Sexual abuse in school—adopting a zero-tolerance approach

• Outlines safeguarding and legal duties of schools and other educational establishments where pupils or students suffer sexual abuse and harassment.
• Addresses shortcomings evident in the current regulatory framework.
• Schools and colleges should adopt a proactive approach to safeguarding and sexual assault prior to the new academic year.

In April this year, thousands of anonymous reports were shared by students on Everyone’s Invited, a website which encourages young survivors of sexual abuse to share their stories (https://www.everyonesinvited.uk/). After these reports were received, Everyone’s Invited decided to name the schools implicated in these accounts. Of the 2,962 schools identified, 2,556 are secondary schools and 406 primary schools and 119 universities. To date, in excess of 51,000 testimonies have been shared on the site.

These testimonies have shone a light on the realities of the experience of school pupils today. This article focuses on the legal obligations of schools and colleges