NEWS


‘Sexting’ warning as teen girls suffer shocking abuse


By Dorothy Lepkowska


Heads and teachers may be turning a blind eye to alarming levels of “sexting” taking place in Britain’s secondary schools, according to a new report. The study suggests that the


sending and sharing of sexual texts and images by mobile phone may now be prevalent in many schools, with girls in particular being put under pressure to be photographed naked or filmed performing sexual acts. But teachers feel ill-equipped


to deal with the problem, or simply turn a blind eye because they do not believe it is an issue that should be addressed in schools. The report, carried out for


the NSPCC by researchers from the Open University, Kings College London, the Institute of Education and the London School of Economics, is now likely to become the first phase of a much wider and far-reaching examination of the activity across the country.


Previous studies have


suggested that 12 per cent of 11 to 16-year-olds in the UK have seen or received sexual messages online, with two per cent receiving them more than once a week. Girls are more likely to have received them than boys. Overall, three per cent of 11 to 16-year-olds in the UK said they had seen other people perform sexual acts in online messages. However,


the NSPCC


researchers, who visited two similar secondary schools in north and south London and interviewed 35 pupils aged 13 to 16, found that sexting led to more pernicious activities, as perceived barriers between what was acceptable or otherwise were broken down. Academics believe sexting


leads to incidents of “touching up” and “daggering” – simulated rape which involves boys thrusting themselves at girls from behind and pushing them to the floor in corridors or the playground. There was “a problematic assumption that boys should physically touch and grope girls until they were violently refuted”, the study found.


Jon Brown, the NSPCC’s head


of strategy and development, who has responsibility for issues surrounding sexual abuse, said the latest study revealed the high level of “peer-to-peer threat” among pupils in schools. He said: “One of the reasons


for this has been the rapid development of SmartPhone technology and how that links to the sexually coercive behaviour by boys toward girls in the school setting. We were surprised at the extent to which schools are unaware that this is happening or feel ill-equipped to deal with it. “Pupils often lack support


from teachers who feel they lack knowledge and training to deal with these issues, or just turn a blind eye rather than face up to the prospect of dealing with serious sexual abuse situations.” Mr Brown said the groping by


boys of girls was the result of a perception in young males that girls were sexually available, and stemmed directly from sexting and the availability of online pornography. The study found that girls in


year 8, in particular, needed help and intervention from teachers in dealing with unwelcome requests and advances, though older girls had developed “coping strategies and resiliency” when approached by boys for images, for example by pretending they had a boyfriend. Researchers recommended


that schools be more pro-active in clamping down on sexting and related activities by introducing discussions about the subject in PSHE and citizenship, and for sexting to be taken as seriously as cyber-bullying. Mr Brown said one way of addressing the problem would be in single-sex discussion groups, where boys could be taught to recognise the sexual double standards by which they “first pressurise and then judge the girls they target for their sexual attentions”. Crucially, the study found,


teachers need to have up-to-date knowledge of the terminology of the technology that pupils are using in order to have credibility when dealing with the issue.


Web resource urges students to Speak Up


From making small talk to constructing persuasive arguments, speaking in public can be a daunting proposition for teenagers. But now a new set of educational


resources has been launched to help young people express themselves effectively and speak out about the issues that affect them. The Youth Amplified project


is a joint initiative between the University of Leeds and Speakers’ Corner Trust, a national charity that promotes free expression, public debate and active citizenship. The resources provide tools to


help students improve their ability to negotiate, persuade, project, argue and develop confidence in


Students crossing ethnic and religious divides


An increasing number of secondary school pupils in Northern Ireland have contact across religious and ethnic divides, a new study finds. This year’s annual Young Life


and Times Survey (YLT) features the first set of respondents born after the 1994 ceasefires. Only a minority of post-


primary-age pupils report having no friends from other religious or ethnic backgrounds. Almost 1,500 students across


the North completed the YLT survey, undertaken by ARK, a joint initiative by Queen’s and the University of Ulster. It gives an insight into the


lives of 16-year-olds and has been monitoring cross- community contact and attitudes towards community relations since 2003.


