FAILURE to take action on sexual abuse has led to harassment being normalised in schools, Basingstoke's MP has said.

Maria Miller, the former chair of the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee, said Ofsted's delay in giving the subject the attention it deserves has cost children precious time.

Ofsted released a review last week which found that eight in ten girls had experienced sexual harassment or abuse in schools.

But Mrs Miller said the findings were nothing new, highlighting a report by the Women and Equalities Select Committee which warned five years ago that the scale of sexual harassment and abuse in schools were "far greater" than data indicated. It found the vast majority of incidents go unreported for the victim's fear or being blamed or not being taken seriously.

Website Everyone's Invited, set up by student Soma Sara to allow survivors to share their stories, has a number of testimonies from pupils in Basingstoke schools and colleges.

Mrs Miller said she welcomed Ofsted's "thoroughness" in drawing attention to the issue but her reaction is tinged with deep anger".

Writing for Politics Home, she said: "Five years is precious time in a child’s life – almost an entire school career – where sexual harassment and violence has not been taken seriously or properly tackled by schools and its inspectorate.

"This failure damages not only the lives of young girls, but young boys too, because we are failing to set the boundaries of what a healthy relationship looks like for a whole generation."