Third of teachers report misogynistic behaviour from pupils in last week
A majority (61%) of teachers who have been teaching for at least five years said they had seen increases in misogynistic behaviour among pupils since they started teaching
More than a third of secondary teachers have reported misogynistic behaviour from pupils at their school in the last week, while 40% said they felt ill-equipped to handle this conduct, according to a survey commissioned by BBC News.The BBC surveyed 6,000 secondary school teachers about their experiences of misogyny in the classroom by using the survey tool Teacher Tapp.
More than a third (39%) of teachers said they are aware of at least one incident of misogynistic behaviour from a pupil in the last week, while one in 10 said they were aware of more than three incidents of misogyny by pupils.
A majority (61%) of teachers who have been teaching for at least five years said they had seen increases in misogynistic behaviour among pupils since they started teaching.
Nearly half of teachers surveyed (45%) said they want more guidance from the government on tackling misogyny, while 40% said they weren’t aware of what the current government guidance is on tackling misogyny.
According to the BBC, the government has recently published specific guidance for secondary teachers on how to deal with pupils showing signs of extreme misogyny in the classroom, particularly around incel culture.
It comes as teachers and parents say they are increasingly worried about the misogynistic and violent content that children, especially boys, are being exposed to online.
Teachers also said wider guidance on misogyny is needed in relationships, health and sex education (RHSE), which has been compulsory in all schools in England since 2020.
Sukhjot Dhami, the head teacher of Beacon Hill Academy, a secondary school in Dudley, told the BBC the Netflix drama Adolescence has raised awareness among parents, but misogynistic views in schools “have always been there”.
After Adolescence aired, Dhami sent a letter to Beacon Hill parents explaining some of the emojis used by incels and a guide to some of the language to look out for, and said he is “extremely worried” about the access young people now have to spaces online where hate is normalised.
He said: “We’ve done parental sessions in school and we’re emphasising to parents that they really have to get control of what their child is seeing and doing at home.”