Challenging sexual harassment: a toolkit

Ofsted's Review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges makes it clear that sexual harassment and abuse are prevalent in schools, whether staff are aware of it or not, and that 'Leaders should take a whole-school/college approach to developing a culture where all kinds of sexual harassment and online sexual abuse are recognised and addressed'.

The purpose of this toolkit is to:

• support staff and students in understanding, questioning and challenging sexual harassment
• provide activities that can be used with both staff and students to stimulate discussion and deeper reflection around the topic of sexual harassment
• give staff and students more confidence in talking about and tackling sexual harassment.

Step 1: Take the quiz

Use this quiz with staff to explore what they know about young people's experience of harassment and relevant legal aspects. 

Step 2: Guidance for staff

Use the staff guidance document to:

• provide more context and information around sexual harassment and abuse
• share strategies for talking about harassment with pupils
• start discussions amongst staff, using prompts provided.

Step 3: Values-based activity for pupils

Deciding what is and isn't sexual harassment isn't always straightforward. Use this card sort activity to initiate discussions with pupils around the differences between flirting or friendly behaviour and harassment, and find sources of support. 

Step 4: Scenarios

Use these six case studies to provoke deeper discussion and reflection with pupils around potential situations and how to respond.