Norfolk teacher: Only so much we can do to on healthy relationships
The Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) is calling for more action to be taken to help protect pupils from violence
A teacher in Norfolk is telling us there's only so much they can do to help promote healthy relationships among young people.
It's after a national charity has called for each secondary school and college to appoint a lead on 'violence against women and girls'.
"This could create a heightened expectation on staff"
Scott Lyons also works for the National Education Union in the county:
"I think there's a timely and necessary call for this. Especially in light of the 'Adolescence' programme. For quite a long time now, schools have requested more support when it comes to teaching about dating and relationships.
"My worry is that this could create a heightened expectation on staff to deal with relationships that children are having. The likes of fall-outs and heartbreak. Should schools really be dealing with that day to day? That's another emotionally exhausting expectation on them".
The appeal in more detail:
The Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) is calling for more action to be taken to help protect pupils from violence.
A poll of 4,717 secondary school teachers in England, carried out by Teacher Tapp in December, suggests one in eight (13%) reported that a pupil in their school committed sexual assault against another child in the past term.
The charity, funded by the Home Office, has called for secondary schools, colleges and alternative provision settings to appoint a staff member as a violence against women and girls (VAWG) lead.
A report by the charity suggests the Government should pilot and scale up a VAWG lead training grant to improve Relationships, Sex, and Health Education (RSHE) lessons, bring in specialist external providers and train teachers.
At least five "relationship violence prevention lessons" should be delivered to Year 9 pupils (aged between 13 and 14) as well as college students, it added.
The recommendations come as television drama Adolescence, which examines so-called incel (involuntary celibate) culture, has prompted a national conversation about misogyny in schools.
Another poll by Teacher Tapp for the charity, of 1,712 secondary school teachers in England in January, suggests that 45% lack confidence in teaching pupils how to intervene if they witness a sexual assault, while 27% said they did not feel confident teaching students how to leave unhealthy relationships.
What's the Government said on this?
A Government spokesperson said: "All sexual abuse is abhorrent, and this Government is determined to root it out as part of our mission to halve violence against women and girls through our Plan for Change.
"We have robust statutory safeguarding guidance in place that schools must follow to keep children safe from abuse and harassment, and our behaviour guidance is clear sexually abusive language or behaviour are never acceptable.
"Through our review of the relationships, sex and health curriculum we will ensure children are learning the skills they need to build positive, healthy relationships."