes it hard for them to know and understand what is being delivered in these schools and harder for the schools to link into an early help offer. Some LSPs also reported that independent schools may be less likely to complete audits commissioned by the LSP. They described this as a 'significant barrier' to their ability to have oversight of safeguarding practices in these schools, and to provide support where it is needed. However, some LSPs did report effective working relationships with independent schools as a result of proactive and persistent strategic partnership arrangements.

Some schools and colleges have reported to us, in previous inspections and as part of these visits, that they struggle to engage with LSPs and get the support they need. This may be why some are choosing to commission training elsewhere. One DSL at an independent single-sex school we spoke to also emphasised that while a network of other DSLs in the LSP was helpful more broadly, it was particularly useful to be part of a network of DSLs from other corresponding single-sex independent schools in the local area to help identify patterns and trends of behaviour and intervene early.

In the current guidance, once the LSP names a school or college as a 'relevant agency', that places the school or college under a duty to cooperate with the LSP arrangements. However, some LSPs raised concerns that changes to 'Working together to safeguard children' did not make clear how the engagement of schools and colleges as 'relevant agencies' should work in practice. They were concerned that leaving LSPs to reach their own conclusions on how best locally to engage individual institutions was too vague. Therefore, the wording in the statutory guidance could be made more explicit so that it clearly outlines the relationship between LSPs and schools and colleges, and their individual responsibilities.

Both LSPs and some DSLs said that centralised training for DSLs from LSPs was useful. They used this training to then train others in schools and colleges on how to identify and address sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online. They also identified training and meetings as being routes for helping schools/colleges to develop a preventative approach. LSPs also highlighted the importance of DSLs having enough time and support from school and college leaders to enable them to engage in partnership planning, training and meetings.

Where arrangements were working well, LSPs found that they provide a forum for the sharing of information, such as patterns and trends in emerging local risks to children and young people. This can then inform clear preventative approaches within individual schools and colleges that take account of local risks. Some of the schools and colleges we spoke to also talked about how helpful their LSP and local authority were, not just for helping with specific cases, but also for the training and networks they provided.

However, some school and college leaders told us it was a challenge for them to access the right information or support from multi-agency partners as it can vary across local authorities. Some also mentioned the difficulties of having different thresholds across different areas. This becomes a particular challenge when their school or college population comes from a wide area, such as schools in London, independent schools and some faith schools. LSPs also recognised that it was important that schools and colleges had clear support from them on how to manage sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online. They recognised that it was their responsibility to ensure that school and college leaders are supported to understand local thresholds and pathways for referral into services.

Inspection is a critical lever in the accountability system. It provides a 'point in time' snapshot of an education provider, including its approach to tackling sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online. Inspection evidence can be aggregated to provide insights at a system level and to influence behaviour. While it provides broad assurance, the inspection model is not designed or resourced to investigate or address specific incidents in schools and colleges. If the government wishes to support schools to develop their approach to tackling sexual harassment and violence, it will need to employ a range of approaches, of which inspection is just one.

Statutory guidance sets clear expectations for schools and colleges to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people. Generally, school and college leaders tell us that the guidance is clear, although they would appreciate all guidance being in one easily accessible place and updates to be made in good time before the school year starts so they can plan training accordingly. The phrasing in 'Working together to safeguard children' could also be updated to explicitly state that all types of schools and colleges are expected to be one of the 'relevant agencies' that LSPs need to engage with and that multi-agency audits should be completed regularly.

There is a gap in guidance for how schools and colleges should respond when there are lengthy investigations or no prosecution or conviction. Some school and college leaders also want clearer guidance on where their responsibilities start and end, for example with incidents of harmful sexual behaviour that happen outside school. Developing clearer guidance in this area would help school and college leaders assure parents, children and young people that they are making decisions in their best interests and in line with guidance.

To assess whether the current safeguarding framework and guidance for Ofsted and ISI inspectors were strong enough, we carried out an internal review of:

both inspection frameworks and Ofsted's schools and further education and skills inspection handbooks

evidence bases gathered on inspection of 108 schools and colleges, including state-funded schools, independent non-association schools that Ofsted inspects and independent schools that ISI inspects

safeguarding guidance and training for inspectors of both inspectorates, with a particular focus on peer-on-peer harmful sexual behaviour

We also reviewed our previous handling of complaints about schools and colleges that focused on peer-on-peer sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online. This included complaints about the non-association independent schools that we inspect. You can find further details of this internal review in the methodology.

ISI also carried out a similar review of complaints it has received that focused on sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online, which it shared with the review team.

Frameworks, handbooks, guidance and training

The review looked at our 'Inspecting safeguarding' guidance, which covers early years, education and skills settings.[footnote 63] It found that this clearly outlines how inspectors should inspect how well schools and colleges respond to peer-on-peer abuse, such as sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online. Since the introduction of the education inspection framework ( EIF) in September 2019, the school inspection handbook has also made specific reference to peer-on-peer abuse. All inspectors were trained on how to consider such abuse during inspection earlier that year. The handbook was updated recently to reflect the government's changes to guidance on RSHE. All school inspectors have received mandatory training on what this means for inspection practice.

However, the review also found that, although Ofsted's education inspectors are trained using 'Inspecting safeguarding', the further education and skills inspection handbook does not specifically refer to sexual violence and sexual harassment, including online. We will therefore update it to include this.

ISI inspects independent schools' compliance with The Independent School Standards Regulations.[footnote 64] ISI reports on the extent to which the independent school standards are being met. The ISI inspection framework provides for 2 types of routine inspection: regulatory compliance only or educational quality with focused compliance. Both inspection types always consider whether the school meets the expected independent school standards in welfare, health and safety. These standards include whether a school is meeting the statutory standards, which includes safeguarding expectations as set out by the government. Although the independent school standards do not make explicit reference to peer-on-peer sexual violence and harassment, they require the school's leaders to actively promote the well-being of the pupils. Leaders must also follow all statutory guidance relating to safeguarding, which includes peer-on-peer abuse. When inspecting compliance with the relevant standards, ISI inspectors record whether the school's safeguarding policy sets out its response to peer-on-peer abuse and whether it includes procedures to minimise the risk of peer-on-peer abuse.

In the visits we did as part of this review, inspectors found that talking to single-sex groups was an effective way to gather evidence about sexual harassment and violence. Therefore, both Ofsted and ISI will make it explicit to inspectors that they should do this during future inspections wherever possible. This will help inspectors to understand how a school's or college's approach to tackling sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online, is working.

The review of Ofsted's training showed that all school and further education and skills inspectors were trained in 2018 and 2019 on peer-on-peer abuse. This included sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online. The training is covered in different modules for education and social care inspectors. For example, further education and skills inspectors do not complete the same training as school inspectors.

For 2021/22 and beyond, Ofsted and ISI will work together to produce and jointly deliver further training on inspecting safeguarding in education settings. This will include issues of peer-on-peer abuse.

State-funded and independent schools and colleges have to implement statutory guidance. This should ensure that they have a common approach to safeguarding, including peer-on-peer abuse. Ofsted and ISI will continue to work together to prioritise a consistent standard of inspection practice in this area.

Previous inspections

We reviewed the evidence bases for 93 inspections under Ofsted's EIF. The inspections all took place between September 2019 and March 2020, when routine inspections were suspended due to the pandemic.

The review found that evidence bases demonstrated that inspectors have a good knowledge of 'Keeping children safe in education'. They use this knowledge to determine the questions they will ask on inspection. Scrutiny of inspection evidence found that inspectors had explored children and young people's experiences of sexting and upskirting, and what school and college staff had done in response.

Following notification of a school inspection, school leaders are asked to present their records and analysis of sexual violence and sexual harassment, including online, in school by 8am on the first day of the inspection. This is set out as a requirement in our school inspection handbook.

In September 2019, when this requirement was brought in, we expected to see a substantial flow of evidence about these issues, given that there was already considerable information about their prevalence in schools. In fact, this has not been the case. It is surprising that, in the inspections we looked at for the review, only 6% of schools gave evidence of sexual violence and sexual harassment, including online, in response to the request. Forty-six per cent of the schools provided a nil return. These figures may reflect the gap between staff's and children and young people's knowledge and perceptions, as discussed earlier. The remaining 48% of schools neither provided information nor a statement that there was no relevant information. In most of the inspections where no information was provided, inspectors did not record how they followed up with leaders to determine whether a nil return was an accurate picture.

As a result, we cannot yet say that EIF inspections are sufficiently assessing the extent and nature of sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online, between peers in schools. We will mandate that, in future, inspectors should follow up and record schools' responses to the request. We will quality assure future evidence bases to make sure that this happens. We will also reiterate this through inspector training.

The requirement for leaders to provide records and analysis of sexual violence and sexual harassment, including online, is not currently in our further education and skills inspection handbook. We will amend this. In future, on notification of college inspections, leaders will be asked to supply this information to inspectors. Inspectors will also be mandated to follow this up with college leaders. ISI will also ask for this information from schools on notification.

The review also found that inspectors seek evidence from a variety of sources to triangulate their findings about safeguarding. For example, they speak to staff, children and young people, governors, senior leaders, support staff and external colleagues such as local authority representatives. When a safeguarding issue emerges on inspection, they follow it up.

Furthermore, the scrutiny of Ofsted inspection evidence shows that when inspectors have focused on the PSHE curriculum (known as a 'deep dive') in EIF inspections, they examine relationships and sex education very effectively. However, unless there is a deep dive into PSHE, there is little time on inspection to look closely at a school's or college's approach to creating a culture of safeguarding around peer-on-peer sexual harassment and violence. Inspection resource constraints limit the number of deep dives to 3 or 4 per inspection. Ofsted's inspectors cover a sample of curriculum areas rather than every subject in depth. It is therefore not possible to review PSHE fully on every inspection.

We also reviewed 15 evidence bases of ISI inspections. We found that they included appropriate consideration and clear evaluation of how well schools managed their procedures and policies related to safeguarding and handling complaints. The review also found careful pre-inspection planning and appropriate recording of evidence in relation to the independent school standards. However, the inspection evidence did not always identify how the curriculum developed children and young people's understanding of acceptable and unacceptable behaviours. It also did not always show how inspectors cross-referenced leaders' and pupils' views with other evidence, such as record-keeping. In a few evidence bases, inspectors appeared to give weight to the views of leaders, who responded that reporting systems and effective pastoral care were in place, rather than to those of pupils, where a significant minority had concerns.

Handling of complaints about schools that refer to peer-on-peer sexual harassment and violence

When ISI receives complaints about the schools it inspects, it currently refers to the DfE only those that relate to the independent school standards. ISI has told us that all complaints about sexual abuse are referred to the DfE. ISI has recently reviewed its policy and from September 2021, all complaints (whether they refer to the independent school standards or not) will be referred to the DfE.

As a result of this review, both Ofsted and ISI will update training and inspection handbooks where necessary. This will strengthen inspectors' ability to inspect how schools and colleges are tackling peer-on-peer sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online.

Conclusion

This rapid thematic review has revealed how prevalent sexual harassment and online sexual abuse are for children and young people. It is concerning that for some children, incidents are so commonplace that they see no point in reporting them. This review did not analyse whether the issues are more or less prevalent for different groups of young people, and there may well be differences, but it found that the issues are so widespread that they need addressing for all children and young people. It recommends that schools, colleges and multi-agency partners act as though sexual harassment and online sexual abuse are happening, even when there are no specific reports.

