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GEM School Hereford is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of every young person, both inside and outside of the school premises, and is aware that abuse against children can be inflicted by other children. We implement a whole-school preventative approach to managing child-on-child abuse, ensuring that the wellbeing of all young people is at the forefront of all action taken.
This policy sets out a clear and consistent framework for delivering this promise, in line with safeguarding legislation and statutory guidance.
It will be achieved by:
The DSL is Rachel Balance, Headteacher of GEM. In the absence of the DSL, child protection matters will be dealt with by Beth Rogers, Caroline Phillips and Justin Haines (Deputy DSL’s).
This policy has due regard to all relevant legislation and statutory guidance including, but not limited to, the following:
The policy also has regard to the following non-statutory guidance:
This policy operates in conjunction with the following school policies:
Child-on-child abuse is defined, for the purposes of this policy, as any form of abuse inflicted by one child or a group of children, i.e. individuals under the age of 18, against another child or group of children. This policy covers child-on-child abuse both inside and outside of the school.
Harmful sexual behaviour is defined as any sexual behaviour which:
Please note: Harmful sexual behaviour can occur online and/or face-to-face, and can also occur simultaneously between the two.
This policy will use the following terms to describe young people involved in child-on-child abuse:
Please note: The use of the word ‘alleged’ does not mean that the young person in question is not guilty of child-on-child abuse, that the school does not believe the allegation, or that the allegation will not be taken seriously. Staff will remember that the school has a legal duty of care to all perpetrators and alleged perpetrators who are on roll at the school, including a requirement to ensure they can access their education. Staff will also keep in mind that, in some cases, the abusive behaviour will have been harmful to the perpetrator as well. Victims will be reassured that use of the term ‘alleged perpetrator’ is not an attempt to discredit their allegation.
Staff will also be conscious of the fact that not everyone who has been subjected to abuse considers themselves a victim or would want to be described this way. Staff will be prepared to use any term which the individual child is most comfortable. Staff will think very carefully about terminology when speaking in front of pupils, and the use of appropriate terminology will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
The board of directors and governors has a duty to:
The headteacher has a duty to:
The DSL has a duty to:
Other staff members have a responsibility to:
Staff will familiarise themselves with the forms that child-on-child abuse can take, including but not limited to:
Physical abuse - A form of abuse which may involve actions such as hitting, throwing, burning, drowning and poisoning, or otherwise causing physical harm to another child.
Sexual abuse - A form of abuse involving sexual activity between children – sexual abuse, for the purposes of this policy, is divided into two categories: sexual violence and sexual harassment.
Sexual violence encompasses the definitions provided in the Sexual Offenses Act 2003, including rape, assault by penetration, sexual assault, i.e. non-consensual sexual touching, and causing another child to engage in sexual activity without consent, e.g. forcing someone to touch themselves sexually.
Sexual harassment refers to any sexual behaviour that could violate another young persons dignity, make them feel intimidated, degraded or humiliated, and/or create a hostile, offensive or sexualised environment, including:
The sharing of sexualised imagery can also constitute sexual harassment – this refers to the consensual and non-consensual sharing between pupils of sexually explicit content, including that which depicts:
Staff will be aware that children creating, possessing, and distributing indecent imagery of other children is a criminal offence, even where the imagery is created, possessed, and distributed with the permission of the child depicted, or by the child themselves. Incidents of sharing sexualised imagery will be handled in line with the Youth Product Sexual Imagery Policy and the Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy.
Bullying
Many kinds of behaviour can be considered bullying, and bullying can be related to almost anything. Bullying is acted out through the following mediums:
Bullying will generally be handled in line with the Anti-bullying Policy; however, particularly severe instances will be handled in line with this policy and the Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy.
Online abuse
This involves the use of technology and the internet in order to harass, threaten or intimidate another child. Instances of online abuse will be managed in line with this policy, the Online Safety Policy and the Anti-bullying Policy.
