The key findings of Ofsted’s survey on sexual harassment in schools

Watchdog says that most girls and half of boys have been sent explicit pictures

A sign reads 'Girls Should Feel Safe at School' outside a school in Hampstead
(Image credit: Hollie Adams/Getty Images)

Sexual harassment and online sexual abuse have become “normalised” among schoolchildren, according to a report by Ofsted.

The schools watchdog’s chief inspector Amanda Spielman said she was “shocked” by the scale of the abuse happening in schools and colleges, which has led young girls to feel “they have to accept sexual harassment as part of growing up”.

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 Sorcha Bradley is a writer at The Week and a regular on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast. She worked at The Week magazine for a year and a half before taking up her current role with the digital team, where she mostly covers UK current affairs and politics. Before joining The Week, Sorcha worked at slow-news start-up Tortoise Media. She has also written for Sky News, The Sunday Times, the London Evening Standard and Grazia magazine, among other publications. She has a master’s in newspaper journalism from City, University of London, where she specialised in political journalism.