Preventing and responding to gender based violence: a whole school framework

Introduction

Purpose of the framework

This national framework seeks to support those working with and in all schools to develop and strengthen universal and targeted approaches to gender based violence (hereafter GBV) within the context of the Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) approach, which puts the rights of all children and young people at the heart of good practice.

It is intended to support those in education authorities and schools, including primary, secondary, public, independent and grant-aided schools, by:

• building an understanding of the range of behaviours GBV can encompass
• demonstrating the ways that GBV may affect all children in a school community and intersect with various protected characteristics
• highlighting how schools can challenge the underlying gender inequality which causes GBV
• providing guidance to support schools’ responses to GBV experienced, or carried out by, children and young people or other members of the school community, including staff
• outlining the approach schools should take to recording GBV behaviours
• signposting to further support and learning.

Why the framework has been developed

Children’s rights and wellbeing are intrinsically linked and are mutually reinforcing. When a child’s rights are respected, protected and fulfilled, their health and wellbeing can improve; this positively impacts on their learning and achievement. Children’s rights include the right to protection from all forms of violence including sexual exploitation, and to an education which develops respect for human rights and prepares children for responsible life in a free society with gender equality (as enshrined in the United National Convention on the Rights of the Child (hereafter “UNCRC”.))

GBV encapsulates a range of different behaviours (see What are the forms of GBV?), which may affect anyone but of which violence against women and girls is the most common. The United Nations notes that violence against women and girls is ‘one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in our world today.’

Tackling violence against women and girls and its effects is an established Scottish Government priority. In 2016 the Scottish Government and COSLA published Equally Safe, the national strategy to prevent and eradicate violence against women and girls. The Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research, published in November 2023, explored headteachers’, teachers’ and support staff members’ experiences of relationships and behaviour in publicly-funded mainstream schools, as well as the views of key local authority representatives across Scotland. The research found that 18% of all school staff had encountered sexist abuse or harassment of other pupils in the classroom in the last week (10% of staff in primary schools, and 27% in secondary schools.), whilst 5% had encountered it themselves or towards another member of staff. Misogyny as identified an emerging theme of the research, with school staff participants reporting “sexist, misogynistic and explicitly sexualised language among male pupils, particularly related to the popularity of influencers.” Participants gave examples of “male pupils directing abusive and sexist language and more disruptive behaviour towards female teachers in a way that they did not towards male teachers.”

In response to the growing awareness of the need to consider the extent and impact of GBV in schools, and the support that schools and school staff may need to prevent and respond to such harmful behaviour, the Scottish Government established the Gender Based Violence in Schools Working Group to develop a national framework to prevent and respond to GBV in schools (see Appendix E: Gender Based Violence in Schools Working Group). The working group is jointly chaired by Rape Crisis Scotland, Zero Tolerance, and Scottish Government.

Legal status of the framework

This framework is non-statutory and is designed to assist public, grant-aided and independent schools in making decisions relating to GBV. This framework is not prescriptive and each situation involving GBV should be assessed on a case by case basis.

Public, grant-aided and independent schools are responsible for ensuring that their policies, practices, and information take full account of the relevant legal requirements as set out in Appendix C: Legal and Policy Framework. It is for education authorities, the managers of grant-aided schools and the proprietors of independent schools to take their own legal advice on such matters, as appropriate.

Note on language used in the framework

The framework and its wording reflects the real-life experiences of some children and young people and therefore sets out examples of actions and language which may otherwise be unacceptable.