Discriminatory behaviour
Discriminatory behaviour encompasses abuse inflicted on a young person because of their protected characteristics, e.g. religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, culture, or any SEND. Discriminatory behaviour is never acceptable, and all cases will be handled in line with this policy and the Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy.
In accordance with the Equality Act 2010, schools will not tolerate unlawful discrimination against pupils because of any protected characteristics they may have.
Intimate partner abuse
This involves a romantic partnership between young people in which one or both partners are emotionally, physically or sexually abusive to the other (sometimes known as ‘teenage relationship abuse’). This could include:
The school will manage intimate partner abuse in the same way as a case of abuse between any other young people i.e. via the processes outlined in the Handling allegations of abuse against pupils section of this policy, and in line with the Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy.
The school will continue to involve all members of the school community, including the board of directors, governing board, staff, young people, parents and other stakeholders, in creating a whole-school approach to child-on-child abuse.
The board of directors and governing board will ensure that keeping children safe and protected from harm, including child-on-child abuse, is central to all policies and procedures implemented across the school. The school will ensure that procedures for handling child-on-child abuse are transparent, clear and understandable, and are readily accessible to any member of the school community who wishes to access them.
The school will implement a contextual approach to safeguarding pupils against child-on-child abuse, and will ensure that all procedures take into account incidents of child-on-child abuse that occur outside of school or online.
The headteacher will ensure that all staff receive adequate training on handling child-on-child abuse.
School culture
The school will prioritise cultivating a safe and respectful environment amongst young people, and ensure that all young people are aware that the school will adopt a zero-tolerance stance on child-on-child abuse of any kind.
The school will promote respectful interactions amongst young people, and all staff will model appropriate and respectful behaviour. Staff will take care to avoid normalising harmful behaviour, particularly harmful sexual behaviour, e.g. by refraining from the use of phrases such as ‘boys will be boys’ or describing such behaviour as ‘just having a laugh’ or ‘part of growing up’, as these phrases can lead to a culture of unacceptable behaviours and normalised abuse.
The school will ensure that wider societal factors that exacerbate the problem of child-on-child abuse are reflected in its approach to creating a preventative culture. This means that individuals who are more likely to be abused, e.g. girls or LGBTQ+ young people, or who are at increased risk of acting as a perpetrator in abusive situations, e.g. due to abusive home situations or anger manaGEMent issues, are given additional support from an early stage. The school will have a clear set of values and standards that will be upheld and demonstrated throughout all aspects of school life and will be underpinned by the school’s policies, procedures and curriculum.
The school will manage all early help and intervention for young people that show early signs of harmful behaviour, or early signs of being the victim of harmful behaviour, in line with the Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy.
Curriculum
The school maintains the position that education surrounding respectful and healthy attitudes and behaviour towards others is the best way to combat child-on-child abuse in the school. All staff, not just teaching staff, will be responsible for passing this knowledge on to the young people.
In order to prevent child-on-child abuse and address the wider societal factors that can influence behaviour, the school will educate young people about abuse, its forms and the importance of discussing any concerns and respecting others through the curriculum and extra-curricular activities.
The school will also ensure that young people are taught about safeguarding, including online safety, as part of a broad and balanced curriculum. The school will also teach a planned programme of evidence-based RSHE, delivered in regularly timetabled lessons and reinforced throughout the whole curriculum. Such content will be fully inclusive, age and stage of development appropriate (especially when considering the needs of pupils with SEND), and tackle issues such as the following:
Young people will be allowed an open forum to talk about concerns and sexual behaviour. They will be taught how to raise concerns and make a report, including concerns about their friends or peers, and how a report will be handled.
The curriculum will ensure that young people of all ages are taught about and understand the concept of consent and its importance in an age-appropriate way.
The school is aware that, while child-on-child abuse can be perpetrated by, and against, anyone, there are certain groups of young people who are at an increased risk of being on the receiving end of child-on-child abuse.
