In April, the government asked Ofsted to examine the situation after a deluge of testimonies from teenagers shared on the website “Everyone’s Invited” (“Everyone is invited”), in particular girls, denouncing sexist remarks and sexual violence highlighting a “culture of rape” in schools.
After visiting 32 public and private schools and colleges and interviewing 900 students, the inspectors found that children and adolescents “often do not see the point in challenging or reporting these harmful behaviors, as they are considered like a normal experience “.
“Many teachers and heads of establishments underestimate the extent of these problems”, also notes Ofsted.
During their interviews, Ofsted inspectors learned, for example, that boys shared images of “nudes” with each other as if they were “collecting” them on platforms such as WhatsApp and Snapchat, and that some girls suffered “unwanted touching in the halls of the school”.
“This report shocked me,” said Amanda Spielman, Chief Inspector of Ofsted in a statement. “Sexual harassment should never be taken for granted and it shouldn’t have a place in our schools and colleges,” she added.
Educational staff should be better trained and schools should improve reporting mechanisms as well as sanction offenders, suggests Ofsted.
The organization also called on the government to address harassment and abuse online, such as the ease with which children can access pornography.
In a tweet, Education Minister Gavin Williamson said the report’s findings were “very worrying”. He said the government was providing “extra support for staff” responsible for protecting schoolchildren, “increased recommendations” for health and sex education, and funding a hotline to help children.
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