London schools to teach how to call out sexism
- Published
A toolkit featuring lessons plans for teachers has been made available online for schools to access
"Allyship" workshops on calling out sexism and misogynistic behaviour are being made available to secondary schools in London.
It is part of a £1m campaign by the mayor's office to empower teenagers to prevent violence against women and girls and build healthy relationships.
Staff from Tender - an arts and education charity aimed at tackling abuse - will hold the workshops.
The charity said schools were the perfect place to make changes.
Its chief executive, Susie McDonald, said: "Schools create the perfect environment in which young people can learn about these issues in a safe, non-judgemental and age-appropriate way.
"But for teachers, it is essential that they feel confident and equipped with the correct knowledge and skills to deliver this type of education."
The debate about a culture of sexual abuse at schools escalated last year after a website - Everyone's Invited - was set up for victims to anonymously post their experiences. It gained more than 11,000 posts, some from children as young as nine.
NSPCC figures, external show a third of all sexual abuse children experience is committed by other children, with the majority of abuse from teenage boys to teenage girls.
Ms McDonald said she was looking forward to "inviting everyone into the conversation about why gendered violence happens and to include boys and men into that conversation".
"Overwhelmingly, people who perpetrate violence are boys and men, and victims of violence in this kind of issue are women and girls.
"Until we overcome that hurdle and that fact, and have conversations about how we can address it and stop it, then we're doing boys and men a real disservice because we're diluting the idea of actually what gendered violence is."
She said the workshops were about building the confidence and language so boys could call out problematic behaviour.
As part of the campaign a toolkit, which is available online,, external is offered to teachers. It includes lesson plans and ideas for exercises.
A programme aimed at primary schools will come out later.
Soma Sara set up the Everyone's Invited website to expose rape culture
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was determined to "do more to prevent and end the violence and misogyny too many women face on a daily basis".
"It's about changing the attitudes at source so when they grow up to be men, they're not acting in a way that's misogynistic," he told BBC Radio London's Eddie Nestor.
"I went to an all-boys' school and I was never taught about healthy relationships," he added.
"I hope my behaviour was 100% but I'm not sure, hand on heart, that I've always behaved in the best possible way.
"We must put the onus of responsibility on men and boys to change the way they perceive see, treat and talk about women if we are going to truly fix the problem of violence against women and girls and build a safer, fairer London for everyone," he added.
"It's really important for us to show allyship on the issue of violence against women and girls."
Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said it welcomed the toolkit as preventing sexual harassment and violence against women was highlighted as a key professional concern for its members.