Staff will be careful to acknowledge the increased risk certain young people face while refraining from making assumptions about the nature of any reported, witnessed or suspected abuse. Staff will be aware that young people who are generally at increased risk of abuse can also be perpetrators of abuse.
The school will ensure that action is taken, where possible, before major concerns arise; therefore, incidents of low-level abuse related to the characteristics of the below groups will be handled in line with early help procedures, which are laid out within the Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy.
Girls
Staff will be aware that girls are more likely to be on the receiving end of child-on-child sexual abuse than their male counterparts, and that sexual violence and harassment against girls is very common and accounts for the majority of cases.
Taking into account that sexual harassment against girls is widespread in society, and largely based in gender inequality, the school will aim to encourage gender equality in all aspects of its operations. The school will aim to promote and nurture healthy attitudes and relationships amongst young people of all genders, e.g. by challenging and working to deconstruct gender stereotypes in school.
Staff will challenge any incidents of misogynistic language or gender-based abuse, whether of a sexualised nature or not, as holding misogynistic viewpoints can make a pupil more likely to commit sexualised violence in the future.
LGBTQ+ young people
Staff will be aware that pupils who are LGBTQ+, or are perceived to be LGBTQ+ whether they are or not, are more likely to be targeted by their peers, e.g. for discriminatory bullying.
The school will hold a zero-tolerance policy towards pupils using homophobic, biphobic or transphobic language, regardless of whether or not the language is being directed at another individual. Every staff member will be individually responsible for challenging such behaviour and making clear to all young people that any abuse towards individuals who are LGBTQ+, or who are perceived to be, is unacceptable.
The school will ensure that it is able to provide a safe space for LGBTQ+ young people to speak out and/or share their concerns with members of staff.
Pupils with SEND
Staff will be aware that young people with SEND are at increased risk of child-on-child abuse, as they are three times more likely to be abused than their peers. The school will ensure that there are mechanisms in place to support young people with SEND in reporting abuse, with due regard that these young people may face additional barriers to reporting abuse and that spotting signs of abuse in these young people may be harder.
Staff will avoid assuming that changes in the behaviour of pupils with SEND are as a result of their needs or disability, and will report any concerns to the DSL. The DSL and the SENCO will collaborate in the handling of instances of abuse towards pupils with SEND to ensure that barriers to communication can be effectively managed.
Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) young people
Staff will be aware that minority ethnic young people, particularly black young people, may be less likely to report abuse committed against them, and may be more likely to be misidentified as perpetrators of abuse.
The school will hold a zero-tolerance policy towards young people using racist language, regardless of whether the language is being directed at another individual. Every staff member will be individually responsible for challenging such behaviour and making clear to all young people that any abuse towards young people from BAME backgrounds is unacceptable.
Staff will also be aware that BAME girls, BAME young people with SEND, or BAME LGBTQ+, or perceived LGBTQ+ young people, are likely to face increased abuse due to the intersection of these identities. Staff will be vigilant with regard to these young people and the ways in which other pupils behave towards them, in order to ensure any incidents or potential incidents can be handled as soon as they occur.
Young people will be able to report incidents of child-on-child abuse or concerns about the behaviour of their peers through the following channels:
All channels for reporting abuse will be promoted and publicised throughout the school, and all young people will be made aware of how, and to whom, to report incidents of abuse. The school will also ensure young people are aware of the type of behaviour that should be reported, ranging from criminal behaviour, e.g. rape or sexual assault, to everyday harassment, e.g. sexualised jokes or inappropriate comments, to ensure that victims do not view their experience as ‘not serious enough’ to report.
The school will maintain a culture that promotes reporting abuse, whether the individual reporting is the victim, a bystander, or a friend or relative of the victim. Staff will address any incidents of young people equating reporting abuse to ‘snitching’ or being a ‘tattle-tale’, and will convey to these young people how important it is to report abuse to help tackle the wider problem of child-on-child abuse in schools.
