What KCSIE 2026 says
Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) 2026 doesn’t treat misogyny as a separate category of harm. It treats it as part of child-on-child abuse and sexual harassment, and as an attitude that can grow into them.
- Banter culture. Dismissing sexual harassment as “just banter”, “just having a laugh”, “part of growing up” or “boys being boys” can lead to “a culture of unacceptable behaviour, misogyny, an unsafe environment for children” and, at worst, abuse that children stop reporting (paragraph 34). The child protection policy should say this (paragraph 193).
- Online. Child-on-child abuse online can take the form of “abusive, harassing, and misogynistic/misandrist messages” (paragraph 23). Misogyny is also one of the content risks in paragraph 165.
- Escalation. Part five, which deals with sexual harassment and violence, asks schools to recognise “the escalatory nature of misogyny and the benefits of early identification” (paragraph 530). Early intervention “in inappropriate behaviour such as misogyny” can stop it becoming harassment or violence (paragraph 538).
- Prevention. Preventative education should build “a culture of zero tolerance” for sexism and misogyny, and cover “misogynistic influencers” (paragraph 160).
- Records. Under the public sector equality duty, schools must consider how to eliminate behaviour such as “misogyny/misandry”. KCSIE says this is one reason “good record-keeping and monitoring of all forms of abuse and harassment is essential” (paragraph 102).
KCSIE also notes that children who abuse others often have experienced abuse or trauma themselves, and that tackling “sexism and misogyny” can help prevent future violence (paragraph 633).
What the RSHE guidance asks of staff
The RSHE statutory guidance published in July 2025 has been compulsory since 1 September 2026. Its section on sexual harassment and violence is the most practical guidance the DfE has given on misogyny:
- Staff should be “conscious of everyday sexism, misogyny, homophobia and stereotypes” and act on them. “Where misogynistic ideas are expressed at school, staff should challenge the ideas, rather than the person expressing them” (paragraph 80).
- Pupils may meet “sexist and misogynistic influencers who normalise sexual harassment and abuse”, and may be more vulnerable to them “when they have low self-esteem, are being bullied, or have other challenges in their lives”. Teachers should avoid “directly signposting to specific content and content producers” (paragraph 81).
- Teaching should not suggest that boys are always perpetrators or girls always victims (paragraphs 79 and 83). Most boys and young men are respectful, and pupils should learn about positive male role models (paragraph 81).
In the secondary curriculum, pupils should learn to recognise misogyny (Respectful relationships, point 9), how pornography can affect attitudes (point 11), and the sexual norms promoted by “involuntary celibates” (incels) or online influencers (point 12).
The manosphere
“Manosphere” is an informal term. It doesn’t appear in KCSIE or the RSHE guidance. It usually means online influencers, podcasts and forums about men and masculinity. Some of it is harmless self-improvement content. Some promotes contempt for women, rigid gender roles or incel ideas.
A pupil repeating a slogan has not necessarily adopted an ideology. The RSHE approach applies: talk about the idea, why it appeals and who it harms, without shaming the pupil. Don’t name or show specific creators, because that can send pupils to them.
How big is the problem?
- In Ofsted’s 2021 review of sexual abuse in schools, 92% of girls said sexist name-calling happened “a lot” or “sometimes” between people their age.
- In September 2026 the DfE reported that half of girls had heard misogynistic comments from other pupils during one week at school in May. Nearly a third of year 10 and 11 pupils had recently heard comments that made them worry about girls’ safety.
When it becomes a safeguarding concern
Most misogynistic remarks are dealt with in class and through the behaviour policy. Record them so that patterns show up. Pass a concern to the DSL when there is:
- sexual harassment, such as sexual comments, jokes, touching or online messages aimed at a pupil
- sharing of nudes or sexual images, including AI-generated ones
- a pattern of targeting one pupil or a group of girls
- signs that the pupil is vulnerable, for example isolated, bullied or showing a sudden change in behaviour
- threats of violence, or interest in violent attacks or their perpetrators
The DSL decides whether to manage it in school, offer early help or Family Help, or refer on. Our guide to harmful sexual behaviour and child-on-child abuse covers the options.
When Prevent applies
The Prevent duty is about the risk of being drawn into terrorism. The Prevent duty guidance names misogyny as a common theme in terrorist narratives (paragraph 25). It says violent followers of movements such as incels “could meet the threshold of terrorist intent or action” if serious violence is used or threatened (paragraph 27). So consider Prevent when misogyny comes with support for violence or with signs of radicalisation, not for sexist views alone. The DSL makes that decision. See our guide to the Prevent duty in schools.
The DfE’s plan for schools
The government’s violence against women and girls strategy (December 2025) promised teacher training on consent and image sharing, a strong healthy relationships offer in every secondary school by the end of this Parliament, and support for pupils with “deep-rooted misogynist influences”.
On 26 September 2026 the DfE announced a practical framework to tackle misogyny, with guides, teacher training and support for parents. It also announced a £150,000 RSHE expert advisory group to develop resources, and two pilots under the £16 million Violence Against Women and Girls Prevention Programme. One pilot works with secondary pupils on healthy relationships, and the other works with boys on harmful attitudes and online influences. When we checked GOV.UK on 20 October 2026, we couldn’t find the framework itself.