MORE than a third of secondary school teachers in England reported seeing misogynistic behaviour from pupils in the past week, according to a recent survey.
A BBC News-commissioned survey of over 6,000 teachers via Teacher Tapp found 39 per cent of respondents were aware of at least one misogynistic incident by pupils in the past week, while one in ten reported more than three incidents.
A majority of teachers with at least five years of experience (61 per cent) said they had seen an increase in such behaviour since they started teaching.
Nearly half (45 per cent) of teachers said they want more government guidance on tackling misogyny, and 40 per cent said they were unaware of current government guidelines.
The government said it has published guidance on dealing with extreme ideologies and is bringing in online protections under the Online Safety Act. It also said the Relationships, Health and Sex Education (RHSE) curriculum is under review.
At Beacon Hill Academy in Dudley, head teacher Sukhjot Dhami told the BBC that the Netflix show Adolescence helped raise awareness among parents, but such views have always existed. “We've always combated those views,” he said. After the show aired, he sent parents a guide explaining incel-related emojis and language.
Beacon Hill logs sexist behaviour and uses the data for early intervention. Year 10 pupil Adam, 14, said to BBC harmful videos online affected his mental health, but counselling at school has helped.
PE teacher Karl Quiney said boys are exposed to toxic online messages and called for positive role models. “Our role as teachers is to provide them with positive role models,” he said.
An aerial view of the British Steel Scunthorpe site on September 13, 2024. (Photo: Getty Images)