Staff will receive safeguarding training as part of their induction, and annual refresher training. This training will include guidance on how to recognise indicators of child-on-child abuse of all kinds, and how to distinguish between behaviour, particularly sexual behaviour, that is developmentally appropriate and that which is harmful.
When identifying young people at risk of potential harm or who have been harmed by their peers, staff members will look out for a number of indicators including, but not limited to, the following:
Where a young person is displaying signs of being impacted by child-on-child abuse, or perpetrating child-on-child abuse, staff will report this to the DSL as soon as is reasonably practical.
Staff will challenge all instances of abusive or harmful behaviour displayed by young people that they witness or are reported to them. Staff will not wait for concerns or situations between young people to escalate before intervening; minor or singular instances of abusive behaviour will still be brought to the attention of the DSL and the young people will always be spoken to about their behaviour and disciplined, where appropriate, in line with the Behaviour Policy.
Staff will enforce the school’s policy that no known and substantiated incident of abusive or harmful behaviour between young people will occur without consequences for the perpetrator(s), although these consequences will be decided on a case-by-case basis and will take into account the views of any victims involved, the context of the behaviour and the severity of the incident.
Staff will be aware that just because a victim of abusive behaviour does not report the behaviour or react to the behaviour negatively, this does not mean that the behaviour is not still harmful; staff will be made aware that some young people will be uncomfortable challenging their peers on inappropriate behaviour or may not be aware themselves that the behaviour is abusive.
Staff will ensure that both the perpetrator(s), or alleged perpetrator(s), and the victim(s) understand that such behaviour inflicted by or against them was unacceptable; staff will be made aware that failing to challenge a young person on unacceptable behaviour can normalise that behaviour not just for the young person in question, but for all young people who see the behaviour going unchallenged.
Staff will remain cognisant that downplaying abusive behaviour can lead to a culture of unacceptable behaviour throughout the school and, as such, will treat all displays or reports of abusive behaviour with the utmost severity and sensitivity in order to reinforce to all young people that such behaviour will not be tolerated, and to prevent further instances of this behaviour in the future.
Staff will always, when handling an incident of alleged abuse, take the report of the victim seriously, reassure them, support them and work to keep them safe. Victims will never be made to feel like they are causing a problem by reporting any form of abuse, be made to feel ashamed, or have their experience minimised by staff at the school. Staff will be aware of the importance of not downplaying any reports of abuse; however, will ensure that they remain sympathetic, and observant of the duty of care, to both the alleged perpetrator(s) and victim(s).
If a friend of a victim makes a report or a member of staff overhears a conversation, staff will take action – they will never assume that someone else will deal with it, or wait for a disclosure. The basic principles remain the same as when a victim reports an incident; however, staff will consider why the victim has not chosen to make a report themselves, and the discussion will be handled sensitively and with the help of children’s social care where necessary. If staff are in any doubt, they will speak to the DSL. All staff will be aware that the young person may not feel ready or know how to tell someone that they are being abused, and/or they may not recognise their experiences as harmful. This will not prevent staff from having a professional curiosity and speaking to the DSL if they have any concerns.
Where an alleged incident took place away from the school or online but involved young people from the school, the school’s duty to safeguard the young person remains the same and the incident will be treated equally as seriously and investigated in the same way as an incident that took place in school.
All staff will be trained to handle disclosures. Effective safeguarding practice includes:
The DSL will be informed of any allegations of abuse against young people with SEND. They will record the incident in writing and, working with the SEND lead, decide what course of action is necessary, with the best interests of the young person in mind at all times.
Confidentiality
The school will only engage staff and agencies required to support the victim and/or be involved in any investigation. If a victim asks the school not to tell anyone about the disclosure, the school will not make this promise. The school will adhere to the principle that, even without the victim’s consent, the information may still be lawfully shared if it is in the public interest and protects children from harm.
