Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all schools teach awareness of violence against women and girls.

The government is ensuring young people have the knowledge to challenge attitudes about abuse and consent. This year the Home Office is delivering a third phase of their acclaimed teen abuse campaign “Disrespect NoBody”. The campaign, which originally launched in February 2016, aims to prevent the onset of domestic violence in adults by challenging attitudes and behaviours amongst teenage boys and girls. The campaign is targeted at 12 to 18 year old boys and girls and aims to prevent them from becoming perpetrators and victims of abusive relationships.

The Department for Education is currently considering how best to ensure pupils are taught about healthy and respectful relationships as part of Relationships Education in primary schools and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) in secondary schools. We have issued a call for evidence, on the scope and content of Relationships Education and RSE and on the future status of Personal, Social, Health and Economic education. We are currently considering the responses, of which we have received over 23,000, and representations arising through the engagement process. Later this year we plan to consult on draft regulations and guidance before laying regulations in the House for debate.

Schools and colleges are already required to have regard to the statutory safeguarding guidance ‘Keeping children safe in education’ (KCSIE) when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. KCSIE reflects current best practice in safeguarding and sets out that the best interests of the child should always come first.