红桃影视

Ofsted receives hundreds of reports of peer-on-peer sexual abuse in schools every year, but cannot say how many have prompted inspections.

A Schools Week investigation also found the Department for Education does not collect data on the number of reports it receives, which campaigners say could result in cases slipping through the net.

The government says abuse should be reported to schools and then referred to the police. But victims and their families can also report issues to sector organisations such as Ofsted and the DfE.

Freedom of information data shows Ofsted received 1,582 reports of sexual abuse in schools between 2016 and 2021. But when asked how many had sparked inspections, Ofsted said such data was not centrally held.

The watchdog has been repeatedly criticised over its handling of sexual abuse.

The recent found Ofsted 鈥渄id not do enough鈥� to identify serious child protection weaknesses in some schools. Inspectors even gave clean bills of health to settings in which children were being sexually abused, it found.

One parent, who complained in 2018 that Ofsted gave their daughter鈥檚 school the all-clear after a boy accused of raping her was put back into her class during an investigation, said the watchdog had 鈥渇ailed children catastrophically鈥�.

The DfE, meanwhile, admitted it did not routinely collect or collate any data about reports of peer-on-peer abuse.

It said it believed the current system of schools collecting their own data and making referrals to children鈥檚 social care and the police was 鈥渆ffective鈥�.

MP ‘extremely concerned’ over lack of records

A lack of national data on sexual abuse was raised in a 2016 report by the parliamentary women and equalities committee.

Emma Hardy, the Labour MP for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle, told Schools Week she was 鈥渆xtremely concerned鈥� Ofsted and the DfE did not keep central records.

鈥淲ithout proper data, important patterns and opportunities to introduce improved safeguarding will be missed. Student safeguarding and welfare is the responsibility of all those involved in education, not just a matter for each individual school.鈥�

But Ofsted said risk assessment was 鈥渘ot a tick-box exercise and there isn鈥檛 single way of dealing with complaints about schools鈥�. Complaints were 鈥渉andled individually and carefully assessed to determine what action is required鈥� and then held on school records.

鈥淲hile those records are not immediately accessible to anyone outside Ofsted, we are confident that our complaints about schools process is rigorous, prioritises children, and treats each case with the appropriate care and consideration it needs.鈥�

Ofsted carried out its own review of sexual abuse in schools last year, following allegations of abuse shared on the Everyone鈥檚 Invited website.

It concluded that it was unable to say whether its own inspections were 鈥渟ufficiently assessing鈥� the extent of sexual harassment and violence.

The watchdog updated its approach, telling inspectors to speak to pupils about such issues and better interrogate schools鈥� data.

However, the parent who complained in 2018 said parents reporting issues were 鈥渢reated as the problem. There is a culture of disbelief and silencing that is dangerous and unpleasant鈥�.

鈥淲hen Ofsted gives a judgment that safeguarding is effective in a school, it means nothing. Parents cannot rely on it. Ofsted listens to school leadership but does not want to hear from parents or the public who are trying to raise the alarm.鈥�

Ofsted criticised over handling of RSE complaint

Ofsted has also been accused of shunning uncomfortable decisions on inappropriate sex education materials.

Campaigners questioned its decision to give a clean bill of health to St Mary鈥檚 RC High School in Herefordshire last year, after a monitoring inspection was prompted by concerns about relationships and sex education resources called 鈥淎 Fertile Heart鈥�.

Nick Gibb, the schools minister, last year raised 鈥渟erious concerns鈥� about the materials, which suggested it was a woman鈥檚 role to 鈥渞eceive鈥� and men鈥檚 to 鈥渋nitiate鈥� love in relationships.

Ofsted concluded it did not believe the materials would be used in a way that promoted 鈥渕isogynistic or discriminatory attitudes鈥� or breached equality law.

Amanda Attfield, a local campaigner, questioned whether Ofsted had properly assessed the materials. Her complaint to the watchdog was not taken forward because she was not a teacher, governor or parent, she said, warning the 鈥渋nspection system disincentivises challenge鈥�.

But the watchdog said it stood by its report. A Fertile Heart said it had 鈥渕ade appropriate amendments鈥� to the resources, and received 鈥減ositive feedback鈥� from schools. St Mary鈥檚 referred Schools Week back to its inspection report.