The DSL will consider the following when making confidentiality decisions:
Anonymity
There are legal requirements for anonymity where a case is progressing through the criminal justice system. The school will do all it can to protect the anonymity of children involved in any report of sexual violence or sexual harassment. It will carefully consider, based on the nature of the report, which staff will be informed and what support will be in place for the children involved. When deciding on the steps to take, the school will consider the role of social media in potentially exposing victims’ identities and facilitating the spread of rumours.
Risk assessment
The DSL or a deputy will make an immediate risk and needs assessment any time there is a report of sexual violence. For reports of sexual harassment, a risk assessment will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Risk assessments are not intended to replace the detailed assessments of experts, and for incidents of sexual violence it is likely that a professional risk assessment by a social worker or sexual violence specialist will be required.
Risk and needs assessments will consider:
Risk assessments will be recorded, either on paper or electronically, and kept under review in accordance with the school’s Data Protection Policy.
Taking action following a disclosure
The DSL or a deputy will decide the school’s initial response, taking into consideration:
Immediate consideration will be given as to how to support the victim, alleged perpetrator and any other young people involved.
For reports of rape and assault by penetration, the alleged perpetrator will be removed from any classes shared with the victim whilst the school establishes the facts. The school will consider how to keep the victim and alleged perpetrator apart on school premises, and on transport where applicable. These actions will not be seen as a judGEMent of guilt on the alleged perpetrator.
For reports of sexual violence and sexual harassment, the proximity of the victim and alleged perpetrator and the suitability of shared classes, premises and transport will be considered immediately. In all cases, the initial report will be carefully evaluated and the wishes of the victim, nature of the allegations and requirement to protect all children will be taken into consideration.
Where a young person is found to have been involved in harmful sexual behaviour, e.g. non-consensually sharing indecent imagery of another young person, the school will help the young person to move forward from the incident by supporting them in adopting more positive behaviour patterns and attitudes.
Managing the report
The decision of when to inform the alleged perpetrator of a report will be made on a case-by-case basis. If a report is being referred to children’s social care or the police, the school will speak to the relevant agency to discuss informing the alleged perpetrator.
There are four likely outcomes when managing reports of sexual violence or sexual harassment:
Whatever outcome is chosen, it will be underpinned by the principle that sexual violence and sexual harassment are never acceptable and will not be tolerated. All concerns, discussions, decisions and reasons behind decisions will be recorded either on paper or electronically.
The following situations are statutorily clear and do not allow for contrary decisions:
Managing internally
In some cases, e.g. one-off incidents, the school may decide to handle the incident internally through behaviour and bullying policies and by providing pastoral support.
Providing early help
The school may decide that statutory interventions are not required, but that the young people may benefit from early help – providing support as soon as a problem emerges. This approach can be particularly useful in addressing non-violent harmful sexual behaviour and may prevent the escalation of sexual violence.
All staff will be aware of their local early help process and understand their role in it.
Referral to children’s social care
If a young person has been harmed, is at risk of harm or is in immediate danger, the school will make a referral to children’s social care. Parents will be informed unless there is a compelling reason not to do so, e.g. if the referral will place the victim at risk. This decision will be made in consultation with children’s social care.
The school will not wait for the outcome of an investigation before protecting the victim and other children.
The DSL will work closely with children’s social care to ensure that the school’s actions do not jeopardise any investigation. Any related risk assessment will be used to inform all decisions. If children’s social care decides that a statutory investigation is not appropriate, the school will consider referring the incident again if they believe the young person to be in immediate danger or at risk of harm. If the school agrees with the decision made by children’s social care, they will consider the use of other support mechanisms such as early help, pastoral support and specialist support.
Reporting to the police
Reports of rape, assault by penetration or sexual assault will be passed on to the police – even if the alleged perpetrator is under 10 years of age. Generally, this will be in parallel with referral to children’s social care. The DSL and deputies will follow the local process for referral.
Parents will be informed unless there is a compelling reason not to do so. Where parents are not informed, it is essential for the school to support the young person with any decision they take, in unison with children’s social care and any appropriate specialist agencies.