Key findings published in a


report entitled No More Us and Them includes that cross- community friendship is more common in 2011 than in 2003. In 2011, 22 per cent of the


YLT respondents had no friends from the other main religious community compared to 33 per cent in 2003. Also, last year, 26 per cent


said that all of their friends were of the same race or ethnic group, compared to 48 per cent back in 2006. This suggests that young people


are mixing more with people from different ethnic backgrounds. Around four in 10 respondents


feel favourably towards people from other religious communities or ethnic backgrounds, and around one half feel neither favourably nor unfavourably.


There has been little change


in these overall attitudes in recent years. Dr Paula Devine from the


School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work at Queen’s said that friendship patterns among 16-year-olds are wider than ever before. She added: “While we found


that 12 per cent of young people never socialise with people from a different religious community, and 16 per cent never do so with people from a different ethnic background, the comments made by young people in the survey suggest a blurring of the traditional ‘us and them’ categories – whether someone is like ‘us’ or ‘them’ is not purely based on their religious or ethnic background, but on other factors such as personality.”


expressing their opinions in public. They include activities, learning outcomes, curriculum links and an online staffroom for teachers and youth workers to share ideas, exercises and experiences. Funded by the Paul Hamlyn


Foundation, which helps people to realise their potential, the research team that developed the resources worked with 80 youngsters aged 11 to 18 across Yorkshire. “Schools are getting much better


at explaining how the political system works and what young people can do to make themselves heard, but almost no guidance is provided on how to speak in public in ways that will gain


attention and respect,” said Stephen Coleman, professor of political communications at the University of Leeds and head of the research team. “Having the skills to speak out


is just as important as knowing the processes and Youth Amplified is designed to help teachers deliver on this essential element of the curriculum while students build their confidence in a creative and engaging way.” For more information, visit www.youthamplified.com


Speaking skills: The Youth Amplified website resource has been unveiled


Warning over SLIs


One child in every classroom struggles to express themselves or to form friendships because of a specific language impairment (SLI). A group of leading academics


has this week launched RALLI – Raising Awareness of Language Impairment – a video-led campaign to raise awareness of SLI and its impact on learning and development. They claim that the condition


receives little recognition and as such children and their families can miss out on accessing help and support. Aimed at children, parents, and education


families


professionals, the campaign aims to share video stories based on people’s experiences of SLI and what can be done to help those affected. The campaign is being


spearheaded by academics including Dorothy Bishop, a professor of developmental neuro- psychology at Oxford University, and Maggie Snowling, a professor of psychology at the University of York.


4 Prof Bishop said: “Language


learning impairment can have a dramatic impact on children. Research shows that two in five children who have the condition say they have difficulties interacting with peers and are twice as likely to be bullied. “These issues do not stop as


they grow older, in fact, teenagers with language impairment are two and half times more likely to report symptoms of anxiety or depression. That’s why we had to take action and launch RALLI, to raise awareness of those who suffer.” Prof Snowling added: “Studies


show that too often behavioural issues and other conditions, such as dyslexia or autism, can also have an underlining language learning impairment. “There has to be greater


recognition of the complexity of the issues associated with SLI then greater sharing of the research insight to support education professionals and families helping those affected.” To watch the launch videos, visit www.youtube.com/rallicampaign


Twitter quiz for police


Pupils took to social media last week to help shape the future of policing in their neighbourhood. The students from Tong High


School in Bradford took part in the area’s first live Twitter question and answer with the local police service. The hour-long session took


place last Friday (May 18) when a panel of six pupils tweeted questions about policing to West Yorkshire police sergeant Brian Watson. It is hoped the experience


will provide police with an insight into the issues faced by young people in the area. The students’ feedback will inform future policing initiatives in the region. The questions ranged from


general queries about how to report a crime, to dealing with noisy neighbours or cyber-bullying to specific questions about policing in their neighbourhood. Headteacher Steve Curran


said: “The Q&A gave pupils a valuable opportunity to talk to police directly about the issues that affect them. We represent a cross section of the wider Bradford community and are therefore in a good position to support this police initiative.” The Q&A is part of a wider


push by West Yorkshire Police to speak to young people. Another scheme is the “i12” summer project which gives 11 to 18-year-olds the chance to take on projects to address a problem in their local community. You can follow Tong High


School on Twitter @Tong_ HighSchool


SecEd • May 24 2012


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