Teachers to be Trained to Spot Early Signs of Misogyny in Boys

Children as young as 11 who demonstrate misogynistic behaviour will be taught the difference between pornography and real relationships, under a multimillion-pound plan to tackle sexism in England’s schools.

The announcement comes ahead of the government publishing its long-awaited strategy to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) within a decade.

The strategy, which was originally expected in the spring, will allow teachers to send young people at risk of causing harm on behavioural courses.

Teachers will also be trained to intervene if they witness disturbing or worrying behaviour.

Sir Keir Starmer, announcing the strategy, said: “Every parent should be able to trust that their daughter is safe at school, online and in her relationships.

“But too often, toxic ideas are taking hold early and going unchallenged.”

Officials said the plan will include lessons on deepfakes, image-based abuse and online harassment.

The courses will also cover coercion, peer pressure, porn literacy, including identifying the difference between fantasy and real relationships, and stalking.

These measures will complement the new statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) curriculum, which state schools must follow from September 2026.

It includes updated lessons on AI literacy, deepfakes and online harms.

Secondary schools will receive wider support to challenge misogyny and promote healthy relationships. A pilot programme will involve experts helping teachers educate children about consent and the dangers of sharing explicit images.

Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, who has played a key role in shaping the policies, said:

“A strategy is just words. And we know words are not enough. What matters is action.”

The strategy is expected to focus on three key areas:

• Preventing young men being harmed by “manosphere” influencers such as Andrew Tate.
• Stopping abusers in England and Wales through measures such as dedicated rape and sexual offences teams and enforceable domestic abuse protection orders.
• £550 million of funding to support victims.

However, concerns remain about whether the plan is matched by support for victims.

Nicole Jacobs, the domestic abuse commissioner for England and Wales, said:

“Today’s strategy rightly recognises the scale of this challenge and the need to address the misogynistic attitudes that underpin it.

“But the level of investment to achieve this falls seriously short.”

“There is still no long-term sustainable funding for specialist services to ensure victims can actually access support in their area, despite the fact many of these measures will likely drive up referrals; overburdened schools on the frontline of the insurgence of misogyny are not being equipped with the infrastructure they need to safeguard child victims of domestic abuse.”

The deputy prime minister and victims minister, Alex Davies-Jones, will convene a national summit on the challenges facing men and boys next year.

Earlier this month, the government unveiled its men’s health strategy.

Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women coalition, said:

“There is a lot of laudable ambitions in the VAWG strategy but it will drive up referrals and struggle to deliver given the state of statutory services and the voluntary sector.

“There is a risk that you increase people’s expectation of getting help, and progressing criminal cases in the justice system – but that is not the case at the moment.”