The DSL and board of directors/governors will agree what information will be disclosed to staff and others, in particular the alleged perpetrator and their parents. They will also discuss the best way to protect the victim and their anonymity. The DSL will be aware of local arranGEMents and specialist units that investigate child abuse.
In some cases, it may become clear that the police will not take further action, for whatever reason. In these circumstances, the school will continue to engage with specialist support for the victim as required.
Bail conditions
Young people against whom further action is taken by the police may be released under bail conditions or ‘released under investigation’ (RUI) in circumstances that do not warrant the application of bail. Where this occurs and the perpetrator returns to school, the school’s primary focus will be conducting an assessment of the risk the perpetrator poses to the victim or other young people and staff at the school, both physically and in terms of trauma or emotional stress, and implementing any mitigating measures necessary to reduce the harm caused.
The school will work with children’s social care and the police to support the victim, alleged perpetrator and other young, especially witnesses, during criminal investigations. The school will seek advice from the police to ensure they meet their safeguarding responsibilities.
The school will liaise with police investigators to develop a balanced set of arranGEMents whereby both the alleged perpetrator and the victim can continue to receive a suitable education without compromising any ongoing investigations or the emotional state of the victim.
Managing delays in the criminal justice system
The school will not wait for the outcome, or even the start, of criminal proceedings before protecting the victim, alleged perpetrator and other children. The associated risk assessment will be used to inform any decisions made. The DSL will work closely with the police to ensure the school does not jeopardise any criminal proceedings, and to obtain help and support as necessary.
The end of the criminal process
Risk assessments will be updated if the alleged perpetrator receives a caution or is convicted. If the perpetrator remains in the same school as the victim, the school will set out clear expectations regarding the perpetrator, including their behaviour and any restrictions deemed reasonable and proportionate with regards to the perpetrator’s timetable. The school will ensure that the victim and perpetrator remain protected from bullying and harassment (including online).
Where an alleged perpetrator is found not guilty or a case is classed as requiring ‘no further action’, the school will offer support to the victim and alleged perpetrator for as long as is necessary. Staff will be aware that the victim is likely to be traumatised and the fact that an allegation cannot be substantiated does not necessarily mean that it was unfounded. The school will discuss decisions with the victim and offer support. The alleged perpetrator will also be offered ongoing support if needed, as they have also been through a difficult and upsetting experience.
The headteacher will carefully consider, on a case-by-case basis, whether allowing the victim and the alleged perpetrator to share classes or attend the same activities is conducive to either party’s effective education, and will implement alternative arranGEMents, in consultation with the DSL (and SENCO where the victim or alleged perpetrator has SEND), where necessary.
Ongoing support for the victim
Any decisions regarding safeguarding and supporting the victim will be made with the following considerations in mind:
Victims may not disclose the whole picture immediately and they may be more comfortable talking about the incident on a step-by-step basis; therefore, a dialogue will be kept open and the victim can choose to appoint a designated trusted adult.
Staff will be aware that victims may struggle in a normal classroom environment. Whilst the school will understand that it is important not to isolate the victim, the victim may wish to be withdrawn from lessons and activities at times. The school will ensure that this will only happen when the victim wants it to, not because it makes it easier to manage the situation. The school will provide a physical space for victims to withdraw to.
The school will be aware that victims may require support for a long period of time and will be prepared to offer long-term support in liaison with relevant agencies. The school will ensure that everything possible will be done to prevent the victim from bullying and harassment as a result of any report they have made. If the victim is unable to remain in the school, alternative provision or a move to another school will be considered – this will only be considered at the request of the victim and following discussion with their parents. If the victim does move to another school, the DSL will inform the school of any ongoing support needs and transfer the child protection file.
Ongoing support for the alleged perpetrator
Any decisions made regarding the support required for an alleged perpetrator will be made with the following considerations in mind:
When making a decision, advice will be taken from children’s social care, specialist sexual violence services and the police as appropriate. If the alleged perpetrator moves to another school, for any reason, the DSL will inform the destination school of any ongoing support needs and transfer the child protection file.
