Misogynistic behaviour among school pupils is becoming a growing concern for teachers, as new figures reveal more than a third of secondary school teachers in England have witnessed sexist incidents in the classroom in just the past week.
The data, collected through a survey of over 6,000 teachers commissioned by the BBC, also shows that 40% of those who responded feel unprepared to deal with the issue.
Teachers and school leaders are pointing to the internet as a key source of the problem. They say that violent and misogynistic content is reaching boys at younger ages, often through social media algorithms that push harmful content without parents or teachers knowing. Headteachers are warning that what begins as casual sexist remarks in the classroom can quickly escalate if left unchallenged.
At Beacon Hill Academy in Dudley, school staff say they are seeing the real-world impact of what pupils are exposed to online. The school operates a “zero tolerance” policy towards misogynistic or derogatory language, and logs all concerning behaviour, even if it’s typed anonymously on a school computer. Staff then intervene before patterns of harmful behaviour become more serious.
The school’s headteacher, Sukhjot Dhami, said misogynistic attitudes “have always been there” but that what has changed is how widespread and easily accessible the ideology has become. Dhami recently contacted parents following the release of the Netflix drama Adolescence, sharing advice on decoding the online language and symbols commonly used in misogynistic spaces.
For some pupils, exposure to online misogyny is already having a damaging effect. Adam, a Year 10 student, described how content pushing toxic masculinity appeared on his feeds daily. He said he had once believed that showing emotion was a sign of weakness. “You’ll see videos saying, ‘You have to be a man’, and that if you talk about how you feel then you’re not a man at all,” he said. After beginning counselling through school, he now says he understands the value of speaking openly and rejecting harmful messages.
But the effects are not limited to boys. Teenage girls, who are often the targets of this behaviour, report feeling unsafe both in and outside school. A separate study from University College London found that girls are now significantly less likely than boys to feel safe in school settings.
Theresa, 15, says sexist comments from peers are common. “They did do an assembly about how to treat women and not to objectify them,” she said, but the issue goes beyond school gates. “Outside of school some boys will be like, ‘Oh it’s the chuzz group, it’s the ugly girls,’ and this and that.”
Despite the scale of the problem, many teachers say they haven’t received enough guidance from government on how to address misogyny in schools. While some targeted resources have recently been published, particularly around signs of incel culture, teachers say what’s missing is clear and consistent support on how to embed anti-misogyny education across the curriculum. Nearly half of those surveyed said they want more detailed guidance from the Department for Education, and four in ten weren’t even aware of the current advice.
The government says it is reviewing the relationships and sex education curriculum, which has been mandatory in England since 2020, and insists that new measures to improve online safety are also on the way. But teachers on the ground say time is running out to counter the impact of online influencers glamorising misogyny and toxic masculinity.
Karl Quiney, a PE teacher at Beacon Hill, said many boys are being drawn to harmful figures online because of feelings of low self-worth. “They’re looking at these influencers with money, cars, and fame,” he said. “It’s our job to show them that there’s another way to be a man.”
