Alessia Georgiou reports on confronting teacher misconduct to demand justice for girls in education
With International Women’s Day approaching that celebrates women’s achievements, challenges remain for many women and girls.
And teacher misconduct on girls in education remains prevalent.
Just last week, the BBC reported on a North Yorkshire teacher being barred from teaching after a criminal conviction for having sexual relations with a student.
Thomas Marriott was a history teacher and rowing coach at St Peter’s School in York from September 2007 to August 2011, when his inappropriate relationship with a female student started. He was convicted of two counts of sexual activity with a child by a person of trust in 2023.
But Salik Miah, a lecturer in Primary Education at Leeds Trinity University, who specialises in safeguarding in schools, said he ensured future educators were being taught key policies on safeguarding, honing their abilities to spot and report the key signs of abuse within schools.
Through current software, such as CPOM, concerns and conversations between teachers and children are documented, giving safeguarding leaders in schools vital information for better decision-making.
Miah emphasised that schools can learn from previous incidents, such as the Marriott case, making sure they can always do better to implement robust structures and facilitate necessary checks.
He said: “It’s our job as practitioners to try and help those young people who take a massive leap of faith to report these incidents.”
He acknowledges underreporting, highlighting the importance of building trusting relationships with students and parents to create a safe disclosure environment.
But Salik also points to financial constraints, saying “the budget cuts have been stripped back to the point where safeguarding leads are having to take on other roles.”
Data published by Psychology Today reveals that most perpetrators are male (89.1%) and occupying roles such as teachers (63.4%) or coaches/gym teachers (19.7%).
And girls are the primary victims, making up 72% of reported cases of educator sexual misconduct.
According to Parliament Publishing, underreporting often skews the extent to which this abuse occurs, with many victims feeling fearful, shameful or having a lack of awareness.
At Cambridge University, the student newspaper reported concerns that staff members with upheld sexual misconduct complaints were allowed to retain their positions.
And one girl shared her shocking story
Two days before her GCSE exam, a teacher sent her a series of disturbing messages, professing his love and claiming to have “always watched her.”
Though he was fired, the school prioritised its reputation, barring her from discussing the incident with classmates. Police later dropped the case.
The teacher continued contacting her and her friends online.
On a day meant to honour the achievements of women, these cases serve as a stark reminder of the work still left to do.