Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Fifth Report - Attitudes towards women and girls in educational settings
Women and Equalities Committee
HC 331
Published 5 July 2023
Government response
Attitudes towards women and girls in educational settings: Government, Ofsted and Office for Students responses to the Committee’s Fifth Report of Session 2022–23 · published 17 Nov 2023
Recommendations & Conclusions
4
Recommendation
Deferred
Undertake evaluation of KCSiE guidance implementation, impact, and barriers within six months.
Recommendation
The Government should undertake an evaluation of how well schools are following the Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance and the impact that guidance is having in practice. The evaluation should include 33 scrutiny of any barriers preventing schools from …
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Government Response Summary
The government responds by detailing its annual update and consultation process for the Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance, stating the next consultation will launch later this year, rather than committing to an evaluation of school adherence and impact.
Government Equalities Office
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13
Recommendation
Deferred
Para 70
Strengthen Office for Students' mandatory university requirements for tackling sexual harassment and violence.
Recommendation
The higher education sector has made progress in tackling sexual harassment and sexual violence, but that progress has been inconsistent and slow. The Office for Students (OfS) has committed to a new condition of registration which will place mandatory obligations …
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Government Response Summary
The government notes that the OfS's public consultation results on mandatory obligations for universities to tackle sexual harassment will be published soon, with new measures in force in 2024.
Government Equalities Office
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14
Conclusion
Deferred
Require all universities to implement compulsory bystander intervention programmes for first-year students.
Conclusion
The Office for Students’ condition of registration should require all universities to put in place compulsory evidence-based bystander intervention programmes for all first-year students. The Office for Students should strengthen its statement of expectations to ensure that universities provide that …
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Government Response Summary
The Department for Education expects universities to comply with existing law and notes many already provide bystander training. The Office for Students' public consultation results will be published soon, with new measures to be in force in 2024, but it does not directly commit to making bystander training compulsory.
Government Equalities Office
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