Fears over child-to-child abuse falling through cracks

TEACHERS and other school employees might not be spotting the signs that a child is falling victim to online abuse, according to a new report.

A report published by Hampshire County Council has looked into peer-on-peer abuse, following an Ofsted review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges last year.

The county council’s education advisory panel has been told that a ‘culture change’ is needed in Hampshire schools to better tackle concerns such as prejudice, racism and sexual abuse.

Director of children’s services, Steve Crocker, said: “There was a sense that if peer-on-peer abuse was recognised and known it would be tackled.

“However, children and young people felt that much went unnoticed, was ‘normalised’ or was felt to be happening outside the education environment and therefore ‘beyond the control’ of the setting.

“Part of re-setting the culture is recognition that peer-on-peer abuse is happening in schools and colleges, and that normalisation of aspects of it, such as the use of prejudicial and offensive language in society, needs to be tackled.”

The Ofsted report from last year suggests school staff were ‘out of date’ when it came to spotting online harassment and abuse.

Schools have to rethink how they engage with young people when it comes to abuse, the report added.

Mr Crocker said: “In general, the review found that children and young people reported much higher incidences of sexual harassment, online sexual abuse and bullying behaviours than teachers and leaders were aware of or recognised.

“Schools and colleges have clear guidance on expectations in respect of record-keeping for any child protection concern, and it has been stressed that sexual harassment and sexual violence do constitute such a concern.”

Since the Ofsted report, the county council has been undertaking projects with more than 20 schools across Hampshire, which are expected to run until the summer.

Further projects are taking place in Gosport, Fareham, Havant and Basingstoke.

Mr Crocker added: “[Projects are] focusing on healthy and respectful relationships and their interdependence with a positive culture through a whole-school approach.

“Projects run with facilitation until the summer of 2022, when it is hoped that impact thus far can be captured and then carried forward by the schools, and indeed other settings that benefit from the sharing of their practice.”