Number of pupils suspended for sexual abuse is revealed
ACHILDREN’S charity has said more needs to be done after alarming figures revealed the number of pupils being suspended for sexual abuse.
Nearly two dozen pupil suspensions because of sexual misconduct were recorded across schools in Cheshire last year.
Those are the findings of a Chronicle investigation which reveals 22 temporary suspensions for this reason in the academic year 2017/18.
More than half (12) were in Cheshire East, four were in Halton and three were in each of Cheshire West and Chester and in Warrington.
Official Department for Education guidelines say sexual misconduct includes abuse, assault, harassment, bullying, graffiti and lewd behaviour that is sexual in nature.
Campaigners warned though that children’s claims are “trivialised or dismissed as lies” too often.
Iryna Pona, policy and research manager at The Children’s Society, said: “We know through our frontline work and our local well-being consultations with young people that inappropriate and harmful sexual behaviour among peers – both in school, outside school or online - is hugely traumatic for those affected.
“Much more needs to be done to ensure school staff are alert to signs of inappropriate sexual behaviour and that schools provide a supportive environment for pupils to learn about healthy relationships and seek help if they are concerned about sexual bullying or abuse in school.
“Too often we hear of children’s claims being trivialised or dismissed as lies, and better training is needed to address shortcomings in the ability of school staff to recognise and respond to inappropriate sexual behaviour.
“It’s also vital that schools work with agencies like police and councils to assess the needs of and offer help to young people who display inappropriate or harmful sexual behaviour - which may be a sign that a child is or has been a victim of abuse or exploitation themselves, or has other underlying needs.
“Both children who are subject to this behaviour and those children who are behind it should have access to a counsellor or therapy to help them recover or to address issues in their lives.
“It is positive that healthy relationships will form part of mandatory Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) in secondary schools, but it’s vital staff receive the right training to ensure this curriculum is delivered appropriately across the country.”
The figures show two of the 22 suspensions in 2017/18 were among primary pupils - one in each of Halton and Warrington.
The number of suspensions does not necessarily reflect the number of students, because a pupil could be suspended more than once in a year.
No pupils across Cheshire were permanently excluded because of sexual misconduct last year.
The data does not reveal whether the sexual misconduct was committed against other students or staff members.
Across England, there were 2,069 temporary suspensions because of sexual misconduct in 2017/18 - 200 of which were among primary-school aged pupils.
There were also 100 students permanently excluded from schools that year, of which 12 were primary-school aged.
Guidance issued by the DfE last year stated that: “Whilst any report of sexual violence or sexual harassment should be taken seriously, staff should be aware it is more likely that girls will be the victims of sexual violence and sexual harassment and more likely it will be perpetrated by boys.”