Methodology

This review has a limited scope, constrained both by the terms of reference given to Ofsted by government and also the time constraints. The findings from our visits are not fully representative of schools or colleges across England.

Our sample sizes are also not big enough to draw any conclusions about the protection of children from minority ethnic groups or those with special educational needs and/or disabilities ( SEND). Reporting of sexual abuse by these children is thought to be even less common. Further research into the prevalence, experiences and outcomes for these children is crucial.

Visits to schools and colleges

We carried out 32 2-day visits to schools and colleges in April and May 2021. The inspection team had at least one female inspector as part of each visit. ISI inspectors shadowed Ofsted's inspectors on 13 visits. Before the visits, both ISI and Ofsted inspectors received 2 days of refresher safeguarding training with a specific focus on peer-on-peer sexual harassment and violence.

In selecting the research sample, we sought to include some schools where concerns have been reported. We identified these through complaints made to Ofsted or the publicly available Everyone's Invited testimonials. We also included others to provide a more balanced cross-section of school/provider types. We sought to ensure a mix of independent and state-funded schools, as well as covering different geographical locations. Given the focus on adequacy of current inspection models, the sample was also weighted in favour of schools/colleges inspected since September 2019. The overall small sample size does not make it possible to compare and contrast different types of schools. But it gives confidence that where we saw patterns of behaviours or experience, they were not limited to one particular type.

The sample included:

The majority of the schools were secondary schools or all-through schools. Two were state-funded primary schools.

In one visit, we identified serious safeguarding failures. Inspectors ended the visit and we carried out an initial inspection under section 8 ('no formal designation'). This led to a full inspection. Findings from the early part of the visit are used in this report.

Focus groups with children and young people

In the visits, we held up to 4 focus groups with children and young people on each visit. These lasted for 45 minutes. In total, we had over 125 focus groups with approximately 900 children and young people participating. Parents were given an 'opt out' letter if they did not want their child to take part. Inspectors also gave children and young people the option not to take part on the day. Leaders highlighted where it would not be appropriate for us to talk to children and young people due to ongoing investigations or additional context. Inspectors spoke to the children and young people in single-sex, same-age groups. Where there was an existing LGBT+ pupil group, we asked whether members would like to speak to us. We made time to do so where they agreed.

Activities that inspectors led children and young people through in the focus groups included the following:

colouring in/marking areas on a map of their school according to how safe/unsafe parts of the school were, discussing this among the group as they did so

answering a short questionnaire about the prevalence of sexual abuse among their peers and who they would speak to, if anyone, if they were the victim of abuse or harassment (we did this with those in Year 9 and above only)

choosing from 4 scenarios to use to talk hypothetically about what might be said/done among their peer group in different situations, as well as who they might speak to/tell

explaining what they are taught in school/college about relationships and sex and whether they thought it was enough/well taught

Inspectors summarised the conversations from each focus group and collated the questionnaires, both of which were analysed by the research team.

Discussions with school and college staff

As part of each visit, inspectors spoke to:

Inspectors looked at records of sexual harassment and sexual abuse; behaviour records; policies for safeguarding, behaviour, equal opportunities and staff conduct; and the policy and curriculum documentation for PSHE and RSHE.

Inspectors collated all the evidence from each visit, which was analysed by the research team.

Focus groups with multi-agency partners

From our list of 32 schools and colleges, we identified 12 LSPs with whom we held 45-minute focus groups. Each group had a representative from children's social care, the police and health partners. The discussions were framed around the terms of reference for the review covering the 2 multi-agency safeguarding questions, from the partners' perspectives:

How well are safeguarding guidance and processes understood and working between schools, colleges and LSPs?

Does working between schools, colleges and LSPs, including local authority children's social care, the police, health services and other support, need to be strengthened?

The information from these focus groups was analysed by the research team and triangulated with the perspectives from schools themselves.

Victim/survivor focus groups

Ten individuals from 6 organisations spoke to Ofsted to share their experiences and views from a survivor/victim perspective.

Everyone's Invited testimonies

As of 6 April 2021, there were 2,340 testimonies publicly available on the Everyone's Invited website. We extracted this text using web scraping.

Our text analysis then focused on the 2,030 testimonies thought to relate to young people of school or further education age in England. For example, we excluded testimonies that referred to universities or to other countries. The testimonies were analysed using computer-based learning techniques, including key-word searches and topic modelling. This was complemented by textual analysis of 250 random testimonies, which were read in full.

Data from these was recorded, including:

what the incident was

where it happened

the characteristics of the victim and their relationship to the perpetrator

the response to the incident

the incident's impact on the victim

The intention of this analysis was to identify common themes and build a broad picture of the experiences young people are reporting.

Ofsted and ISI complaints

Between September 2019 and March 2021, Ofsted received 291 complaints against schools and colleges about peer-on-peer sexual abuse. All were logged as safeguarding concerns.

In order for Ofsted to consider a complaint against a school as a 'qualifying complaint', it must meet certain legislative requirements:

it must be made in writing

it must not be a prescribed exception (that is, a concern for which another statutory agency has responsibility for handling)

it must be a prescribed description (leadership and management, standards of education being achieved, quality of education, how far the education meets the needs of pupils, social, spiritual, moral and cultural development and well-being of pupils)

it must have been through the local complaints routes

For this report, we reviewed 16 complaints that we chose to meet the following criteria:

they contained an element of alleged sexual abuse, harassment or violence

they came from all Ofsted regions

they involved maintained schools and academies, pupil referral units ( PRUs), independent schools and colleges

they allowed us to sample complaints about child serious incident notifications, local contextual information, qualifying and non-qualifying complaints and 11A investigations

they were retained for the next inspection, resulted in inspections being brought forward or resulted in a no formal designation inspection under section 8

Between September 2019 and March 2021, ISI reports that it received 37 complaints against schools about peer-on-peer sexual abuse and that all were logged as safeguarding concerns and referred to the DfE.

Review of inspection evidence bases

Ofsted also reviewed ISI evidence bases from 15 inspections that took place between October 2018 and December 2020.

Literature review

The literature that fed into this report covered a broad range of topics, including:

statistics of child peer-on-peer sexual harassment and violence, including the prevalence for children with protected characteristics or from different socio-economic backgrounds, such as LGBT+ or minority ethnic children and young people

definitions of child sexual abuse, including peer-on-peer sexual harassment and violence

barriers that prevent children and young people talking about abuse and good practice

online sexual abuse

pornography

preventative measures in schools

Parent focus groups

Ofsted carried out one focus group with state-school parents and another with independent school parents. The number of parents participating was too small to draw conclusions but we used their comments as part of the wider evidence base for this report.

List of stakeholders we spoke to as part of the review

Reference group members

Chief Constable Simon Bailey (NPCC lead on child protection)

Geoff Barton (Association of School and College Leaders)

Tom Bennett ( DfE behaviour advisor)

Professor Chris Bonell (Faculty of Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine)

Dame Rachel de Souza (Children's Commissioner)

Hilary Garratt (Deputy Chief Nursing Officer for England, NHS)

Sarah Hannafin/James Bowen (National Association of Head Teachers)

David Hughes (Association of Colleges)

John Jolly (ParentKind)

Ian Keating (Local Government Association)

Julia Lagoutte/Rowan Davies (Mumsnet)

Michele Lawrence/Wendy Nicholson (Public Health England)

Charlotte Ramsden (Association of Directors of Children's Services) Julie Robinson (Independent Schools Council)

Andrea Simon/ Denise Ugur (End Violence Against Women Coalition)

Russell Viner (Professor in Adolescent Health, University College London and former President, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health)

Peter Wanless (NSPCC)

Vanessa Ward ( ISI)

Other stakeholders

DfE ministers

Officials from DfE, No 10 and Home Office

Dame Vera Baird (Victims' Commissioner)

Dan Bell (Men and Boys Coalition)

Mary Bousted (National Education Union)

Leora Cruddas/ Steve Rollett (Confederation of School Trusts)

Helen Earner (Charity Commission)

Anna Glinski (Centre for Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse)

Jonny Gutteridge (Male Survivors Trust)

Amelia Handy (Rape Crisis England)

Emma Hardy MP

Nicole Jacobs (Domestic Abuse Commissioner)

Emma James (Barnardo's)

Dr Jenny Lloyd (University of Bedfordshire)

Amy Norton (Office for Students)

Jess Phillips MP

Patrick Roach (National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers)

Soma Sara/ Wendy Mair (Everyone's Invited)

Wes Streeting MP

Gail Tolley (London Borough of Brent)

Colin Walker (Safeline)

Bibliography

AR Beech, IA Elliott, A Birgden and D Findlater, 'The internet and child sexual offending: a criminological review', in 'Aggression and Violent Behavior', Volume 13, Issue 3, 2008, pages 216 to 228.

AJ Darling, S Hackett and K Jamie, 'Female sex offenders who abuse children whilst working in organisational contexts: offending, conviction and sentencing', in 'Journal of Sexual Aggression', Volume 24, Issue 2, 2018, pages 195 to 213.

A Phippen and E Bond, 'UK schools online safety policy & practice assessment 2020', SWGfL, February 2020.

A Phipps, J Ringrose, E Renold and Ca Jackson, 'Rape culture, lad culture and everyday sexism: researching, conceptualizing and politicizing new mediations of gender and sexual violence', in 'Journal of Gender Studies', Volume 27, Issue 1, 2018, pages 1 to 8.

A Wood, 'Sexuality and relationships education for people with Down syndrome', in 'Down Syndrome News and Update', Volume 4, Issue 2, 2004, pages 42 to 51.

'Action to end child sexual abuse and exploitation. A review of the evidence', UNICEF, 2020.

'BBC Three survey - Porn: what's the harm?', BBC, 10 April 2014.

'BBFC research into children and pornography', British Board of Film Classification, September 2019.

'Beyond referrals: levers for addressing harmful sexual behaviour in schools', Contextual Safeguarding Network, July 2020.

C Lemaigre, E Taylor and C Gittoes, 'Barriers and facilitators to disclosing sexual abuse in childhood and adolescence: a systematic review', in 'Child Abuse and Neglect', Volume 70, 2017, pages 39 to 52.

C Ricardo, M Eads and G Barker, 'Engaging boys and young men in the prevention of sexual violence: a systematic and global review of evaluated interventions', Sexual Violence Research Initiative, 2011.

C Smith and F Attwood, 'Lamenting sexualization: research, rhetoric and the story of young people's "sexualization" in the UK Home Office review', in 'Sex Education', Volume 11, Issue 3, 2011, pages 327 to 337.

'Child sexual abuse', Barnardo's, 2021.

'Child sexual abuse', Rape Abuse and Incest National Network, 2021.

'Child sexual abuse in England and Wales: year ending March 2019', Office for National Statistics, January 2020.

'Child sexual abuse in residential schools: a literature review independent inquiry into child sexual abuse', Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, November 2018.

'Child sexual abuse in the context of schools', Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, December 2020.

'County lines exploitation: applying "All Our Health"', Public Health England, February 2021.

'County lines violence, exploitation and drug supply', National Crime Agency, November 2017.

