Ofsted — Review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges

What the study found

Ofsted's 2021 review, based on discussions with around 800 children and young people aged 13 and over, reported that sexual harassment had become a routine part of many pupils' lives. Among the girls surveyed, 92 per cent said sexist name-calling happened a lot or sometimes among people their age, 88 per cent said the same of being sent unwanted explicit pictures or videos, and 81 per cent reported rumours about sexual activity. The review concluded that such behaviour occurs so frequently that it has become commonplace for some children, and that children often did not report it — feeling there was no point, fearing being ostracised or branded a snitch, worrying adults would not believe or would blame them, or fearing they would lose control of what happened next. ^[1]

Why it matters here

This official review documents how widespread sexist and sexualised behaviour is among school-age young people, and how rarely it is reported. It provides real-world context for the discussion of whether watching Andrew Tate contributes to misogyny, where the concern is that online influencer content shapes attitudes and conduct among boys and young men. Ofsted records the scale and normalisation of the behaviour rather than attributing it to any single cause or individual.