An urgent investigation into how private and state schools in England deal with sexual harassment and assault among their pupils is being commissioned by Ofsted.

The investigation comes after thousands of victims shared their experiences on the Everyone’s Invited website. Victims can anonymously leave testimonies detailing their experiences of misogyny, harassment, abuse and assault. More than 12,500 testimonies have been posted and this number continues to grow each day.

The NPSCC have launched a new helpline to coincide with the investigation. The helpline has been created to provide support to potential victims of sexual harassment and abuse in educational settings. It will also give support to parents and teachers.

Sir Peter Wanless, the charity’s chief executive, said: “The testimonies being shared through Everyone’s Invited are extremely upsetting and underline the urgent need to tackle violence against girls. This is a watershed moment thanks to those who have found the courage to speak out.”

The website was set up last year by Soma Sara who began sharing her personal experience of rape culture on Instagram. She began to receive hundreds of messages immediately from not only those who felt that her experiences strongly resonated with their own, but also those who detailed their own stories of misogyny, harassment, abuse and assault.

Many of the statements describe allegations of sexual harassment and sexual violence carried out against young women by young men who are at school or college or university with them, or part of the same social groups. The report not only revealed cases at schools across the country but it exposed a substantial number of allegations involving prestigious independent schools, many in the south-east of England.

The announcement by the Department for Education (DfE) was welcomed by the organisers of the Everyone’s Invited website. They were proud to have started “a crucial conversation” and pleased that the DfE was working with the police and NSPCC to establish the helpline.
The group added: “We are looking forward to hearing what action the government plans to take to address rape culture in universities.”

Amanda Spielman, Ofsted’s chief inspector, said she was “deeply troubled” by the accounts of sexual abuse and harassment that young people had suffered, and welcomed the education watchdog leading the review, which is to include representatives from social care, the police, victim support groups, and school and college leaders.

“Schools have a crucial role to play in teaching young people about sexual consent and respect for women and girls. They must also be places where all children feel safe, and where they are able to report any incidents of abuse or harassment and be confident that what they say will be acted upon,” Spielman said.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said on Twitter: "No school - whether an independent school or state school - should ever be an environment where young people feel unsafe, let alone somewhere that sexual abuse can take place.
"The allegations that I have heard in recent days are shocking and abhorrent.
He said any victim of "these sickening acts" should raise their concerns with someone they trusted, such as a teacher, family member or the police. "We will take appropriate action," he said.

The review will look at the extent and the severity of the problem in schools, and whether appropriate processes were in place to allow pupils to report their concerns and know they would be taken seriously.
The review will also ask “whether the current inspection regimes in both state and private schools are strong enough to address concerns”.

Vanessa Ward, the chief inspector of Independent Schools Inspectorate ISI, said her organisation would conduct an internal review of its safeguarding inspections and how it communicated with pupils. “We will be particularly keen to identify any factors that are sector specific” to independent schools, Ward said.

Their review is due to conclude by the end of May.

The government has said it is very concerned by the "significant" number of allegations.
Most schools, colleges and universities took safeguarding responsibilities seriously, but it was "particularly shocking" to hear these allegations made about places of education "where everyone should feel secure and be protected", a government spokesman said.

Robert Halfon, who chairs the House of Commons education select committee, said the Everyone's Invited website was "pretty grim" reading and he called for an investigation.
"Your heart goes out to all the people who have suffered the abuse, the sexual harassment, the threats, the abuse online," said Mr Halfon.
"I do think there is a Lord of the Flies culture in some of our schools across our country, and what needs to happen is an urgent inquiry to overhaul safeguarding procedures because they are not fit for purpose."

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: "There's got to be an inquiry and it has got to get going very fast, this is serious."
He also called for "cultural change in terms of behaviour in our schools and in our young people, but also in the respect that is shown particularly for women and girls".

The General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, Geoff Barton said Ofsted’s review acknowledged that schools could not solve these problems alone.

“Robust safeguarding is the number one priority of state and independent schools, and we welcome this review of safeguarding policies in the light of the horrific experiences recorded on the Everyone’s Invited website,” Barton said.

Related links

The dedicated NSPCC helpline number is 0800 136 663.

Government launches review into sexual abuse in schools - https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-launches-review-into-sexual-abuse-in-schools?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery