Union warns 'masculinity crisis' brewing in schools

A teaching union has warned there is a 'masculinity crisis' brewing in schools, as almost a quarter of female teachers reported facing misogyny from pupils.

That figure rose for the fourth year in a row to 23.4 per cent, according to a survey by the teachers' union NASUWT.

It marked a rise from 22.2 per cent last year, itself an increase from 17.4 per cent in 2023.

The share of female teachers reporting misogyny from pupils has now risen for four years in a row.

One teacher told the union a student made naked images of her and others using artificial intelligence (AI), while others reported being called misogynistic names regularly and being meowed at by male students.

Matt Wrack, NASUWT's general secretary, said teachers needed mandatory training to help them identify, challenge and safely de-escalate behaviour rooted in online radicalisation, sexism and hate.

He said: 'We have a masculinity crisis brewing in our schools.

'Teachers desperately need increased support to deal with this new frontier of behaviour management - it affects the wellbeing of everyone in the classroom.

'This generation of teachers faces an unprecedented task that requires urgent action from policymakers.'

More than one in five of more than 5,000 teachers surveyed by NASUWT said they experienced sexist, racist or homophobic language from a pupil in the last year.

And it was reported this week that more than half of teachers said their pupils were being influenced by racist and misogynistic extreme social media content.

A survey of 10,578 teachers by the National Education Union (NEU) found 52 per cent had seen 'racist' behaviour from children, while 56 per cent had seen 'misogyny'.

The union said it was likely the attitudes had come from online influencers and extreme internet forums.

In the NASUWT survey many female teachers said pupils used misogynistic language during attempts to tackle behavioural concerns and some said boys did not listen to them because they were female, according to the union.

Other teachers reported being called a 'f****** slag' by pupils, having sexual noises and gestures made towards them and being asked if they were on their period.

One teacher said she faced misogyny on a daily basis, including abusive language.

'Have had boys joke about raping girls in front of me and laughed about it when challenged,' the teacher said.

'Parents have told me if I can't handle teenage boys then I need to "work in a f****** nursery".'

Mr Wrack said: 'If female teachers are reporting that they cannot contain gender-based aggression in their classrooms - and that is exactly what they are telling NASUWT - then we have a ticking time bomb on our hands.

'These pupils are the same boys and young men who will go on to be husbands, fathers, and colleagues in the workplace.

'They may eventually develop influence in the public sphere.

'We must help them and their victims - including teachers - before it is too late.'

He said social media and artificial intelligence companies should be held responsible for misinformation spreading on their platforms and be punished if they do not.

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Mr Wrack added: 'Our young people are being exploited to feed tech billionaires' endless appetites for profit and power, and our education system is under attack as a result.'

It comes as the Government considers measures to limit under-16s' social media use as prime minister Sir Keir Starmer promised to 'fight' social media firms over addictive content.

Teachers in the NEU have also warned that pupils are being influenced by racist and misogynistic extreme social media content.

Anna Edmundson, director of policy and social change at the NSPCC, said it is 'disheartening to hear from teachers that misogyny is becoming more commonplace in schools'.

She added boys said 'they don't want to express these views but feel pressure from peers to do so and that they need guidance and help from safe adults at home, in the community and in their school'.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: 'Misogynistic views are not innate, they are learned and we are committed to using every possible tool to achieve our mission of halving violence against women and girls.

The department said it was 'providing resources to support teachers to recognise the signs of incel ideologies so we can intervene effectively'.

In February teachers at a Rochdale school went on strike because of 'violent and abusive' pupils after staff were 'locked in rooms' and had 'tables thrown at them'.

NASUWT members at St Cuthbert's RC High School in Rochdale and Lily Lane Primary School in Manchester walked out on February 24 over claims of 'untenable levels' of violence.

Staff at the high school reported 'extremely volatile' behaviour from pupils, with one teacher adding violence had reached 'unprecedented' levels.