As part of the government’s strategy to reduce violence against women and girls by 50% over the next decade, teachers will receive training to identify and address misogyny in the classroom.
The plans, which prioritize preventing the radicalization of young men, are expected to be revealed on Thursday, following three postponements this year.
Students will learn about topics like consent, the risks of sharing intimate images, identifying positive role models, and challenging harmful stereotypes about women and relationships.
The £20 million initiative will also include a new helpline for teenagers seeking assistance with abusive relationships.
The government aims to prevent young men from becoming violent abusers by tackling the underlying causes of misogyny early on.
Under the new strategy, schools will refer high-risk students for specialized care and support, including behavioral programs designed to address prejudices against women and girls.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer stated that the new measures will ensure “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.”
“This government is stepping in sooner – backing teachers, calling out misogyny, and intervening when warning signs appear to stop harm before it starts,” he added.
Taxpayers will fund £16 million of the program, with the government collaborating with philanthropists and partners to create a £4 million innovation fund.
According to domestic abuse charity Reducing the Risk, nearly 40% of teenagers in relationships experience abuse.
Online influencers are partly to blame for this, with a YouGov poll indicating that almost one in five boys aged 13 to 15 hold a positive view of self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate.
In response to the government plans, some teachers said schools are already doing the kind of work the measures outline.
“While we welcome any initiative that prioritizes healthy relationships and consent education, it’s important to recognise that schools like Beacon Hill Academy in Dudley have been delivering this work effectively for years,” Principal Sukhjot Dhami said.
“The challenge isn’t starting from scratch: it’s ensuring that this £20m pounds is spent wisely and in partnership with schools already leading the way.”
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, welcomed the government’s recognition of the importance of training and support for school staff.
Whiteman said “schools are just part of the solution”, with government, health, social care, police and parents all having a “significant contribution to make too”.
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, welcomed the government’s focus, but added it was also essential that the government “introduces effective measures to prevent at source the spread of online misogynistic content which is served up to young people by social media algorithms”.
Nicola Mclafferty, 42, a domestic violence survivor, emphasized the need for greater education on abuse for children.
“Survivors of domestic abuse, men or women, should go into assemblies and speak to the children about it, tell them a bit of your lived experience, enough that it’s not going to scare them but be quite factual.
“There needs to be more people talking and they need to know.”
The government has already announced a raft of measures in its strategy, including the introduction of specialist investigators to every police force to oversee rape and sexual offence cases.
It says staff will have the right training to understand the mindset of abusers and victims.
Also announced is a roll-out of domestic abuse protection orders, which have been trialled across England and Wales over the past year.
The court-issued orders mean individuals can be banned from contacting a victim, visiting their home or posting harmful content online, and can also be used in cases involving coercive or controlling behaviour. Breaching an order is a criminal offence.
Other measures include better NHS support for child and adult survivors of abuse, and a funding boost for councils to provide safe housing for domestic abuse survivors.
Two television adverts will also be launched on Saturday featuring a string of sports personalities and celebrities calling for the end of violence against women and girls.
Domestic abuse commissioner for England and Wales, Dame Nicole Jacobs, said the commitments “do not go far enough” to see the number of people experiencing abuse start to fall.
She added: “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.”
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