Sexual harassment, online sexual abuse and nude photo sharing are becoming “normalized” among schoolchildren, according to an Ofsted study.
The chief school inspector says she was “shocked” after discovering that teachers, the government and even Ofsted itself were unprepared for the extent of child sexual abuse.
Ofsted inspectors visited 32 public and private schools and spoke to more than 900 young people.
Ninety percent of girls and 50% of boys said that sending unwanted explicit images or videos happened “a lot” or “sometimes”.
Inspectors were told that boys sometimes collect ‘nudes’ of girls and share them on social media (File photo: iStock)
Inspectors also learned that boys sometimes collect “nudes” from girls and share them on social media.
Children interviewed said that sexual harassment and gender-based slurs are so common that they have become “common.”
The review recommends that education officials act on the assumption that sexual harassment occurs in their schools, even if they don’t think they have a problem.
The report found that children “often do not see the point in challenging or reporting this harmful behavior because it is considered a normal experience.”
But the girls were frustrated that there was no clear teaching on what constitutes acceptable behavior. One student told inspectors: “It shouldn’t be our responsibility to educate the boys.
Amanda Spielman, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, said: “This exam shocked me.
“It is alarming that many children and young people, especially girls, feel that they have to accept sexual harassment as part of their growth.
“Whether it’s happening in school or in their social life, they just don’t think it’s worth reporting.
“This is a cultural problem; it is about normalizing attitudes and behaviors, and schools and colleges cannot solve this problem on their own.
“The…
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-06-09 23:15:00