'COVID-19 series: briefing on local areas' SEND provision', Ofsted, October 2020.

'Curriculum for Wales guidance', Welsh Government, February 2020.

D Allnock and P Miller, 'No one noticed, no one heard', NSPCC, 2013.

D Buckingham, R Willett, S Bragg and R Russell , 'Sexualised goods aimed at children: a report to the Scottish parliament Equal Opportunities Committee', 2010.

D McNeish and S Scott, 'Key messages from research on children and young people who display harmful sexual behaviour', Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse, July 2018.

'Digital romance', Brook and the National Crime Agency's Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command, December 2017.

E Martellozzo, A Monaghan, JR Adler, J Davidson, R Leyva and MAH Horvath, 'I wasn't sure it was normal to watch tt...', NSPCC, 2016.

E Runarsdottir, E Smith and A Arnarsson1, 'The effects of gender and family wealth on sexual abuse of adolescents', in 'International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health', Volume 16, Issue 10, 2019, article 1788.

E Rutger Leukfeldt, J Jansen and WP Stol, 'Child pornography, the internet and juvenile suspects', in 'Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law', Volume 36, Issue 1, 2014, pages 3 to 13.

F Attwood and C Smith, 'Investigating young people's sexual cultures: an introduction', in 'Sex Education', Volume 11, Issue 3, 2011, pages 235 to 242.

F Briggs and R Hawkins, 'Low socio-economic status children are disadvantaged in the provision of school-based child protection programmes', in 'British Journal of Social Work', Volume 26, Issue 5, 1996, pages 667 to 678.

GT Mundakel, 'What is the prevalence of physical and sexual abuse in patients with Down syndrome?', May 2020.

'Girls' attitudes survey 2018', Girlguiding UK, 2018.

'Girls' attitude survey 2020', Girlguiding UK, 2020.

'Guidelines for medico-legal care for victims of sexual violence', World Health Organization, 2003.

H Baker, P Miller, E Starr, S Witcombe-Hayes and C Gwilym, 'Let children know you're listening', NSPCC, July 2019.

H Beckett, C Warrington and J Montgomery Devlin, 'Learning about online sexual harm', Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, November 2019.

H Bentley, A Fellowes, S Glenister, N Mussen, H Ruschen, B Slater, M Turnbull, T Vine, P Wilson, S Witcombe-Hayes, S Allardyce, G Fairchild, C Hamilton-Giachritsis, J Lloyd, S Meader, ESetty and S Thomas, 'How safe are our children?', NSPCC, 2020.

H Siddique, 'Child sexual abuse in schools often an open secret, says inquiry' in 'The Guardian', 17 December 2020.

'Harmful sexual behaviour: statistics briefing', NSPCC, 2021.

'Help after rape and sexual assault', NHS.

'How remote education is working for children and young people with SEND', Ofsted, March 2021.

'How to report rape and sexual assault', The Metropolitan Police.

I Bryce and K Glasby, 'Child sexual abuse in the context of disability', in 'Child sexual abuse: forensic issues in evidence, impact, and management', edited by I Bryce and W Petherick, Elsevier Academic Press, 2020, pages 137 to 158.

'Inspecting safeguarding in early years, education and skills', Ofsted, September 2019.

'It's just everywhere - sexism in schools', UK Feminista and National Education Union, January 2019.

J Krohn, 'Sexual harassment, sexual assault, and students with special needs: crafting an effective response for schools', in 'University of Pennsylvania Journal of Law and Social Change', Volume 17, Issue 29, 2014.

J Lloyd, J Walker and V Bradbury, 'Harmful sexual behaviour in schools: a briefing on the findings, implications and resources for schools and multi-agency partners', University of Bedfordshire, June 2020.

J White, 'Investigation into an allegation about Jimmy Savile at an unnamed children's home in Bournemouth', Bournemouth Borough Council, October 2014.

J Wigmore, 'Recognising & acting on signs of "County lines" child exploitation: a case study', Niche Health and Social Care Consulting Ltd, November 2018.

K Lampard and E Marsden, 'Themes and lessons learnt from NHS investigations into matters relating to Jimmy Savile: independent report for the Secretary of State for Health', Department of Health and Social Care, February 2015.

'Keeping children safe in education', Department for Education, January 2021.

L Clark, 'The trouble with boys: what lies behind the flood of teenage sexual assault stories? Rape and sexual assault', in 'The Guardian', 27 February 2021.

L Jones, MA Bellis, S Wood, K Hughes, E McCoy, L Eckley, G Bates, C Mikton, T Shakespeare and A Officer, 'Prevalence and risk of violence against children with disabilities: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies', in 'The Lancet', Volume 380, Issue 9845, 2012, pages 899 to 907.

L Papadopoulos, 'Sexualisation of young people review', Home Office, 2010.

L Radford, 'Rapid evidence assessment: what can be learnt from other jurisdictions about preventing and responding to child sexual abuse', Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, 2017.

L Radford, S Corral, C Bradley, H Fisher, C Bassett, N Howat and S Collishaw, 'Child abuse and neglect in the UK today', NSPCC, 2011.

L Sinko, M Munro-Kramer, T Conley and D Saint Arnault, 'Internalized messages: the role of sexual violence normalization on meaning-making after campus sexual violence', in 'Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma', Volume 30, Issue 5, 2021, pages 565 to 585.

'Letting children be children', Department for Education, June 2011.

'LGBTQ youth and sexual abuse: information for mental health professionals', National Child Traumatic Stress Network Child Sexual Abuse Collaborative Group, 2014.

'Longitudinal study of young people in England cohort 2, wave 1', Department for Education, November 2014.

'Longitudinal study of young people in England cohort 2, wave 2', Department for Education, July 2016.

M Daher, 'World report on violence and health', in 'Journal Medical Libanais', Volume 51, Issue 2, 2003, pages 59 to 63.

M Friedman, MP Marshal, TE Guadamuz, C Wei, CF Wong, E Saewyc and R Stall, 'A meta-analysis of disparities in childhood sexual abuse, parental physical abuse, and peer victimization among sexual minority and sexual nonminority individuals', in 'American Journal of Public Health', Volume 101, Issue 8, 2011, pages 1481 to 1494.

M Hidalgo, LM Kuhns, S Kwon, B Mustanski and R Garofalo, 'The impact of childhood gender expression on childhood sexual abuse and psychopathology among young men who have sex with men', in 'Child Abuse and Neglect', Volume 46, 2015, pages 103 to 112.

ML Walters, J Chen and MJ Breiding, 'The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): 2010 findings on victimization by sexual orientation', National Center for Injury Prevention and Control of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, January 2013.

N Hillman, 'Sex and relationships amongst students', Higher Education Policy Institute, April 2021.

'New laws to protect victims added to Domestic Abuse Bill', Ministry of Justice, Home Office, The Rt Hon Robert Buckland QC MP and Victoria Atkins MP, March 2021.

'Operation Hydrant Statistics', National Police Chiefs' Council, April 2021.

P Gilligan and S Akhtar, 'Cultural barriers to the disclosure of child sexual abuse in Asian communities: listening to what women say', in 'British Journal of Social Work', Volume 36, Issue 8, 2006, pages 1361 to 1377.

'Permanent and fixed-period exclusions in England', Explore Education Statistics, July 2020.

'Pornography, young people, and preventing violence against women', Our Watch, 2020.

'Premature sexualisation: understanding the risks', NSPCC, March 2011.

'Preventing child sexual abuse & keeping children safe', NSPCC, 2021.

'Protecting children from harm', Children's Commissioner, November 2015.

'PSHE in schools: strengths and weaknesses', Ofsted, May 2013.

R Duschinsky and M Barker, 'Doing the möbius strip: the politics of the Bailey review', in 'Sexualities', Volume 16, Issues 5 to 6, 2013, pages 730 to 742.

R Fyson, 'Young people with learning disabilities who sexually abuse: understanding, identifying and responding from within generic education and welfare services', in 'British Journal of Learning Disabilities', Volume 35, Issues 3, 2007, pages 181 to 186.

R Meiksin, J Crichton, M Dodd, GS Morgan, P Williams, M Willmott, E Allen, N Tilouche, J Sturgess, S Morris, C Barter, H Young, G Melendez-Torres, B Taylor, H Luz McNaughton Reyes, D Elbourne, H Sweeting, K Hunt, R Ponsford, R Campbell and C Bonell, 'A school intervention for 13- to 15-year-olds to prevent dating and relationship violence: the project respect pilot cluster RCT', in 'Public Health Research', Volume 8, Issue 5, 2020, pages 1 to 338.

'Rape and sexual offences - chapter 6: consent', Crown Prosecution Service, 2017.

'Rape monitoring group digests', Rape Monitoring Group, 2019.

'Relationships education, relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education', Department for Education, November 2019.

'RSHE: school practice in early adopter schools research report', Department for Education, May 2021.

S Chaudhari, 'Bolton reports a rise in sexual misconduct cases in the classroom - as Ofsted prepares to visit schools and colleges where such allegations have been made' in 'The Bolton News', 27 April 2021.

S Dube, RF Anda, CL Whitfield, DW Brown, VJ Felitti, M Dong and WH Giles, 'Long-term consequences of childhood sexual abuse by gender of victim', in 'American Journal of Preventive Medicine', Volume 28, Issue 5 2005, pages 430 to 438.

S Kaiser, I Choudhury, R Knight and E Gibson, 'Engagement report: engagement with support services for ethnic minority communities', Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, April 2021.

S Hackett, 'Children and young people with harmful sexual behaviours', Research in Practice, 2014.

S Hackett, J Phillips, H Masson and M Balfe, 'Individual, family and abuse characteristics of 700 British child and adolescent sexual abusers', in 'Child Abuse Review', Volume 22, Issue 4, 2013, pages 232 to 245.

S Livingstone, J Davidson, J Bryce, S Batool, C Haughton and A Nandi, 'Children's online activities, risks and safety: a literature review by the UKCCIS Evidence Group', UK Council for Internet Safety, October 2017.

S Smallbone, WL Marshall and R Wortley, 'Preventing child sexual abuse: evidence, policy and practice', Routledge, 2008.

'Safeguarding children from sexual abuse in residential schools', Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, April 2020.

'School report: the experiences of lesbian, gay, bi and trans young people in Britain's schools in 2017', Stonewall, 2017.

'Sexting: how to respond to an incident', UKCCIS, 2016

'Sexual assault and the LGBTQ community', Human Rights Campaign.

'Sexual harassment and sexual violence in schools', House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee, September 2016

'Sexual harassment in the workplace', House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee, July 2018.

'Sexual offences', Crown Prosecution Service, 2017.

'Sexual violence and sexual harassment between children in schools and colleges', Department for Education, May 2018.

'Sexuality', National Down Syndrome Society, 2021.

'Sharing nudes and semi-nudes: advice for education settings working with children and young people', Department for Education, December 2020.

'Statistics briefing: child sexual abuse', NSPCC, 2021.

'Supporting SEND', Ofsted, May 2021.

The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

'The Internet Watch Foundation: annual report 2019', The Internet Watch Foundation, April 2020.

'The multi-agency response to child sexual abuse in the family environment: joint targeted area inspections (JTAIs)', Ofsted, Care Quality Commission, HM Inspectorate of Probation, and HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, February 2020.

