Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Sexual Abuse in Schools: LGBT+ Pupils

Monday 21 June 2021 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ofsted report published on 10 June 2021 on sexual abuse in schools and colleges
  • Department aims to support LGBT+ pupils in reporting harmful sexual behaviour
  • Government committed to training teachers to recognize sexual harassment and abuse

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Michael Fabricant Con
Education Women & Equalities
Context

Ofsted published a report on 10 June 2021 highlighting the issue of sexual abuse in schools and colleges, specifically noting that some groups like LGBT+ pupils are potentially more at risk.

Question

With reference to the Ofsted report published on 10 June 2021 entitled 'Review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges', what steps is the Department taking to support LGBT+ pupils to report incidences of harmful sexual behaviour in school?

Answer from Vicky Ford

Schools are under a legal duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children and must have regard to keeping children safe in education. The guidance is clear that, while anyone can be a victim of abuse, schools should recognise that some groups, including LGBTQ+ pupils, are potentially more at risk.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer does not provide specific steps being taken by the Department to support LGBT+ pupils in reporting incidents of harmful sexual behaviour.

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Q2 Michael Fabricant Con
Education Women & Equalities
Context

The Ofsted report highlighted a significant gap between the awareness of teachers regarding incidents involving LGBT children and the reality experienced by those children.

Question

I thank my hon. Friend for her answer, but she will know that the Ofsted report identified a huge discrepancy between the knowledge of teachers of incidents that are harmful to young LGBT children and the actual experience of it, so what steps can the Department take to train teachers to recognise how harmful sexual behaviour actually affects LGBT young people?

Answer from Vicky Ford

The Government are committed to working with school leaders, governors and teachers to improve how they can better recognise the effects of sexual harassment and abuse, and better support victims. We expect the issues raised by LGBTQ+ pupils to be addressed as part of this really important work.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer does not specify concrete steps or training measures for teachers to improve their recognition of harmful sexual behaviour affecting LGBT young people.

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