Teachers to be trained to tackle misogyny and 'toxic ideas' among boys

Teachers will be trained to spot early signs of misogyny in boys and steer them away from it as part of the government's long-awaited strategy to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG).

Sir Keir Starmer warned "too often toxic ideas are taking hold early and going unchallenged", with more than 40% of young men said to hold a positive view of misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate.

He has been challenged about his ideology in the past and called the concerns "garbage".

Sir Keir's government will formally unveil a £20m package of measures today, with £16m coming from the taxpayer and £4m from philanthropists and partners.

Teachers will also get specialist training on how to talk to pupils about issues like consent and the dangers of sharing intimate images - and all secondary school pupils in England will be taught about healthy relationships.

Such lessons will be mandatory by the end of this parliament in 2029, with schools to be chosen for a pilot scheme in 2026, which experts will be brought in to deliver.

And an online helpline will be set up for teenagers with concerns about their own behaviour in relationships.

The measures are part of the government's strategy to halve VAWG in a decade, and the prime minister said it's a "responsibility we owe to the next generation".

"Every parent should be able to trust that their daughter is safe at school, online and in her relationships," he said.

"This government is stepping in sooner - backing teachers, calling out misogyny, and intervening when warning signs appear - to stop harm before it starts."

Department for Education-commissioned research found 70% of secondary school teachers surveyed said their school had actively dealt with sexual violence and/or harassment between children.

VAWG minister Jess Phillips told Sky News political editor Beth Rigby she had spoken to her own children about what's normal sexual behaviour and what isn't because she knows "what they might be exposed to".

She said if the government does nothing to intervene, VAWG could double rather than be halved.

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The government has already announced several other measures to tackle VAWG this week, including introducing specialist rape and sexual offences investigators to every police force, better support for survivors in the NHS, and a £19m funding boost for councils to provide safe housing for domestic abuse survivors.

Investment 'falls short'

But Dame Nicole Jacobs, the domestic abuse commissioner for England and Wales, said the commitments "do not go far enough" and schools are overburdened already.

"Today's strategy rightly recognises the scale of this challenge and the need to address the misogynistic attitudes that underpin it, but the level of investment to achieve this falls seriously short," she said.

Claire Waxman, the incoming victims commissioner, added: "Victim services are not an optional extra to this strategy - they must be the backbone of it.

"Without clear, sustainable investment and cross-government leadership, I am concerned we run the risk of the strategy amounting to less than the sum of its parts; a wish list of tactical measures rather than a bold, unifying strategic framework."

(c) Sky News 2025: Teachers to be trained to tackle misogyny and 'toxic ideas' among boys