Schools across England are set to receive a new package of guidance and resources designed to help teachers tackle misogyny, promote respectful relationships and address harmful
influences affecting young people online and offline.
Education Secretary Lucy Powell has announced a whole-school approach intended to give schools practical tools for confronting sexist attitudes and creating environments where pupils feel safe, respected and included.
The package will include guidance for teachers, professional training and resources for parents. Rather than treating misogyny as an issue confined to individual lessons, the government wants schools to address it across teaching, extracurricular activities, pastoral care and pupils’ behaviour both inside and outside the school gates.
The initiative comes amid concerns about the growing exposure of children to misogynistic material on social media and other online platforms. Government figures indicate that 50% of girls surveyed reported hearing misogynistic comments from other pupils during a week at school in May. Meanwhile, almost 30% of pupils in Years 10 and 11 said they had recently encountered comments that made them concerned about girls’ safety.
The government says the new approach will help pupils develop healthier relationships, recognise harmful behaviour and acquire the critical skills needed to navigate an increasingly complex digital environment.
The measures build on reforms to Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE), which have strengthened teaching on healthy relationships, harmful behaviour and online risks. The curriculum also covers emerging threats such as deepfake technology and other forms of harmful digital content.
As part of the programme, the Department for Education is investing £150,000 in a new expert advisory group on RSHE. The group will bring together specialist organisations and practitioners to develop additional materials aimed at helping teachers address sensitive subjects with greater confidence.
Two new pilot programmes have also started under the government's £16 million Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Prevention Programme.
One initiative will work with secondary-school pupils to encourage healthier attitudes towards relationships, while another will focus specifically on boys and seek to address harmful attitudes and negative influences encountered online. The government plans to use the pilots to identify approaches that are effective before considering wider implementation.
The Department for Education is also working with the Youth Endowment Fund, which is running programmes for children aged 12 to 16 focused on respect, resilience and access to positive role models.
Further curriculum reforms are expected to strengthen media literacy education. Pupils will be encouraged to examine online material more critically, recognise attempts at manipulation and assess the reliability and purpose of content they encounter on social media and other digital platforms.
The measures form part of a broader government programme addressing violence and misogyny against women and girls. Earlier on Friday, Minister for Women and Equalities Bridget Phillipson announced a new partnership with major employers aimed at supporting wider efforts to confront these issues.
The government said its school strategy is intended not only to respond to harmful behaviour but also to establish a culture in which respect, equality and healthy relationships are reinforced throughout a young person's education. Photo by Sebastiandoe5, Wikimedia commons.
