Lucy Powell unveils anti-misogyny plan for schools

On 26 September 2026, the Department for Education said schools will get a new whole-school framework to tackle misogyny. Education Secretary Lucy Powell says the aim is to challenge toxic influences, build respect and stop harmful attitudes becoming normal in classrooms, corridors and online spaces. That matters because misogyny in school is not only about extreme cases. It can show up as comments passed off as jokes, pressure on girls to accept disrespect, or boys being taught by online personalities that cruelty is confidence. The government is saying schools should treat this as a culture problem, not a one-off behaviour issue. (gov.uk)

According to the GOV.UK announcement, the package will include practical guides, teacher training and support for parents. The 'whole-school' idea means the response is not meant to sit in one classroom lesson and then disappear. It is supposed to run through teaching, enrichment, pastoral care and the way adults respond when incidents happen. **What this means in practice** is that schools may be asked to look at routines as well as lessons. How staff challenge sexist language, how disclosures are handled, what pupils hear in assemblies, and what parents are told when harmful behaviour appears all become part of the picture. (gov.uk)

The government has tied the plan to worrying evidence from school life. In data cited by the Department for Education, half of girls said they had heard misogynistic comments from other pupils during a single week at school in May, and 30% of Year 10 and Year 11 pupils said they had recently heard remarks that made them fear for girls’ safety. Taken together, those figures suggest this is not an occasional problem in a small number of schools. For many pupils, especially girls, disrespect can feel routine. When that happens, the lesson children absorb is not only what is said, but what adults allow to pass without challenge. (gov.uk)

This announcement builds on the strengthened Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum already being taught in schools, with more teaching on healthy relationships, harmful behaviour and online risks such as deepfakes. The government also says future curriculum reforms will give more weight to media literacy, so pupils are better able to question harmful content and spot manipulation. That matters because sexist ideas often arrive dressed up as jokes, short clips or 'alpha male' advice. The official GOV.UK summary says the plan is also meant to push back against figures such as Andrew Tate, which shows the government is thinking about the social media messages some boys meet long before a teacher starts the lesson. (gov.uk)

Ministers say they will invest £150,000 in a new RSHE expert advisory group, bringing together specialist organisations and practitioners to create resources for teachers. The point is to help staff teach sensitive topics with more confidence, especially when lessons cover relationships, harmful behaviour and difficult online material. If you are a teacher, this is one of the clearest practical changes in the announcement. Schools are often told to do more without being given enough time, training or trusted materials. Extra guidance will not solve everything, but it does recognise a basic fact: staff cannot teach difficult subjects well if they are left to improvise. (gov.uk)

The plan also sits inside the government’s £16 million Violence Against Women and Girls Prevention Programme. Two pilot projects began in the week the announcement was published: one will work with secondary pupils on healthy relationships, and another will work with boys to challenge harmful attitudes and negative online influence before those views harden. The government also says the Youth Endowment Fund is running programmes for 12 to 16-year-olds focused on respect, resilience and positive role models. Because these are pilots, the next question is simple: what actually changes behaviour, what do pupils say feels useful, and will schools with the fewest resources be able to take part fully? (gov.uk)

This schools plan is part of a broader government push announced on 26 September 2026, when Bridget Phillipson, as Minister for Women and Equalities, also launched a partnership with major employers to tackle misogyny more widely. That followed the launch of a national taskforce on 20 September 2026, aimed at looking at harmful attitudes across communities, workplaces and public life. The hopeful reading is that ministers are starting to treat misogyny as something children learn from the world around them, not something a few 'bad apples' carry into school on their own. The harder question is whether that promise turns into enough training, time and follow-through. If you are a parent, the practical question is whether your child’s school already has a clear way to report sexist language or harassment. Respectful school culture is built by repeated action, not by a single press release. (gov.uk)