One in five girls don’t feel safe in British schools, survey finds

Girlguiding ‘truly shocked’ by poll findings

Girls in Wales were the most likely to say they did not feel safe in schools (Getty/iStock)

Around one in five girls and young women do not feel safe in UK schools, according to a new survey.

The poll found regional differences, with girls in Wales the most likely to say they feel unsafe - 24 per cent - followed by the North of England, where 22 per cent said this.

Nationally, girls of colour were less likely to say they felt safe in school. Only 65 per cent did compared to 70 per cent of their white peers, the survey found.

Girlguiding, which ran the poll of 3,015 girls between seven and 21 years old, said it was “truly shocked” at its findings.

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Sexual harassment in schools was bought to the forefront by campaign group Everyone’s Invited last year, which saw thousands of victims share testimonies online.

Ofsted. the school watchdog, also carried out a review which revealed the prevalence of sexual harassment and abuse for young people.

“It is concerning that for some children, incidents are so commonplace that they see no point in reporting them,” the watchdog said.

Some girls told Ofsted they had experienced “unwanted touching” in school corridors.

Girlguiding found 17 per cent of girls in the UK do not feel safe in schools in its Girls’ Attitudes Survey 2021.

More than half did not feel safe outside on their own, while around a quarter did not feel safe online.

Meanwhile, more respondents said they see or experience sexism in their education or work - 66 per cent - this year compared to 58 per cent four years ago.

Seventeen per cent said fear of sexual harassment holds them back at school.

“Girls and young women don’t feel safe in their daily lives – online, in public, when outside on their own or at school,” Girlguiding said.

“Worryingly, not enough is happening to change this: not all girls and young women are learning about healthy relationships and harassment at school. “

Angela Salt OBE, the group’s chief executive, said: “We’re truly shocked at how many girls don’t feel safe at school, on social media or out in public.”

A government spokesperson said millions have been invested into community projects to improve the safety of women and girls, including in the North East, North West, and Yorkshire and the Humber.

“Schools and colleges should be safe places for every young person, which is why Relationships, Sex and Health Education is now a mandatory part of the curriculum, helping pupils learn about challenging subjects in an age-appropriate way,” they said.

“We’ve also strengthened guidance for staff so they are more alert to issues impacting their pupils, including everyday sexism, misogyny and gender stereotypes, and are able to take positive action that builds a culture where these are tackled - never tolerated.”