'The relationship between pornography use and harmful sexual behaviour', The Behavioural Architects for the Government Equalities Office, February 2020.

'Tool kit for addressing consent and associated myths for prosecuting advocates in rape trials', Crown Prosecution Service.

'What consent looks like', Rape Abuse and Incest National Network, 2021.

'Understanding sexual behaviour in children', NSPCC, 2021.

V Hollis and E Belton, 'Impact and evidence series children and young people who engage in technology-assisted harmful sexual behaviour. A study of their behaviours, backgrounds and characteristics', NSPCC, 2017.

V Tobin and K Delaney, 'Child abuse victimization among transgender and gender nonconforming people: a systematic review', in 'Perspectives in Psychiatric Care', Volume 55, Issue 4, 2019, pages 576 to 583.

'What is peer-on-peer abuse?', Ofsted, October 2019.

Y Xu and Z Yong, 'Prevalence of childhood sexual abuse among lesbian, gay, and bisexual people: a meta-analysis', in 'Journal of Child Sexual Abuse', Volume 24, Issue 3, 2015, pages 315 to 331.

Print or save to PDF

To print this content you can:

use the 'Print this page' button under the Contents menu

right-click or secondary click on the page and choose 'Print' in the menu

press Ctrl + P on a Windows keyboard or Command + P on a Mac

You can also use these options and change the printer destination to save the content as a PDF.

Instructions may vary depending on which internet browser you use, such as Internet Explorer or Google Chrome, and the type of device you use, such as a phone or laptop. You can find your print and save options in your browser's menu.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Ofsted was asked by the government to carry out a rapid review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges. This report summarises our findings and recommendations. We were asked to report on the following: Is the existing safeguarding framework and guidance for inspectors strong enough to properly assess how schools and colleges safeguard and promote the welfare of children?

# data[].attributes.headline
Safeguarding and issues in schools - how to deal with them

# data[].attributes.subject
Safeguarding and issues in schools - how to deal with them

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Currently, I share my resources on two main websites: tes and LitDrive. Generally, my free and more recent resources have been placed on LitDrive, with my paid resources being placed on Tes. I cont…

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Take a look at the resources below, some of which have been developed by ELSAs around the UK and some of which are published resources recommended by ELSAs. All free resources can be viewed and downloaded by clicking on the link.
General Anger/Stress Management Loss and Separation Self-Esteem Social and Friendship Skills

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Useful Resources Take a look at the resources below, some of which have been developed by ELSAs around the UK and some of which are published resources recommended by ELSAs. All free resources can be viewed and downloaded by clicking on the link. General Sample planning documents ELSA Supervision Guidelines Guidance for ELSA Supervisors ELSA Supervision...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Take a look at the resources below, some of which have been developed by ELSAs around the UK and some of which are published resources recommended by ELSAs. All free resources can be viewed and downloaded by clicking on the link.
General Anger/Stress Management Loss and Separation Self-Esteem Social and Friendship Skills

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Useful Resources Take a look at the resources below, some of which have been developed by ELSAs around the UK and some of which are published resources recommended by ELSAs. All free resources can be viewed and downloaded by clicking on the link. General Sample planning documents ELSA Supervision Guidelines Guidance for ELSA Supervisors ELSA Supervision...

# data[].attributes.body
The Education Hub is a site for parents, pupils, education professionals and the media that captures all you need to know about the education system. You’ll find accessible, straightforward information on popular topics, Q&As, interviews, case studies, and more.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
All pupils should be helped to fulfil their potential. Reasonable adjustments can help level the playing field by minimising the disadvantages that pupils with disabilities might face compared with their peers. Here's everything you everything you need to know about ...

All children and young people should be able to reach their full potential and receive the right support as they progress into adult life. That's where supported internships come in, helping young people who have special needs or disabilities (SEND) ...

We want all children to have the best opportunities in life, no matter their background. That's why we have set out our vision for a SEND system that offers children and young people the opportunity to thrive, with access to the ...

It is critical that children experiencing Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), get the right support - so their needs are identified and met at an early stage.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Education Hub is a site for parents, pupils, education professionals and the media that captures all you need to know about the education system. You'll find accessible, straightforward information on popular topics, Q&As, interviews, case studies, and more.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Regular blogs from our Chief Executive, researchers and guest bloggers on academic and vocational qualifications and professional development.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
OCR (Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Join our artificial intelligence (AI) webinars, where we'll share the latest AI guidance and answer your questions.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Browse our qualifications support, teaching skills, subject expertise and leadership and management courses for primary and secondary teachers.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ordinarily Available Provision & the SEND Graduated Approach | Bromley Education Matters

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Ordinarily Available Provision & the SEND Graduated Approach

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What is meant by Special Educational Needs (SEN)?

A child or young person has special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty or disability which requires special educational provision to be made. This could be to do with behaviour or ability to play with other children, academic progress, ability to understand, ability to concentrate or perhaps their physical ability is affected in a way that makes it difficult for them to learn.

What is SEN Support?

SEN Support is the system by which schools should assess the needs of children, and then provide appropriate support.

The system should follow four stages, often referred to as a 'cycle': Assess, Plan, Do, Review. For further information about this cycle, often referred to as the 'graduated approach', see Chapter 6 of the SEND Code of Practice 2015.

This cycleshould not be considered a single process. There may be more than one cycle at a time, each addressing different areas e.g. literacy, social skills, attention and/or behaviour. After the Review, a second or third cycle might start, each aiming to improve the support for the child.

Assess

The class teacher, working with the SENCo, discusses the child's needs and creates a baseline assessment by which progress will be measured. Schools should also take seriously any concerns raised by parents.

The assessment should be reviewed regularly, with specific dates set for the next review.

Plan

A plan of additional support is drawn up for a pupil, a record must be kept and the parents MUST be informed.

The school and parents should agree what progress they hope will be made (outcomes), and by what date (deadlines).

Do

The pupil is given extra support, undertaken under the supervision of the class teacher.

Review

The SEND Code of Practice (2015) is not specific about the frequency of reviews, but termly would fit in with the requirement to meet parents three times per year. Parents should be fully involved.

Who is involved?

Schools can bring in specialists at any time to advise them on assessing SEN, especially in the early stages, and to offer advice on what support to give.

A school should always involve a specialist when a pupil makes little or no progress, or when their work is significantly behind that of other typically developing pupils of the same age. Progress should not be compared to other pupils who may also have SEN.

The pupil's parents should always be involved in any decision to involve specialists.

The graduated approach covers all ages and stages of education (nursery, school and post-16).

Waves of Intervention

Some Local Authorities use a system known as 'Waves of Intervention'. Additional support for children with special educational needs is expected to be delivered through in three successive levels or 'waves'.

Wave 1 is the expectation of 'Quality First' teaching, where good quality teaching and suiting work to individual children means that every pupil is included. The needs of all children are taken into account, with high expectations for them. This is supported by whole-school policies - ie, it is part of the planning and beliefs of the school as a whole.

Wave 2 is more targeted at pupils with SEN specifically. There could be access to specialist resources within the school, such as nurture groups, therapies, identified interventions and some 1:1 support. This can be for general 'catch-up' or the start of the graduated approach cycles of Assess, Plan, Do, Review.

Wave 3 is usually where an external specialist may be asked to advise on more specialised support, generally where a student has not progressed as well as expected with the current additional support. This would form part of subsequent cycles of the graduated approach.

Involving parents and pupils:

The SEN Information Report

All maintained schools (mainstream and special) and Academies how specialist expertise will be obtained. For further information, please see paragraphs 6:79 - 6:83 of the must publish a document on the school's website called a 'SEN Information Report' which must include a range of information including how the school identifies children and young people with SEN and the expertise and training of staff to support children and young people with SEN, including SEND Code of Practice 2015.

The SEND system aims to encourage the full involvement of parents and pupils in planning the support given and reviewing how well it is working.

Schools should arrange to meet parents three times a year. You should ask for a meeting separate to the general parents' evening so that you have the necessary time to discuss the needs of your child.

Important advice on working with schools and other organisations is .

If the support provided by the school under SEN Support is not enough to help your child, the next stage is applying for an 'Education, Health and Care assessment, sometimes called a 'statutory assessment' to establish whether your child requires an Education, Health and Care plan (EHC plan).

All mainstream schools (including mainstream academies) receive funding towards meeting the needs of pupils with SEN as part of their delegated school budget. Although it is not a legal requirement, most Local Authorities expect mainstream schools to show how they have spent £6,000 in meeting the needs of a child with SEN before the school submits a request for an EHC needs assessment. However, this may be a Local Authority policy, but it is not a legal requirement.

The key factors the school (and the Local Authority) will need to consider in deciding whether an EHC assessment should be 'secured' is set out in paragraph 9:14 of the SEND Code of Practice, 2015.

If the Local Authority refuses to undertake a EHC assessment, they must give parents (or the young person if the child is over 16) a right to appeal their decision. For more information on appeals, including this type of appeal, see here.

Transition

SEN support should include planning and preparation for the transitions between different phases of education and preparation for adult life. This is particularly important in:

End of Early Years Foundation Stage (child is 4-5 years old)

End of Primary school, Year 6 (child is 11 years old)

End of compulsory education, Year 11 (young person is 16 years old)

Legal references

Children and Families Act (2014)

SEND Regulations (2014)

Statutory guidance:

SEND Code of Practice (2015) Chapter 5 for Early Years and Chapter 6 for Schools. In particular see paragraph 9:14:

EHC assessments

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
SEN Support (also known as the 'graduated approach')

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What is meant by Special Educational Needs (SEN)? A child or young person has special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty or disability which requires special educational provision to be made.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Best Practice

In previous Ofsted frameworks, SEND provision perhaps did not get the attention it deserved. With a higher profile in the EIF, Suzanne O'Connell asks how schools can ensure provision matches expectation

The SEND Code of Practice is clear. Schools must have high expectations and ambitions for their children with SEND (DfE, 2015).

The inspection of SEND provision is at the heart of the Education Inspection Framework (EIF) and the lowest 20% of attainers are the target of careful scrutiny through observations, work trawls, and subject leader discussions (Ofsted, 2019).

Inspectors expect to see that pupils with SEND are receiving the same entitlement and "cultural capital" as their peers.

"In class they were following up how the curriculum translated into practice in the classroom for the least able children," explained headteachers Sandra LaPorta and Gemma Reynolds from Middlewich Primary School in Cheshire.

Register now, read forever

Thank you for visiting Headteacher Update and reading some of our content for professionals in primary education. Register now for free to get unlimited access to all content.

What's included:

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Inspecting SEND provision: What does Ofsted look for? inspection SENCOs inclusion EHCPs special educational needs

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In previous Ofsted frameworks, SEND provision perhaps did not get the attention it deserved. With a higher profile in the EIF, Suzanne O'Connell asks how schools can ensure provision matches expectation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Supporting students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) : My College

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Introduction This collection is part of a series of bitesize CPD units to support teaching assistants (TAs) with their professional learning journey. These units offer insights into best practice in supporting children and young people, building on the latest evidence base. They are designed to develop knowledge around a range of topics relevant to TAs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
EEF blog: ‘Five-a-day’ to improve SEND outcomes

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The EEF’s SEND Specialist Gary Aubin explores how teachers can support pupils with SEND in their daily practice.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Create a positive learning environment for pupils with SEN.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The best available evidence indicates that great teaching is the most important lever schools have to improve pupil attainment. Ensuring every teacher is supported in delivering high-quality teaching is essential to achieving the best outcomes for all pupils, particularly the most disadvantaged among them.

