Pupils advised on how to deal with peer sexual harassment
MOST schools in Wales are failing to do enough to prevent peer-on-peer sexual harassment, says watchdog Estyn.
Schoolchildren in Wales are now being advised on how to call out “inappropriate behaviour” by other pupils.
Estyn said schools don’t deal with sexual harassment well enough, don’t do enough to prevent it and don’t give enough time for pupils to learn about and discuss healthy relationships and sex.
Its new guidance to pupils, published today, follows a shocking report last year showing that girls are regularly pressured to share nude photos and half of secondary pupils have experienced peer-on-peer sexual harassment.
Pupils told inspectors that catcalling, being asked for nude pictures, people making hurtful or homophobic comments and body-shaming have become “a major problem”.
The December 2021 report We Don’t Tell Our Teachers, which included comment and experiences from 1,300 pupils aged 12 to 18, showed peer-on-peer sexual harassment happens mostly online and outside school, but children said it is important that staff understand how common it is.
Only two in 10 pupils who have experienced sexual harassment tell a teacher, half tell no-one at all and it happens so often that it is viewed by many as “normal” behaviour, Estyn’s findings from 35 schools showed.
The inspectorate hopes its new advice and recommendations today will help address this and encourage pupils to report harassment.
Its new report, We Don’t Tell our Teachers, But Schools Need to Know, is being sent to all schools in Wales and to Education Minister Jeremy Miles.
“Unfortunately, not all schools in Wales deal with sexual harassment well enough,” the report says.
“Staff in schools usually respond appropriately to incidents of pupil sexual harassment that are reported to them, but most schools are not doing enough to prevent those incidents from happening in the first place.”
Inspectors said schools are not properly detailing bullying and harassment when it is reported.
The report adds: “The way that all forms of harassment and bullying are recorded in schools needs to be more detailed to allow staff to respond to incidents properly.
“When schools record incidents of bullying and harassment they do not always note the type of bullying or harassment that has taken place. Having more detailed and specific information means that schools could consider the extent of the problem and how well they deal with pupil-on-pupil sexual harassment.
“Schools do not provide enough time for young people to learn about and discuss healthy relationships, sex and sexuality in a safe, comfortable and open way.”
It tells pupils: “We’re concerned by our findings, which show that this issue is happening more often than we think and becoming a major problem for young people and schools.”
The report advises young people to “report any issues” to school staff, a family member, or an adult they trust, and urges, “don’t be afraid to talk about it – whatever it may be”.
Estyn urges schoolchildren to “stay safe online” and report any inappropriate behaviour as soon as possible, giving contact details for Childline, the NSPCC and the Children’s Commissioner for Wales.
Looking at how schools could change how they address sexual harassment, the report advises pupils that they can suggest to their teachers what topics they want to talk about in health and well-being or PSE lessons, and look at what’s happening in their school to see what improvements could be made to prevent and respond to peer-on-peer sexual harassment.
Recommendations for schools include creating an anonymous and confidential system for pupils to report any concerns about sexual harassment – which could be a digital platform or a physical comment box in the school, inspectors suggest.
Schools could also start discussions with different groups of learners, ask for training for young people to become pupil support ambassadors and allow opportunities to make suggestions to teachers.
Owen Evans, new chief inspector at Estyn, said: “Young people shouldn’t have to deal with sexual harassment in any form and we’re concerned by the findings of our recent report, which show that this issue is becoming a major problem for young people and schools and is happening more often than we think. This behaviour must be challenged across society.
“We all need to work together to change attitudes and behaviour around peer-on-peer sexual harassment and we would encourage schools to develop a ‘whole school’ approach to educating and challenging on this issue.”