Equally Safe delivery plan: progress report

Deliverable 6

6. We will build a robust and joined up approach to the prevention of VAWG across all education settings

Delivery plan actions to help meet this deliverable:

6.1 We will ensure that all secondary schools are registered with Equally Safe at School.

6.2 We will ensure that all key secondary school staff undertake the Equally Safe at School e-learning module.

6.3 We will ensure that all schools record incidences of gender-based violence and that Local Authorities review this data.

6.4 We will ensure that all school staff complete trauma awareness training.

6.5 We will ensure that all Local Authorities review their RSHP curriculum to ensure that it includes learning about equalities and gender-based violence.

6.6 We will ensure that learning about online safety in all Local Authorities includes reference to technology facilitated VAWG.

6.7 We will ensure that all Local Authorities encourage the development of peer learning and activity around gender based violence in secondary schools, dependant on the availability of training.

6.8 We will strengthen the provision of, and the relationship between, existing education programmes.

6.9 We will identify specific barriers preventing girls feeling safe in public ‘play spaces’ and develop guidance for public bodies to address them.

Overview

Uptake of the Equally Safe at Schools (ESAS) e-learning programme continues to grow. As of January 2026, ESAS has now been adopted by 204 of 361 local authority schools (57%) and 16 of 40 independent schools (35%). ESAS is a whole-school approach to preventing gender-based violence and sexual harassment and promoting a safer, more inclusive school environment. Notably, 111 schools have joined since the publication of the ES delivery plan - representing 54% of all sign-ups to date.

To support education practitioners to navigate the range of learning resources, specifically related to preventing and responding to gender-based violence, Education Scotland are launching a resource page to demonstrate how to use each programme effectively and highlight where they connect and complement one another.

Case study: Mapping Education Programmes

Extensive mapping activity has helped to provide clarity for practitioners by identifying how different programmes complement one another, the age and stage they are designed for, and how they align with Curriculum for Excellence, Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP) education and whole-school approaches to gender-based violence (GBV) prevention.

By consolidating this information in one accessible location, the mapping webpage supports schools and local authorities to make informed decisions about which programmes best meet their needs, while reducing duplication and fragmentation. It also helps to highlight the preventative role of education in addressing GBV, situating individual programmes within a broader, joined-up framework rather than as isolated interventions. This webpage will sit as one strand of a larger Equalities Page, which will include similarly structured sub-pages pertaining to other equalities areas, supporting a more holistic, intersectional approach to equalities in educational settings.

Further work is also being undertaken to gather case studies from schools and local areas that demonstrate how complementary GBV prevention programmes are being implemented in practice. These case studies aim to capture how settings are embedding programmes over time, linking classroom learning with whole-school policies and cultures. This work will provide valuable insight into what effective, joined-up provision looks like on the ground.

Together, these activities contribute to strengthening the overall educational response to GBV by improving visibility, coherence, and collaboration across existing provision. By supporting education settings to navigate and connect the programmes already available to them, this work helps ensure that prevention work is sustainable and responsive to local contexts, while contributing to the deliverables within the Equally Safe Strategy.

Reflections from Hannah Brown, Education Scotland