It is important that schools consider how children learn, how they develop knowledge and skills, and how they can be supported to lay firm foundations for later learning. Teaching approaches that ensure long-term retention of knowledge, fluency in key skills, and confident use of metacognitive strategies are crucial. These are fundamental to learning and are the ​'bread and butter' of effective teaching:

Cognitive strategies include subject-specific strategies or memorisation techniques such as methods to solve problems in maths.

Metacognitive strategies are what we use to monitor or control our cognition, for example checking whether our approach to solving a mathematics problem worked or considering which cognitive strategy is the best fit for a task.

The explicit teaching of cognitive and metacognitive strategies is integral to high-quality teaching and learning, and these strategies are best taught within a subject and phase specific context. Approaches such as explicit instruction, scaffolding and flexible grouping are all key components of high-quality teaching and learning for pupils.

Teachers should be mindful of the differing needs within their classes - it is just as important to avoid over-scaffolding as it is to ensure all pupils are adequately supported. Similarly, we know that retrieval practice supports knowledge retention, but it is important to think carefully about how that is implemented in individual subjects across the curriculum to ensure it supports learning.

It is also important to take account of the prior knowledge that children bring to lessons and to help them to build upon this understanding. Additionally, anticipating common misconceptions, and using diagnostic assessment to uncover them, is an important way to support pupils.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Evidence indicates that great teaching is the most important lever schools have to improve outcomes for their pupils.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Developing effective in class support for your English and Maths learners
Who is this for: Managers, Lecturers/teachers of English and Maths, Subject specialists, Support workers

Aim: This session focuses on sharing training resources on how to use support workers effectively in the English and maths classrooms. The aim is to improve the collaboration between support workers and teachers to ensure that the maximum impact can be felt by learners. The aim is to ensure that all delegates leave with an action plan for implementation around how to improve practices in this area.

The outcomes of the course aims to:

Identify the skills and strategies needed for a support worker to effectively meet learners needs within a maths and English classroom.

Share examples of good practice of collaboration between teachers and support staff.

Provide evidence-based research and case studies around how to manage support workers effectively including how to measure the input and impact this role has on learning.

Length: 2 hours
Inclusive Formative and Summative Assessment for maths and English
Who is this for: Managers, lecturers/teachers of English and Maths and subject specialists

Aim: The session focuses on principles and practice of inclusive assessment in the English and maths classroom

The outcomes of the course are to:

Explain the core elements of effective formative and summative assessment

Analyse how effective assessment is  underpinned by learning mindsets

Explain effective, inclusive formative assessment in maths and English, in principle and practice

Outline effective, inclusive summative assessment principles and practice

Length: 2 hours
Inclusive Initial and Diagnostic Assessment for maths and English
Who is this for: Managers, lecturers/teachers of English and maths and subject specialists

Aim: The session focuses on the principles and practices of inclusive initial and diagnostic assessment in the English and maths classroom.

The outcomes of the course are to:

Identify the purpose of initial and diagnostic assessments

State differences between IA and DA

Evaluate a range of IA and DA activities

Length: 2 hours
Inclusive planning to support neurodiverse learners in the maths and English classroom
Who is it for: Managers, lecturers/teachers of English and maths and subject specialists.

Aim: The session focuses on the principles and practice of planning to meet individual learner needs in a maths or English classroom.

The outcomes of the course are to:

Identify the foundations of planning and sequencing learning

Identify learniing intentions

Review strategies and dosuments to support the planning process

Identify individual starting points

Supporting neurodiverse learners in the English classroom
Who is it for: Lecturers/teachers of maths, subject specialists in post 16 settings

Aim: This webinar focuses on sharing good practice regarding how to provide appropriate maths support for learners with additional needs who are on mainstream vocational provisions. The session aims to support teachers and educators to recognise the range of neurodiversity needs that maybe present in both diagnosed and undiagnosed learners. The aim is to recognise the tapestry of our classrooms and uses the principle message that a better understanding of learners needs will result in more impactful teaching, learning and assessment. With between 30-40% of the population thought to be neurodiverse the evidence is clear that an increased understanding of these needs would result in a more inclusive classroom.

The outcomes of the course aims to:

Develop practitioners understanding of neurodiverse needs and how to improve the design of teaching and learning in maths to support these learners.

Share strategies which explore how educators might manage neurodiverse behaviours which will promote impactful learning.

Promote and share a body of valid and relevant evidence-based research to enable practitioners to plan for effective learning and delivery.

Length: 2 hours

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
CPD for English teachers and trainers - The Education and Training Foundation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Developing effective in class support for your English and Maths learners Who is this for: Managers, Lecturers/teachers of English and Maths, Subject specialists, Support workers Aim: This session focuses on sharing training resources on how to use support workers effectively in the English and maths classrooms. The aim is to improve the collaboration between support workers and teachers to ensure that the maximum impact can be felt by learners.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We create exceptional theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, London and around the world, performing plays by Shakespeare, his contemporaries and today’s playwrights.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Welcome to TeachingEnglish

Be part of the world's largest online English teaching community. TeachingEnglish is a global programme for English teachers and teacher educators, drawing on UK and local expertise, and the unique insight and experience of the British Council. Build your professional network, share ideas and knowhow, and stay up to date with the latest research and innovations in teaching. You'll find lesson plans, events and learning resources to support your practice, as well as new opportunities to help your career grow - whether you're taking your first steps as an English language teacher, or your next steps as a teacher educator.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Be part of the world's largest online English teaching community. TeachingEnglish is a global programme for English teachers and teacher educators, drawing on UK and local expertise, and the unique insight and experience of the British Council. Build your professional network, share ideas and knowhow, and stay up to date with the latest research and innovations in teaching.

# data[].attributes.body
The English Association is a subject association for people passionate about English literature, language, and creative writing. We bring together individuals and organisations from all sectors of education and all areas of English studies. Through our publications, events, and networks, we promote dialogue, distribute knowledge, and defend the discipline.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Don't we all love a freebie? There are so many amazing resources online at the moment, here's a round-up of the most useful ones...

1) Essential Drama Resources

On the Essential Drama site there is a free downloadable practitioner pack which has been produced in conjunction with Warwick University. It is incredibly detailed with a useful 'Theatre Recipe' section, gives some ideas for creating work inspired by Joan Littlewood's legacy-perfect for using with A-Level and BTEC students when they're devising! There is also an interview with Nadine Holdsworth, who wrote the Routledge Practitioner Book about Littlewood here. There is a suggested donation of £5 to support Essential Drama but there are a whole host of interviews and resources on this website- a real treasure trove!

2) Performing International Plays

In 2022, Performing International Plays was a finalist in the Outstanding Drama Resource category of the Music and Drama Education Awards. Performing International Plays is a not-for-profit, open access website which aims to empower and support teachers in their effort to diversify the curriculum and make sure the content they deliver speaks to and represents all students in our diverse classrooms. The perfect website to visit if you're considering ways to diversify your drama curriculum.

I love Paperbirds and am so pleased they are now on the AQA A-Level practitioner list! They really understand the needs of students and teachers, plus the work they create is an amazing, accessible way for students to explore non-naturalistic forms. There are so many resources and clips on their website here. Their Spotify Playlist consists of over six hours of atmospheric, instrumental and emotive tracks from artists such as Philip Glass and Penguin Cafe. You just need to set up a FREE Spotify account in order to access it.

4) Frantic Assembly Warm-up Video

This is a really useful video which can be used again and again. It provides students and teachers with a step-by-step guide to warming up in the 'Frantic' style and is divided into different warm-up activities. One of the first tasks I set my Year 12s in the Autumn Term is to lead a warm-up to a practical session, in the style of a particular practitioner, as it starts to get them thinking about leading warm-ups and becoming more autonomous in their practice.

5) Matt Kizer's Scenic & Lighting Design Website

This is a really useful website for teaching technical theatre and design. There are lots of interactive activities which students will love, many of them free to access. We particularly love the Drama Machine acitivity, which makes provides given circumstances for a production and students must problem-solve to create a stage design!

We couldn't write a Blog about free resources without mentioning the We Teach Drama Resource Library! 😉 Did you know? We now have over 150 free resources in the library. PLUS, it's all divided into folders so that it's easier to find what you need, whether you're looking for something for a drama cover lesson, writing templates or posters for displays. Drama teacher Lou has been using the Library since we launched. Here's what she says:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Six of the best free online resources for drama teachers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Don't we all love a freebie? There are so many amazing resources online at the moment, here's a round-up of the most useful ones... 1) Essential Drama Resources On the Essential Drama site there is a free downloadable practitioner pack which has been produced in conjunction with Warwick University.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Drama Resource - Creative ideas for teaching drama

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Creative ideas for teaching drama including free newsletter and lesson plans

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Connections is supported by The Mohn Westlake Foundation, Buffini Chao Foundation, The Hearn Foundation, The Broughton Family Charitable Trust, The Peter Cundill Foundation, CHK Foundation, The EBM Charitable Trust, The Golsoncott Foundation, Henry Oldfield Trust, Katie Bradford Arts Trust, Susan Miller and Byron Grote, Mulberry Trust, Sherling Charitable Trust, The Royal Victoria Hall Foundation.

The National Theatre Collection is supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), Fondation Hoffmann, Sidney E. Frank Foundation, The Attwood Education Foundation, The Candide Trust, The Cranshaw Corporation for Mrs. Robert I. MacDonald, Graham and Joanna Barker, The Borrows Charitable Trust, Barbara G. Fleischman, Linda Hackett and members of the NT Collection Syndicate.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Connections is supported by The Mohn Westlake Foundation, Buffini Chao Foundation, The Hearn Foundation, The Broughton Family Charitable Trust, The Peter Cundill Foundation, CHK Foundation, The EBM Charitable Trust, The Golsoncott Foundation, Henry Oldfield Trust, Katie Bradford Arts Trust, Susan Miller and Byron Grote, Mulberry Trust, Sherling Charitable Trust, The Royal Victoria Hall Foundation.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"Joining NATD has been one of the most important decisions I've made as a teacher. The Association has brought me into contact with like-minded people from across the country and the world, who have challenged me to reflect deeply on what and how I teach.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Ingenious computing and immersive careers education.

All teachers are welcome to download and use our resources in the classroom. Whether you're familiar with the programme or not, discover a whole host of different workshop themes and activities to compliment your teaching (you don't have to be a Digital Schoolhouse Lead Teacher to use our materials!)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Ingenious computing and immersive careers education. All teachers are welcome to download and use our resources in the classroom. Whether you're familiar with the programme or not, discover a whole host of different workshop themes and activities to compliment your teaching (you don't have to be a Digital Schoolhouse Lead Teacher to use our materials!)

