FIVE schools in Basingstoke, Hook and Odiham have been named by the Everyone's Invited, following allegations from students of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment.

Cranbourne, Everest Community Academy, The Vyne, Lord Wandsworth College and Robert May's school were named by current and former pupils, who posted harrowing testimonies about their experiences of “rape culture” on the Everyone’s Invited website.

It comes after an Ofsted report claimed sexual harassment has become “normalised” for schoolchildren, with around nine in 10 girls reporting incidents of sexist name calling and being sent unwanted explicit pictures or videos.

READ MORE: Every school in Hampshire named on Everyone's Invited

Ofsted inspectors were told that boys are sharing “nudes” among themselves like a “collection game” on platforms such as WhatsApp and Snapchat, while some girls have experienced “unwanted touching in school corridors”.

Hampshire County Council’s Lead Executive Lead Member for Children’s Services, Councillor Roz Chadd said she the council are “committed” to making education settings “safe” after being left “disturbed by Ofsted’s findings”.

She told the Gaztte: ““As the Local Authority, we were disturbed by Ofsted’s findings regarding sexual harassment and sexual abuse among children and young people. We recognise this is a complex issue that spans beyond the classroom, and that the County Council, schools, families, and our local communities, among others, all have a role to play in putting solutions in place. 

“We want all children and young people in Hampshire to have a healthy and positive understanding of relationships and consent, and to be able to openly speak up and be supported when needed.”

The Ofsted report suggests children do not see the point of reporting sexual harassment because it happens so frequently, while many teachers consistently underestimate the scale of these problems.

Girls were frustrated that there was not clear teaching of what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable behaviour, one female pupil told inspectors: “It shouldn’t be our responsibility to educate boys.”

Many teachers said they do not feel prepared to teach outside their subject specialism, or lack knowledge on topics such as consent, healthy relationships and sharing of sexual images.

Cllr Chadd added: ““All Hampshire schools strictly follow the ‘Keeping children safe in education’ statutory guidance from the Department for Education, which sets out schools and colleges’ responsibilities to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Each school’s safeguarding framework is also regularly scrutinised by its governors and Ofsted, and updated when needed.

"To help underpin positive, healthy relationships between peers, the County Council is also working closely with schools to support them in implementing the Relationships Sex and Health Education curriculum, which became compulsory for state-funded schools in September last year.

“Hampshire County Council’s Children’s Services recently facilitated briefings for all schools and colleges in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight from our partners in Police, Public Health, Local Children’s Safeguarding Partnerships and the Hampshire Inspection and Advisory Service, to offer practical advice to education staff about peer on peer abuse in education settings.

"The multi-agency Hampshire Safeguarding Children Partnership, also made additional free training available for education professionals, to help them better identify, understand and appropriately respond to children and young people’s sexual behaviour. 

“We welcome the recent recommendations Ofsted has made to schools, colleges, and partner agencies (which include local authorities such as the County Council, Central Government and Ofsted itself), and recognise there is still further work to be done.

“We are now reviewing Ofsted’s report together with our partners, including the Hampshire Safeguarding Children Partnership, and planning the steps needed to put these into practice. On behalf of the County Council and all schools in Hampshire, I want to stress that we are committed to helping ensure our education settings are safe, supportive and respectful places for all.”

Everyone's Invited was set up by teenager Soma Sara who wanted to create a space for victims to show how widespread rape culture is across Britain.

While finishing her English degree at University College London, Soma began sharing her experiencing of rape culture on Instagram and set up the website Everyone's Invited in 2020. Over 15,000 anonymous testimonies have been submitted, sparking a national debate about the issue.

Have you experienced "rape culture" in a Hampshire school or are you a parent concerned about your child in school? Email megan.hinton@newsquest.co.uk to talk anonymously.