Source: Mayor of London
- The new innovative £1million toolkit is now available online for all primary schools in the capital and will help champion healthy and respectful relationships and attitudes. Online courses will train teachers to run classes and workshops in every school
- The move comes as research shows that young people are increasingly being exposed to misogynist influencers on social media – with one in three young males having a positive view of ‘self-proclaimed misogynist’ Andrew Tate and one in ten children having watched pornography by the time they are nine
- The Mayor has today written to every primary school in London to highlight the importance of pupils learning about equality and respect
- Today the Mayor warned there has never been a more important time to counter the pernicious influence of those who preach misogyny online, saying ‘young people must learn about respectful relationships before they start seeing content from individuals like Andrew Tate online.’
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, today launched a new landmark toolkit for every primary school in London to teach pupils about healthy and respectful relationships, as part of his work to tackle violence against women and girls.
Sadiq has written to every primary school in London explaining the importance of young boys and girls learning about equality and respect.
The new innovative £1million toolkit1, funded by the Mayor and developed by educational experts Tender2, uses workshops, drama and interactive sessions in the classroom to engage with young Londoners aged between 9-11 and champion healthy and respectful relationships and attitudes.
Tender is a pioneer in educating primary schools about healthy relationships and this is the first time they have put that knowledge and experience into a toolkit specifically for primary schools. Funding from the Mayor has allowed them to put their knowledge and experience into a toolkit to run classes and workshops empowering young people to confidently recognise, call out and help stamp out inequality and sexism among their own peer groups.
The move comes as research shows that young people are being increasingly exposed to misogynist influencers on social media – with one in three young males having a positive view of ‘self-proclaimed misogynist’ Andrew Tate. 4 Young people are also being exposed to pornography online from as young as nine years old and this is having a negative role in shaping children’s understanding of girls and relationships. 5
The toolkit will help educate the next generation of Londoners on what harmful behaviour looks like, and why it is not ok. It will be delivered by primary school teachers and supported by specially trained workshop leaders.
It builds on work already delivered by the Mayor’s Violence Reduction Unit, which has pioneered a public health approach to tackling violence. It’s £2million funding includes investing in Tender to deliver work with 15,200 children and young people taking part in arts and drama-based healthy relationships sessions. This work has led to 90 per cent of pupils having a better understanding of healthy relationships and 80 per cent now able to spot red flags in a friendship or relationship.
The action is the latest part of the Mayor’s approach to tackling the underlying causes of violence against women and girls (VAWG)6. It will build on the success of his multi award-winning #HaveAWord campaign and allyship training in secondary schools which is working to educate and empower young Londoners to take a stand and help prevent violence against women and girls.
The launch of the new toolkit, following a successful trial3, is based on the Mayor’s early intervention and prevention approach to tackling VAWG which places a stronger emphasis on partnership working, prevention and education across a wide range of services in London.
The Mayor is clear that it is never too early to start educating young Londoners about the need to treat one another fairly and kindly. And that education from a young age is key to strengthening the resilience young people have to toxic influences and attitudes towards women and girls in society and those proliferating on social media.
It is part of the Mayor’s record £233million investment to tackle violence against women and girls in all its forms – as well as its underlying causes. This funding is working to educate young people about harmful attitudes and behaviours, save lives, reduce waiting lists, keep doors open for vital specialist support services for victims and supporting the police and agencies to go after the worst perpetrators of violence.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “It’s never too early to start educating young Londoners about the need to treat one another fairly and kindly. And it’s important for young boys and girls to learn about equality and respect for one another.
“That’s why I have written to all primary school headteachers in the capital today to outline the support, resources and funding I’m investing from City Hall so this important training can be delivered to thousands of young Londoners. It will give teachers the expert training they need to empower the next generation of Londoners to stand up to sexism and misogyny in all its forms.
“There has never been a more important time to counter the pernicious influence of those who preach misogyny online. we must ensure that young people are clear what healthy and respectful relationships are about before they start seeing content from individuals like Andrew Tate online.
“I will continue to do everything within my power to ensure that ending violence against women and girls is treated with the utmost urgency both by our police, and society as a whole to build a safer London for all.”
Broadcaster and DJ Ashley James said: “As a mum-of-two, I’m really pleased that the Mayor of London is introducing education in primary schools to help tackle the root causes of violence against women and girls. Nobody is born a misogynist but social media and other influences can embed harmful ideas unless children have already built a strong foundation of equality and respect.”
Emma, a Headteacher at a North London Primary School, said: “Supporting our children to recognise and develop healthy and respectful relationships is absolutely vital as we aim to set them up for a positive future. Broaching issues like misogyny and sexism with young children can be really challenging and is something that we need to be prepared to deal with. Thanks to the Mayor’s new teacher Toolkit, we now have expertly crafted, tried and tested tools and activities to safely and confidently teach this important subject matter. All our teachers have taken part in the online training sessions with Tender and we are really excited about working with our children to educate them on why it is important to treat each other fairly, kindly and with respect.”
Taiba Year 6: “These sessions have taught us about what makes us good people. We talk about our equal rights and how we should treat people as well as how people should treat us.”
Ege Year 6: “I liked learning about the house of friendship because it shows us what is expected of our friends. We also looked at behaviours to look out for if we feel we are not being treated fairly or we are being pressured into something.”
Abdurahman Year 6: “I really enjoyed the roleplays because you get to see a number of situations that we could get into and how we can have a different response to them.”
Susie McDonald, CEO of Tender, said: “Primary school is a critical time for children, as they develop core skills in communication, empathy and respect. It’s therefore imperative that they learn about healthy relationships. and are supported to build positive attitudes and behaviours.
“It’s often difficult to begin exploring topics like healthy relationships and gender inequality with young people of any age. Our creative, evidence-led toolkit and corresponding training sessions guide teachers in this vital work, with practical activities and advice that are expertly designed for this age group.
“By challenging potentially problematic attitudes at their root, we can prevent a culture of abuse against women and girls. We hope as many teachers, children and young people as possible benefit from these resources, as we work towards ending this abuse once and for all.”