If the reported abuse is found to have taken place, the school will work with professionals, as required, to understand why the abuse took place and provide a high level of support to help the young person understand and overcome the reasons for their behaviour and reduce the likelihood of them abusing again.
Disciplining the alleged perpetrator
Disciplinary action can be taken whilst investigations are ongoing and the fact that investigations are ongoing will not prevent the school reaching its own conclusion and imposing an appropriate penalty.
The school will make such decisions on a case-by-case basis, with the DSL taking a leading role. The school will take into consideration whether any action would prejudice an investigation and/or subsequent prosecution. The police and children’s social care will be consulted where necessary. The school will also consider whether circumstances make it unreasonable or irrational for the school to make a decision about what happened while an investigation is considering the same facts.
Disciplinary action and support can take place at the same time. The school will be clear whether action taken is disciplinary, supportive or both.
Shared classes
Once the DSL has decided to progress a report, they will again consider whether the victim and alleged perpetrator will be separated in classes, on school premises and on school transport – balancing the school’s duty to educate against its duty to safeguard. The best interests of pupils will always come first.
Where there is a criminal investigation into rape or assault by penetration, the alleged perpetrator will be removed from classes with the victim and potential contact on school premises and transport will be prevented.
Where a criminal investigation into rape or assault by penetration leads to a conviction or caution, in all but the most exceptional circumstances, this will constitute a serious breach of discipline and result in the view that allowing the perpetrator to remain in the school would harm the education or welfare of the victim and potentially other pupils.
Where a criminal investigation into sexual assault leads to a conviction or caution, the school will consider suitable sanctions and permanent exclusion. If the perpetrator remains at the school, the school will keep the victim and perpetrator in separate classes and manage potential contact on school premises and transport. The nature of the conviction or caution, alongside the wishes of the victim, will inform any discussions made.
Where a report of sexual assault does not lead to a police investigation, this does not mean that the offence did not happen or that the victim has lied. Both the victim and alleged perpetrator will be affected and appropriate support will be provided. Considerations regarding sharing classes and potential contact will be made on a case-by-case basis.
In all cases, the school will record its decisions and be able to justify them. The needs and wishes of the victim will always be at the heart of the process.
Working with parents
In most sexual violence cases, the school will work with the parents of both the victim and alleged perpetrator. For cases of sexual harassment, these decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis.
The school will meet the victim’s parents with the victim present to discuss the arranGEMents being put in place to safeguard the victim, and to understand their wishes in terms of support arranGEMents and the progression of the report.
Schools will also meet with the parents of the alleged perpetrator to discuss arranGEMents that will impact their child, such as moving them out of classes with the victim. Reasons behind decisions will be explained and the support being made available will be discussed. The DSL or a deputy will attend such meetings, with agencies invited as necessary.
Clear policies regarding how the school will handle reports of sexual violence and how victims and alleged perpetrators will be supported will be made available to parents.
Safeguarding other young people
Young people who have witnessed sexual violence, especially rape and assault by penetration, will be provided with support. It is likely that young people will “take sides” following a report, and the school will do everything in its power to protect the victim, alleged perpetrator and witnesses from bullying and harassment.
The school will keep in mind that contact may be made between the victim and alleged perpetrator, and that harassment from friends of both parties could take place via social media, and will do everything in its power to prevent such activity.
As part of the school’s risk assessment following a report, transport arranGEMents will be considered, as it is a potentially vulnerable place for both the victim and alleged perpetrator. Schools will consider any additional support that can be put in place.
This policy will be reviewed annually by the DSL and the headteacher.
Any changes made to this policy will be communicated to all members of staff. All members of staff are required to familiarise themselves with all processes and procedures outlined in this policy as part of their induction programme.
The next scheduled review date for this policy is stated on the rubric on the front of this policy.