# data[].attributes.headline
Christopher Such - Resources, Maps and more - Primary Curriculum

# data[].attributes.subject
Christopher Such - Resources, Maps and more - Primary Curriculum

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A while back I shared a science curriculum document that attempted to spell out the knowledge and skills of a primary science curriculum in a way that I hoped would save schools lots of time and, at least, provide a solid jumping off point for the curriculum work of others. It was well received, and it made me determined to improve upon it. The result is in this folder and is freely available to be used in any way that might support your school:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16IrtGssTCJQVKyfl5q_BodYI_bUDbhRA?usp=sharing
In the folder above, you will find curriculum overviews that spell out the knowledge and skills to be taught for each year group in primary science and information texts for the various topics.

Each year group is currently organised into six blocks of six lessons, though this can be easily adapted into six half-term blocks:

As before, every block begins with retrieval of the key content from previous blocks that needs to be embedded if children are to succeed with the new learning:

Twelve big ideas of science are spelled out at the start of each overview and are linked to the various topics:

The key repeating concepts are made explicit in each topic, along with the vocabulary, both that which is new to the topic and that which is to be retrieved from previous topics:

The layout has been changed to make it much more user-friendly for teachers.

2. If you look at the bottom of each year group's document, every topic has an associated scientific enquiry, six for each year group. (How these link to the working scientifically statements of the national curriculum is made explicit.)

3. A diverse array of scientists have been added to the knowledge of the curriculum:

4. The curriculum links to the range of scientific careers that exist, ensuring that children leave primary school with an appropriate rich view of what it means to be a scientist:

5. I have written basic, age-appropriate information texts for every topic that fit exactly with this curriculum document.

6. You will also notice that some curriculum statements are in bold and others are not. It is often the case that schools do not prioritise certain aspects of their curriculum, leaving teachers in the dark about which bits are essential for children to grasp and which bits are merely beneficial. While this is very much a personal choice, I have bolded the aspects of the curriculum that are most essential for all children to grasp before they leave primary school. (Most of these are the aspects that are most frequently retrieved within the curriculum.) Feel free to adapt this as you see fit.

There are aspects of any curriculum that ideally should be chosen and adapted to fit exactly with your school context. (For example, when children are introduced to types of plants in key stage one, it is sensible to choose plants that live in your school grounds or nearby for children to see and touch. Equally, the diverse range of scientists have been chosen in some instances to marry with our history curriculum, which has been created to reflect our local community.) This means that you may well want to download these resources and then adapt them. If you want any assistance in how to adapt these resources, don't hesitate to get in touch. I tend to respond most rapidly on Twitter.
In the coming weeks, I will be releasing a geography curriculum document (with basic information texts) and a history curriculum document (also with basic information texts). While each of these works perfectly well in isolation, they also complement one another with explicit links made between them.
If you are wondering how I have gained permission from my school to share these, then allow me explain: Firstly, I have the privilege of working with people who see the education system as I do (i.e. an essentially collaborative enterprise, regardless of the systemic forces that impel schools to compete with one another). Secondly, I have done a lot of unpaid work on these curriculum documents in my own time. The schools I have worked for have always been aware that part of the deal of me doing this is that I am then free to share the results as I see fit.

In making this, I was indebted to the ideas and inspiration of the wonderful people of EduTwitter, especially @MrsSTeaches, @Mr_AlmondED and @ClareSealy.

I hope you find this stuff to be useful. If you do, please direct other teachers you know to these resources in the hope that we might save teachers some time and support some schools in their curriculum development.

Finally, if you find this stuff really useful, and you decide you want to chuck a few quid somewhere out of a sense of unnecessary gratitude, please consider this GiveWell-recommended charity:
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/christopher-such2
I am a primary teacher in Peterborough, England. Find me on Twitter @Suchmo83 View all posts by @Suchmo83

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A while back I shared a science curriculum document that attempted to spell out the knowledge and skills of a primary science curriculum in a way that I hoped would save schools lots of time and, at least, provide a solid jumping off point for the curriculum work of others.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Core Knowledge Science (CKSci) program includes the comprehensive elementary science curriculum, plus additional resources for teachers and students in Kindergarten through grade 5.

The curriculum, which follows the Core Knowledge approach , provides students with a firm basis in the factual knowledge of the sciences and engineering design specified in the Core Knowledge Science Sequence . Additionally, this program has been informed by many positive aspects of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) .

CKSci Curriculum Components

For each grade level, you'll find a range of titles to cover during the school year with each year building upon the knowledge learned in the previous year. The Core Knowledge Science program includes what you'll need to begin implementing the curriculum at your school or at home.

Student Readers: engagingly written to bring the wonders of the world right into your classroom, also available as e-books

Teacher Guides: with detailed lesson plans and activity page masters, including student investigation guides and assessments and notes for NGSS Performance Expectations

Online Resources Guides: with links to resources that support learning and engagement with the core ideas in science and engineering

Download Free CKSci Materials

Featured Title: Electricity and Magnetism

In this Grade 2 Core Knowledge Science unit, students will trace the path of electricity from the power plant, through their home, and to wall sockets.

Integrating Science Curriculum With Additional Subjects

CKSci and Language Arts

Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) offers early exposure to many of the same core ideas as CKSci, supporting a student's learning progression toward an ever more complex understanding of science.

CKLA lays a foundation of knowledge and literacy about a topic before students are expected to investigate phenomena through the lens of scientific practices and crosscutting concepts. It covers many of the same topics as CKSci, like light, sound, habitats, and astronomy, specifically for the purpose of building background knowledge and literacy with informational texts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions about CKSci? Browse the Frequently Asked Questions specifically related to Core Knowledge Science for grades K-5.

Terms of Use

The Core Knowledge Science materials made available for download are freely available for anyone to use, adapt, and share (with attribution), but no one is permitted to sell either the original program, an adaptation of it, or lesson plans that reproduce any part of it. For more information, see the Guidelines to Core Knowledge and the Creative Commons License.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Core Knowledge Science (CKSci) program includes the comprehensive elementary science curriculum, plus additional resources for teachers and students in Kindergarten through grade 5. The curriculum, which follows the Core Knowledge approach , provides students with a firm basis in the factual knowledge of the sciences and engineering design specified in the Core Knowledge Science Sequence .

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
2 min read

This enchanting spiral galaxy can be found in the constellation of Ursa Major (the Great Bear). Star-studded NGC 3972 lies about 65 million light-years away from Earth, meaning that the light that we see now left it 65 million years ago, just when the dinosaurs became extinct.

NGC 3972 has had its fair share of dramatic events. In 2011 astronomers observed the explosion of a Type Ia supernova in the galaxy (not visible in this image). These dazzling objects all peak at the same brightness, and are brilliant enough to be seen over large distances.

NGC 3972 also contains many pulsating stars called Cepheid variables. These stars change their brightness at a rate matched closely to their intrinsic luminosity, making them ideal cosmic lighthouses for measuring accurate distances to relatively nearby galaxies.

Astronomers search for Cepheid variables in nearby galaxies that also contain a Type Ia supernova so they can compare the true brightness of both types of stars. That brightness information is used to calibrate the luminosity of Type Ia supernovae in far-flung galaxies so that astronomers can calculate the galaxies' distances from Earth. Once astronomers know accurate distances to galaxies near and far, they can determine and refine the expansion rate of the universe.

This image was taken in 2015 with Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3, as part of a project to improve the precision of the Hubble constant - a figure that describes the expansion rate of the universe.

Text: European Space Agency

Discover More Topics From NASA

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Hubble's Galaxy Full of Cosmic Lighthouses - NASA Science

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This enchanting spiral galaxy can be found in the constellation of Ursa Major (the Great Bear). Star-studded NGC 3972 lies about 65 million light-years away from Earth, meaning that the light that we see now left it 65 million years ago, just when the dinosaurs became extinct.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Terrific Scientific brings science to the heart of your teaching with fantastic investigations and exciting resources linked to the curriculum.

Terrific Scientific Live Lessons

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
K2; Level 2; science; scientific method; scientific enquiry; working scientifically; year 3; year 4 year 5; year 6; year 7; fair test; experiments; investigations; primary science; primary school; scientific language

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Apply online through Clearing

The Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM) is designed to set every child on a path to a life filled with exciting opportunities, by giving them access to high quality primary science education.

The PSQM is enabling a world of possibilities for all children.

Since 2011, our comprehensive, one-year, evidence-informed, professional development and school improvement programme has equipped primary science subject leaders with the knowledge, confidence, and expert support they need to transform the quality and profile of science education in their schools. The PSQM empowers science subject leaders to make a positive and lasting impact on science teaching and learning.

Science subject leaders who successfully complete the programme receive recognition for their school through the accreditation of a highly-regarded Primary Science Quality Mark.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM) is designed to set every child on a path to a life filled with exciting opportunities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The ASE's 2024 flagship Annual Conference takes place at the University of Northampton's Waterside Campus in January, from the 4th to the 6th...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This classroom presentation supports the teaching of planned obsolescence and a product lifecycle. Using the example of a mobile phone, students explore the volume of phone sales over time and discuss how manufacturers can plan a product's lifespan, looking at product growth, maturity of sales and decline over time...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This classroom presentation supports the teaching of planned obsolescence and a product lifecycle. Using the example of a mobile phone, students explore the volume of phone sales over time and discuss how manufacturers can plan a product's lifespan, looking at product growth, maturity of sales and decline over time...

# data[].attributes.headline
Explorify - Resources - subject leadership templates

# data[].attributes.subject
Explorify - Resources - subject leadership templates

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Explorify makes science accessible for all

Our discussion-based and open-ended activities are great for enabling ALL pupils, including those with SEND, to participate in science lessons without a fear of failure and increasing their independence.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Our discussion-based and open-ended activities are great for enabling ALL pupils, including those with SEND, to participate in science lessons without a fear of failure and increasing their independence.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Wellcome works with people and organisations using science to solve health challenges. Explore some of our activities and projects.

# data[].attributes.body
Bringing cognitive science to the science classroom

# data[].attributes.body
Working together to strengthen the provision of Religious Education and RVE in England and Wales

# data[].attributes.body
Our vision is for a broad-based, critical and reflective education in religion and worldviews contributing to a well-informed, respectful and open society.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Cullham St Gabriel's is an endowed charitable foundation. We are committed to providing teachers of religion and worldviews and other professionals with the support, connections, challenges and professional development they need. We want all partners, such as parents, school governors, faith/belief communities and policy makers, to be positively aware of the benefits of a high-quality study of religion and worldviews.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What is a Religion and Worldviews approach? Maybe you have heard the phrase and are unsure what it means. This free self-study course provides an introduction to what is happening in Religious Education right now, covering the most recent report into the subject and the thinking behind a new approach to teaching and learning in the subject. Take the course

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Free to use, quality assured, resources and subject knowledge for Religious Education teachers. Comprehensive coverage of religion and worldviews.

# data[].attributes.headline
CPD - Trauma Informed Education - free webinars

# data[].attributes.subject
CPD - Trauma Informed Education - free webinars

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Upcoming Information Briefings - Free of Charge

These free 1.5hr sessions are aimed at informing Headteachers, Senior Leaders, Local authority officers and other senior colleagues who would like to know more about the training that "Trauma Informed Schools UK" offers to schools and may be considering funding their staff on the 11-day Diploma training, or individuals considering applying independently. The aim of the session is to offer an understanding the impacts of high levels of stress caused by Adverse Childhood Experiences and the resultant impact on pupils' learning and progress including information on how our training can support you to develop school practice and capacity to support mental health, an area identified by the recent Government Green Paper: Transforming Children and Young People's Mental Health Provision. The session is appropriate for those working in both Primary and Secondary age phases.

