Overview

• The Youth Endowment Fund has urged secondary schools and colleges to appoint 'violence against women and girls' (VAWG) leads to combat rising incidents of relationship violence.
• The charity recommends delivering at least five relationship violence prevention lessons to Year 9 pupils and college students, focusing on recognizing and addressing unhealthy relationships.
• Polling revealed that 13% of teachers reported a pupil committing sexual assault in the last term, while nearly half of teachers lack confidence in addressing sexual violence and unhealthy relationships in RSHE lessons.
• The government is reviewing the Relationships, Sex, and Health Education (RSHE) curriculum to embed healthy relationship skills and has pledged to strengthen statutory safeguarding guidance.
• The Netflix series Adolescence has amplified national conversations about misogyny and incel culture, highlighting the urgent need for school-based intervention and teacher training.