A specialist qualification for school safeguarding leads should be created along the same lines as the Sendco training to elevate their ability to lead relationships and sex education (RSE) teaching in schools, the children’s commissioner has said.
Dame Rachel de Souza’s report, published this morning, looking at the link between pornography exposure and harmful sexual behaviours among pupils also calls for teachers to receive extra training via a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in RSE to help them teach sensitive topics.
The report recommends that RSE should be overseen by a designated safeguarding lead (DSL) in every school and a DSL qualification should be created for this purpose.
Dame Rachel said that every school should have a policy for preventing sexual harassment and violence and schools should regularly consult with students to ensure that RSE teaching is meeting their needs.
The report also calls for “consequences” for pupils who create harm through sexual violence in order to prevent further abuse.
And she recommends that, where a criminal response is not pursued, “victims should still be effectively safeguarded” and she wants additional guidance for schools and professionals about how to proceed when no further action is taken by the police and criminal justice system.
Dame Rachel said that the country had “brushed the issue of pornography under the carpet” for too long and “we cannot shy away from discussing the nature, scale and impacts of online pornography”.
She added that “no child should be able to access or watch pornography”.
The report also explores the consequences of unrestricted access to pornography in childhood.
She said: “Passing the Online Safety Bill must be a priority if we are to protect children quickly and effectively - but it is also just one part of the essential and urgent work of protecting children from sexual abuse.”
Earlier this year, the prime minister voiced concerns over the content of the RSE curriculum in some schools and asked the Department for Education to “ensure that schools are not teaching inappropriate or contested content”.
A DfE review of RSE guidance for schools was already scheduled for 2023, but prime minister Rishi Sunak said it would be brought forward.
MPs on the Women and Equalities Select Committee are to hear evidence from experts this week as the committee opens its investigation into RSE teaching in schools.