The session will include an audio-visual presentation introducing you to some of the key interventions we cover on the course, illustrated by moving and emotionally powerful case studies, and will conclude with an opportunity for Questions and Answers.

The briefings will be held online via Zoom, sign up using the following Eventbrite links:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Our vision is to provide appropriate training for schools,communities and organisations so that they become trauma informed and mentally healthy places for all.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A trauma informed school is one that is able to support children and teenagers who suffer with trauma or mental health problems and whose troubled behaviour acts as a barrier to learning. Our training programmes were born out of a response to major public health studies that have shown that when children who have suffered several painful life experiences, are unhelped, there is a very high chance of them going on to suffer severe mental and physical ill-health. We therefore support schools, communities and other organisations in providing relationships for these children that heal minds, brains and bodies. Key conversational skills in addressing and making sense of what has happened are central to our work as is a major shift in whole school/organisation/community culture.

Why we need Trauma Informed Schools

'Rising numbers of children are presenting with mental health difficulties in schools and current teaching environments are struggling to keep up. Many children have a high ACE score (meaning multiple adverse childhood experiences) known to leave children at risk of mental and physical ill-health later in life and even early death' (The ACE study Felitti and Anda, a study involving over 17,000 people). With the cuts in CAMHS and with over 1 million children in the UK with a mental health problem, schools are often left holding the baby. Children spend 190 days a year at school so we believe that schools are very well placed to pick up the baton and help these children.

We offer training to schools to empower and enable key staff to be able to respond effectively to mild to moderate mental health problems. The government Green Paper 'Transforming Children and Young People's Mental Health Provision' (December 2017) wants a Mental Health Lead in every school (trained member of school staff). Their research found that appropriately trained teachers /teaching assistants can achieve results comparable to those of trained therapists. To quote, "There is evidence that appropriately-trained and supported staff such as teachers, school nurses, counsellors, and teaching assistants can achieve results comparable to those achieved by trained therapists in delivering a number of interventions addressing mild to moderate mental health problems (such as anxiety, conduct disorder, substance use disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder)"

From the ACE study to practical implementation, our interventions are informed by over 1000 cutting edge up to date research studies from neuroscience, medicine and psychology. We offer whole school inductions (whole or half a day) Senior Leads training (two days) and a Practitioner training leading to the award of Diploma in Trauma and Mental health Informed schools (University award route 12 weekend days, non- University route 10 days). We offer training in London and throughout the UK

Trauma Informed Schools UK is also a Big Lottery Fund winner for HeadStart in Cornwall

This has involved the implementation of Mental Health training for teachers in every school in Cornwall, which is over 270 schools involving over 44,000 children. We are also working to 'trauma inform' communities and other organisations in the area. This is part of a £9.8million programme to develop resilience and mental wellbeing in young people aged 10-16 years. The programme was launched in response to evidence that clearly demonstrates that half of cases of diagnosed mental illness begins before the age of 14, and 75% before the age of 18. Our Mental Health in schools and communities training programme is entirely evidence based. It is informed by over 1,000 psychology and neuroscience research studies on relationships that harm and relationships that heal. All trainings are delivered by a qualified psychologist and a Senior Lead from education who collectively share over 100 years experience of working with vulnerable children in a school setting.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A trauma informed school is one that is able to support children and teenagers who suffer with trauma or mental health problems and whose troubled behaviour acts as a barrier to learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Mental health and safeguarding specialist, Anna Bateman, is passionate about enhancing schools' approach to their students' mental health and wellbeing. With over 24 years' experience in the education sector, she has transformed hundreds of primary and secondary schools to help students handle modern-day pressures alongside their studies.

In this article, she focuses on ACEs - adverse childhood experiences - and their impacts on students, including their behaviour, mental health, and future prospects.

With a sigh of exasperation, you sit for what feels like the hundredth time with a student with whom you have got to know really well through your role as Mental Health Lead. You are both sat in the pastoral room following another 'incident' which has led to the student's behaviour gaining a sanction. They look at you with defeated, yet determined eyes which say 'well here we are again'.

With a combination of frustration and compassion, your internal dialogue and a nagging feeling of wanting to help kicks in ... 'why are we here again, what is wrong with you?'

But let's pause for a moment.

Why would this student who is sat in front of you keep repeating the same behaviour and beating the same path over and over again? Imagine for a moment that we decided to change the question from 'what is wrong with you?' to 'what has happened to you?'

Understanding ACEs

When we ask this question, there is an immediate shift in perspective, from a broken student who I can't fix, to 'how can I help this student manage and thrive?'

Some students, through no fault of their own, have experienced trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) which even the most resilient adult would find hard to manage.

In order to survive (sometimes for years), they have adapted, internalised and learnt unhelpful behaviours, particularly if the adult role models around them have not been able to show them a different way to manage. Yet, we continue to sanction these students without wondering how to help them reframe, shaming their behaviours, and compounding their traumatic experiences.

This shift in focus and perspective is what is known as having a trauma-informed approach. It also means that we can at times, change decisions as to what sanctions and/or support we put in place for students who have experienced adverse childhood experiences.

Whatever your previous knowledge of ACEs, the fact that understanding their impact on children is now in the statutory Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE) guidance, has put them at the forefront of every educator in the country.

Understanding the impact of ACEs is not a new idea or concept. In fact, a study conducted in the US in the late 1990s researched the key impacts of ACEs.

What are adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)?

ACEs are defined as stressful events which occur in childhood believed to have a lifelong impact on health, wellbeing and health-related behaviours. In the original study, there was a list of 10 defined adverse childhood experiences:

Witnessing domestic violence

Parental separation

Death of a parent

Parent with a mental health condition

Abuse, including:

Physical abuse

Sexual abuse

Neglect

Emotional abuse

Incarcerated household member

Household where adults are addicted to alcohol or drugs

This list, of course, is by no means exhaustive. An interesting aspect of this original study is the accumulative effects of these ACEs on mental health, physical health, and life longevity. It states that if children have four or more of these traumatic experiences, that the cumulative effect is quite shocking.

For example, in one study, which compared people with no ACEs to people who have had four or more, the people who experience ACEs were six times more likely to have an unplanned teenage pregnancy, seven times more likely to be involved in violence, and 11 times more likely to be incarcerated.

What can schools do to help?

All school staff having an understanding of trauma and ACEs, combined with school policies which aim to shift perspective to understanding what has happened to a student, and not what is wrong with them, is the first step to help buffer the effects of these experiences and promote resilience.

It is not an either/or approach. We can help school students learn a different way and there can be sanctions which are there to promote a safe school environment. But when sanctions are based around shame and social exclusion for weeks, we need to think differently about their purpose and the harm they are doing to those students who were disadvantaged already.

For the student who is beating the same path... they need our help. We cannot fix whatever has led to this behaviour, but we can have compassion, and every staff member can help to play their part.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
ACEs: Adverse Childhood Experiences in Schools

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
ACEs are defined as stressful events which occur in childhood believed to have a lifelong impact on health, wellbeing and health-related behaviours.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The NSPCC is the UK’s leading children’s charity, preventing abuse and helping those affected to recover. Help us be here for children. Please donate now.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
YoungMinds | Mental Health Charity For Children And Young People

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
YoungMinds are a mental health charity for children, young people and their parents, making sure all young people can get the mental health support they need.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
PSHE Association | Charity and membership body for PSHE education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A membership association and charity, we support over 60,000 teachers and schools with PSHE resources, training, guidance and advice.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In his book Manual of virtues and strengths of character, Dr. Martin Seligman and Dr. Chris Peterson identify six classes of virtues constituted by 24 character strengths that determine the integral development of the individual. Character strengths are those virtues or abilities that contribute to the well-being of the individual. Each person has a unique combination of these character strengths, some of which can change and develop, and ultimately determine personal growth. These strengths are intrinsic characteristics of the human being and affect the individual development, independently of gender, class, race, culture and geography.

In the course Teaching Character and Creating Positive Classes, Dave Levin highlights the importance of introducing character strength development in the classroom. Some of these virtues, such as social intelligence or optimism, change over time and can develop through continued and directed work. However, Levin and Seligman discuss the possibility of teaching other virtues such as integrity, honesty or authenticity.

Levin tries to identify which are the most important virtues to develop at school and proposes an activity for teachers. In this activity the teacher must score and order the 24 strengths identified by Seligman according to how relevant they are to ensure students' development. Subsequently, Levin asks teachers to evaluate their own virtues through the following survey ( link).

The results are very interesting:

The most important virtue that students must present is determination. However, in the score obtained by teachers determination is in the ninth position. Self-control is scored fourth for students, while for teachers it scores in the last position (24th).

Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them James Baldwin

It is interesting to note that the requirements we consider necessary for students are those in which teachers have lower scores. Following Baldwin quote above, students and teachers need to share the teaching-learning process.

References:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Character Development - Evolving Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Dr. Martin Seligman and Dr. Chris Peterson identify six classes of virtues constituted by 24 character strengths that determine the integral development of the individual. Character strengths are those virtues or abilities that contribute to the well-being of the individual.

# data[].attributes.body
CHARACTER

KIPP’s longstanding motto – “Work hard. Be nice.” – isn’t just a tagline. Since KIPP’s beginning in 1994, the development of character has been as important to us as the teaching of rigorous academics.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
KIPP's longstanding motto - "Work hard. Be nice." - isn't just a tagline. Since KIPP's beginning in 1994, the development of character has been as important to us as the teaching of rigorous academics.

Together, they are the yin-yang that make our schools come alive. We believe both are critical to the success of our students in college and in life.

ABOUT KIPP'S CHARACTER WORK

KIPP offers teachers, kids, and parents a structured, meaningful way to talk about and develop character. Our approach is rooted in the research of Dr. Martin Seligman (University of Pennsylvania) and Dr. Chris Peterson (University of Michigan) that identifies 24 character strengths as leading to engaged, meaningful, and purposeful lives. At KIPP, explicitly creating opportunities to develop character is infused throughout the school day.

FOCUSING ON 7 STRENGTHS

Building off of a research partnership between KIPP NYC and Dr. Angela Duckworth (University of Pennsylvania), KIPP is now especially focused on seven highly predictive strengths: zest, grit, self-control, optimism, gratitude, social intelligence, and curiosity. We've integrated our own experiences as teachers with the research of Seligman, Peterson, and Duckworth to create a road map for the development of each strength. For example, to help teachers, kids, and parents develop grit we ask them to reflect on whether they try very hard after experiencing failure.

KIPP schools around the country are now focused on how we can integrate a more structured and measurable approach to character development.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
KIPP's longstanding motto - "Work hard. Be nice." - isn't just a tagline. Since KIPP's beginning in 1994, the development of character has been as important to us as the teaching of rigorous academics. Together, they are the yin-yang that make our schools come alive.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The study of strengths started in the early 2000s, when scientists gathered to study character more scientifically. A total of 55 distinguished scientists joined the study over several years.

The result was the VIA Classification of Character Strengths and Virtues (Peterson & Seligman, 2004), a classification of positive traits in human beings. Since then, hundreds of peer-reviewed articles have been published across many cultures.

