System Change report launch: Why a whole school approach to preventing sexism and sexual harassment is needed – and how to make it work
UK Feminista is proud to launch ‘System Change: Why a whole school approach to preventing sexism and sexual harassment is needed – and how to make it work’. The report provides a new blueprint for action setting out what Government, inspectorates and education leaders must do to stop endemic sexism and sexual harassment in schools and colleges. Drawing on three years of learning from UK Feminista’s Whole School Approach Development Scheme – through which we have supported a diverse range of schools and colleges across the UK to implement whole school approaches to tackling sexism and sexual harassment – the report makes clear that one‑off lessons, workshops or RSE alone cannot fix the problem. Only whole school approaches – long‑term prevention embedded across policies, practice and culture – can deliver lasting change. The report provides a timely and essential evidence base for policymakers following the recent publication of the Government’s Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, which identified “prevention and early intervention” as one of the strategy’s three objectives.
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The report was launched at an event hosted by Jess Asato MP at the Houses of Parliament. We were joined by a wide range of organisations, teachers, education leaders, students and policymakers to explore the findings and discuss the urgent need for system‑wide action. We were delighted to be joined by a fantastic panel of speakers, bringing powerful insights and experiences that underscored the urgency of system change:
- Jess Asato MP | Member of the UK Parliament’s Education Select Committee
- Nina Humphries | Director of UK Feminista
- Sally Rees | Teacher and Past President of NASUWT Northern Ireland 2025-2026
- Onjali Q Raúf MBE | Award‑winning children’s author and founder of Making Herstory and O’s Refugee Aid Team
- Kay Burton-Williams | Director of Student Experience at Birmingham Metropolitan College
Between 2022-2025, UK Feminista provided bespoke support for a cohort of education settings to take a whole school or college approach to tackling sexism and sexual harassment. A whole school approach is defined as long-term prevention action that is integrated into the polices, practices and culture of the school or college. The approach emphasises the importance of schools and colleges adopting a strategy for this work, which is supported by senior leaders and involves all members of the school or college community. The report documents the successes and challenges faced by schools and colleges working to combat sexual harassment and abuse. UK Feminista’s recommendations include:
- The Government should track the scale of sexual harassment and abuse in education settings and publish annual data to demonstrate progress in reducing violence against women and girls.
- The Government should provide greater support, including funding and resources, for education settings to implement a whole school approach to preventing sexual harassment and abuse.
- Education inspectorates should assess how well education settings are implementing a whole school approach to preventing sexual harassment and abuse.
Nina Humphries, Director of UK Feminista, said:
“For too long, sexism and sexual harassment have been everyday experiences for women and girls working and learning in schools and colleges. These harms are now further intensified by the widespread influence of misogynistic online content and pornography – with devastating consequences for individuals and society as a whole.
“But this is not inevitable. Through UK Feminista’s Whole School Approach Development Scheme, we’ve shown that long-term, whole-school prevention embedded across polices, practices and culture can deliver change. Our report sets out a clear blueprint for action.
“A systemic problem demands a systemic response. Only system change will enable the Government to deliver on its Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy prevention commitments. We urge the Government to introduce the support, funding, tracking and accountability measures needed to embed whole school approaches in every school and college. Education must be made safe for women and girls.”
Jess Asato MP, Member of the Education Select Committee, said:
“Sexism and sexual harassment in our schools and colleges is a national emergency, and UK Feminista’s new report makes clear that only a system‑wide ‘whole school approach’ can achieve the scale of change required to combat it. UK Feminista’s unique evidence base, drawn from its frontline work with schools and colleges, shows what is possible when institutions commit to transforming their culture, policies and practices to promote equality and prevent sexual harassment.
“At a time when the Government has pledged to halve violence against women and girls within a decade, with a clear focus on prevention and early intervention, this evidence could not be more timely. This report provides policymakers, inspectorates and education leaders with a clear blueprint for action. With whole school approach action, it is possible to make education safe for children and young people at school or college today – and to secure lasting benefits for future generations and wider society.”
Onjali Q Raúf MBE, Award‑winning children’s author and founder of Making Herstory and O’s Refugee Aid Team, said:
“This government now has no excuse to shy away from the riddle of how to prevent escalating the sexual harassment that 68% of the nation’s girls change their behaviour to avoid: UK Feminista have provided them with not only a blindingly clear answer, but a workable, proven solution of how to do just that. In an age where children are being inundated with the worst forms of violent misogyny – be it accessing porn via their phones or being fed political rhetoric from world leaders, our boys and girls – and their teachers – desperately need long-term help in knowing how to push back against it all. The time for empty rhetoric is long over. This report is a call on this government to step up to a system change that will mobilise teachers and children by the tens of thousands, and in doing so, help women and girls of the future to not have to bear, tolerate and survive violent sex-based crimes which begins in the playgrounds of their childhoods.”
Kay Burton-Williams, Director of Student Experience at Birmingham Metropolitan College, said:
“We are delighted to have collaborated with UK Feminista in establishing a whole college approach at BMet College (Birmingham Metropolitan College). The support from the UK Feminista team and whole college framework approach have been invaluable, enabling us to embed equality and challenge gender stereotypes across the college. This partnership has significantly benefited BMet, fostering a more inclusive and supportive environment for both staff and students. Importantly, it has strengthened our efforts to address and prevent violence against women and girls (VAWG), ensuring our college is a safe and respectful place for everyone. Together, we are creating lasting change and setting a positive example for the wider education sector.”
Sally Rees, Past President of NASUWT The Teachers’ Union, Northern Ireland, said:
“UK Feminista’s whole school approach to preventing sexism and sexual harassment is much needed in our schools and colleges. It places the responsibility clearly on everyone within the education system, from parents and carers, teachers, school leaders through to Governors to work collectively to create the systemic change required to ensure that girls and women are treated with dignity and respect. I particularly welcome the call for mandatory training on how schools and colleges should prevent and respond to sexual harassment and abuse. This will go some way to challenging the everyday sexist attitudes that perpetuate sexual harm and abuse.
“Accountability and transparency is key to successfully address sexism in our schools and colleges. Therefore, it is vital that robust and consistent reporting mechanisms are embedded across the education sector in order to measure progress, inform practice, and to meet the requirements of the Employment Act. However, none of this can be achieved unless it is fully resourced and funded. If the UK Government is serious in their commitment to ending violence against women and girls, they must ensure that schools and colleges not only have the tools but also the means to address sexism and sexual harassment. Endorsing and funding the implementation of the UK Feminista whole school approach can help us build a society where women and girls not only feel safe, but are safe everywhere.”
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