Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to tackle misogynistic attitudes in primary schools.

Education has a crucial role to play in tackling harmful behaviour, helping children and young people, at primary and secondary level, to develop empathy, boundaries and respect for difference.

Through compulsory relationships education, all pupils, including boys and young men, learn how to form positive and respectful relationships and develop an understanding of the concepts and laws around sexual harassment and sexual violence.

The relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance emphasises that schools should be alive to issues such as everyday sexism, misogyny, homophobia and gender stereotypes and take positive action to build a culture where these are not tolerated, ensuring any occurrences are identified and tackled. The guidance is clear that schools should provide pupils with the knowledge they need to recognise and report abuse, including emotional, physical and sexual abuse, and to build empathy and promote respect for all. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.

Schools should consider what they can do to foster healthy and respectful peer-to-peer communication and behaviour between boys and girls, and provide an environment, which challenges perceived limits on pupils based on their gender or any other characteristic.

​The department is currently reviewing the statutory RSHE curriculum and as part of this review will be looking at how to ensure that the guidance equips pupils, including at primary school level, to form healthy and respectful relationships. We are analysing consultation responses, talking to stakeholders and considering relevant evidence.

Separately, the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review will consider how RSHE fits into the wider curriculum.