Once the VIA Classification was complete, a ground-breaking personal strengths test, the VIA Survey, was designed specifically to measure these 24 character strengths in individuals. Since then, over 25 million surveys have been taken around the world and VIA continues to fuel the advancements of character strengths science through research, personalized reports, books and more.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Character strengths are the positive parts of your personality that impact how you think, feel and behave. Scientists have identified 24 personal character strengths, such as bravery, creativity, honesty, and social intelligence. How can understanding character strengths change your life? Take our free survey and find out.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
New research report launched by the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues

With the character development of pupils being given more prominence by both the Department for Education[1] and Ofsted[2], more and more teachers and schools are asking - how exactly do you teach character?
This latest report, published by the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, provides in-depth practical insights into what works in the teaching of character in the classroom. The report considers new data as well as drawing together a decade worth of Jubilee Centre research to continue to support character education in schools.

Over the past ten years, there has been a resurgence in recognising a school's role in enabling a child to flourish. The Jubilee Centre's A Framework for Character Education in Schools (2017) has supported practitioners in developing their understanding of what character is, whilst also providing a shared language of virtue. This has aided schools, teachers, and professionals in developing a more explicit approach to character development. The increased interest in character education amongst schools has been accompanied by a growing demand for practical guidance that can be embedded within school settings. It is against this backdrop that the Jubilee Centre launches its latest research report, Teaching Character Education: What Works. This report combined existing insights with new research involving 477 primary and secondary school teachers and 59 character education leaders.

Character education is really, for us, the foundations of everything else that we do.
Primary School Character Education Leader

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Teaching Character Education: What Works - University of Birmingham

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
New research report launched by the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Welcome to the UK's leading Character Education Community for teachers, leaders and practitioners. Our mission is to enable you on your journey to put character and values at the heart of all that you do.

# data[].attributes.headline
Character Education - The Jubilee Centre

# data[].attributes.subject
Character Education - The Jubilee Centre

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Search everything — University of Birmingham

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
1992Research output 1992: 6Research output 1995: 1Research output 1996: 2Research output 1997: 1Research output 1998: 5Research output 1999: 2Research output 2000: 4Research output 2001: 2Research output 2002: 2Research output 2003: 4Research output 2004: 2Research output 2005: 6Research output 2006: 6Research output 2007: 5Research output 2008: 8Research output 2009: 7Research output 2010: 7Research output 2011: 4Research output 2012: 4Research output 2013: 6Research output 2014: 10Projects 2015: 1Research output 2015: 7Research output 2016: 11Projects 2017: 1Research output 2017: 13Research output 2018: 7Research output 2019: 7Research output 2020: 9Projects 2021: 1Research output 2021: 8Projects 2022: 1Research output 2022: 11Research output 2023: 82023

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Free teacher classroom resources suitable for use in Physical Education lessons with primary school children at Key Stage 2 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and at 1st and 2nd Level in Scotland.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Free teacher classroom resources suitable for use in Physical Education lessons with primary school children at Key Stage 2 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and at 1st and 2nd Level in Scotland.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Exam board content from BBC Bitesize for students in England, Northern Ireland or Wales. Choose the exam specification that matches the one you study.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Time to Move is a dance series for Key Stage 1 pupils that can help you deliver the objectives of the National Curriculum at Key Stage 1 for PE . The series needs plenty of space. The hall or a cleared and swept classroom or similar large space is ideal.

Use the best equipment that the school has for playback. Check that the loudspeakers are facing the children to ensure the best possible listening environment.

Make sure the children dance in gym shoes or bare feet. Bare feet give a good sense of contact with the floor, if your floor is safe. The children should be in PE kit to allow easy movement and to ensure that they do not become too hot. Encourage the children to listen carefully right from the start - not just to the presenter but also to the music.
Teaching points:
Some tips to help you get the best out of these programmes...

Download or print the Teacher Notes for the unit or episode you are interested in. The Teacher Notes are available from the unit homepages and the episode pages. The Notes include important guidance on the content of each dance session.

If easier, you may download the audio for any dance session you are interested in. The download audio is in mp3 format and the file sizes are typically about 12MB. The download links appear on the individual episode pages.

Always encourage careful listening...and listen carefully yourself as you will need to be ready to mediate the playback of the audio.

Reinforce the importance of safety - eg awareness of others to avoid collisions, spacing, sensible landings (with the whole foot, flexing as it comes down and knees bending).

Help the children to observe each other's movement in a positive light and to learn from their observations.

Give the children a sense of your own enthusiasm.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
KS1 Dance: Time to Move. Dance and movement sessions fulfilling the dance objectives of the KS1 PE curriculum, presented by Diane Louise Jordan and Pete Hillier. BBC School Radio. BBC Teach.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
School Radio offers three co-ordinated series that provide a comprehensive Dance resource for KS1 and KS2 PE lessons. Each of the series provides opportunities to respond to a range of stimuli including specially-composed music, stories and poetry. The series develop from simple movements based on the children's everyday experiences through to enabling them to create their own dances - as individuals, as groups and as a whole class. In each series the elements include composing, performing and appraising.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
School Radio - School Radio - Primary Dance

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
School Radio offers three co-ordinated series that provide a comprehensive Dance resource for KS1 and KS2 PE lessons. Each of the series provides opportunities to respond to a range of stimuli including specially-composed music, stories and poetry.

# data[].attributes.body
RESOURCES

The Daily Mile is a free and simple children’s health initiative that involves early years and primary school children running, jogging, wheeling or walking for 15 minutes a minimum of 3 times a week.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Resources

The Daily Mile is a free and simple children's health initiative that involves early years and primary school children running, jogging, wheeling or walking for 15 minutes a minimum of 3 times a week.

We've put together a range of free resources below which we hope you will find helpful when implementing The Daily Mile.

Read on below

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Daily Mile is a free and simple children's health initiative that involves early years and primary school children running, jogging, wheeling or walking for 15 minutes a minimum of 3 times a week. We've put together a range of free resources below which we hope you will find helpful when implementing The Daily Mile.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
YST Resources are a range of products and services developed to help tackle the complex and demanding challenges across the whole school.

We recognise there are increasing pressures on all areas of the curriculum and schools are facing an extremely challenging landscape with competing priorities and rising pressures.

To help support teachers and schools address these challenges we have used our policy knowledge, education expertise and passion for innovation to create a range of free to access and paid for resources. We want to help you to position movement at the heart of achieving whole school outcomes.

Effective delivery of PE, physical activity and school sport can be used to achieve the wider school agenda including raised attainment, development of life skills and increased emotional wellbeing of young people.

Using the options below you can utilise our comprehensive resource and training offer which has been developed to help schools achieve these specific outcomes. It also includes reference to our school membership offer, which combines a variety of the development programmes listed here into one package, allowing schools to have maximum impact.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We recognise there are increasing pressures on all areas of the curriculum and schools are facing an extremely challenging landscape with competing priorities and rising pressures. To help support teachers and schools address these challenges we have used our policy knowledge, education expertise and passion for innovation to create a range of free to access and paid for resources.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
By playing the National Lottery, you're helping people across England play sport and get physically active. That's because two-thirds of our funding comes from the lottery. Thank you to everyone who has ever bought a ticket for supporting us in building a healthier, happier nation.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Uniting | The | Movement | Sport England

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Sport England's vision is to transform lives and communities through sport and physical activity, driven by Uniting the Movement, a 10-year strategy of change.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The School Games is a programme which puts physical activity and school sport at the heart of schools, providing young people with the opportunity to learn through competition to achieve their personal best.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Inspiring millions of young people across the country to take part in appropriate competitive school sport.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Before we get into the nitty gritty, let's start with the 'WHY' behind this program and how it came to be.

As a Primary School Teacher and now Primary PE teacher, I have long seen the fundamental areas of children's physical development neglected. Through no fault of their own, many children are arriving at Secondary School unprepared for the PE curriculum ahead and severely lacking in basic skills they need to access it.

This program is intended not as a stand alone Primary PE Curriculum, but as a program that will supplement the already excellent teaching you are doing and help foster improvement.

The Umbrella Method works on the concept that 'rehearsal makes permanent'. This is a structured program covering 6 areas of fundamental skills, which, when embedded, support the continual development and growth of children's Physical Literacy journey.

I see these fundamental skills as essential for all children to develop and master if they are to flourish and thrive in their Physical Literacy journey once they leave Primary School. Taking on, and progressing through the steps in this pack will help your children develop skills that they can transfer to a wide variety of areas not only in PE, but other aspects of their life too!

Below you can see sample sheets of the 'Throw & Catch' progression. Beginning at the red stage and working on through the coloured levels until black. Grab a FREE SAMPLE of these sheets by clicking the button below!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Umbrella Method Before we get into the nitty gritty, let's start with the 'WHY' behind this program and how it came to be. As a Primary School Teacher and now Primary PE teacher, I have long seen the fundamental areas of children's physical development neglected.

# data[].attributes.body
Explore free, downloadable materials for using English traditional folk song, music, dance, drama and other arts in your teaching and learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Latest additions

Three folk dances that also involve singing, for young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

This Black History resource by Angeline Morrison investigates the UK's hidden histories of people of African origin. Upper Key Stage 3, 4 and 5.

Our archives contain many songs sung by Gypsies and Travellers. This resource makes these songs more accessible to the communities from which they came.

Ways for teachers to enhance and deliver aspects of the Curriculum at each of Key Stages 1, 2 and 3, plus links to a range of supporting resources created by folk artist-educators

For use in formal and informal education including:

To find resources suitable for your subject or setting, use filtering options below.

We hope you enjoy using the resources. Please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to let us know how you've used them.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Explore free, downloadable materials for using English traditional folk song, music, dance, drama and other arts in your teaching and learning.

# data[].attributes.body
Listen Imagine Compose investigates how composing is taught and learned in secondary schools and draws on the expertise of teachers and their pupils, composers, music education academics and arts organisations.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Listen Imagine Compose investigates how composing is taught and learned in secondary schools and draws on the expertise of teachers and their pupils, composers, music education academics and arts organisations.

Listen Imagine Compose is a partnership project between Sound and Music, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and Birmingham City University.

Since 2010

We have been undertaking action research, holding symposia, developing resources and running CPD since 2010. This website hosts all of our work to date and has been funded by Youth Music.

Listen Imagine Compose - Why it Matters

Listen Imagine Compose

Listen Imagine Compose began as a series of action research projects and symposia culminating in a major report by lead academic Professor Martin Fautley

Phase One

Phase 1 comprised a series of symposia and six action research questions that look at six key projects.

Phase Two

A Continuing Professional Development course for secondary music teachers was piloted in Birmingham and London during the 2014/15 academic year.

Phase Three

The CPD is now available through free Listen Imagine Compose Teacher Network Events and as an accredited course at Masters Level (Level 7). The first cohort began in the 2016/17 academic year, with teachers working towards a Masters in Teaching in Learning or a Masters in Educational Leadership.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Listen Imagine Compose investigates how composing is taught and learned in secondary schools and draws on the expertise of teachers and their pupils, composers, music education academics and arts organisations. Listen Imagine Compose is a partnership project between Sound and Music, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and Birmingham City University.