This summary guide lists some common impacts of sexual abuse on children’s education, and explains what teaching and early years staff, and other practitioners, can say and do to help a child who has been, or may have been, sexually abused.
It is vital for all practitioners to think about the support the child will need in terms of their education, especially if statutory agencies are not currently involved in their life. Even when agencies are involved, it is important that everyone involved with the child understands they have a responsibility to ensure the child’s education is prioritised.
How might the child’s education be affected by the abuse?
When a child is being sexually abused, or when concerns of sexual abuse have been raised, the child’s experience of school (or other place of learning) is likely to be affected:
- They may see school as a safe space and immerse themselves in their academic work and activities; alternatively, they may be unwilling to go to school, refuse to go, or start truanting.
- They may feel unsafe or overwhelmed in school, or feel that they cannot trust either staff or other children.
- They may find it very hard to focus, become "fidgety," or start underachieving because their mind is "too full" of their experiences.
- They may show their distress in their behaviour – for example, through inappropriate touching, emotional outbursts, lack of cooperation, or falling out with friends.
- Lessons about relationships or sex education (PSHE) can be particularly painful and overwhelming.
“If you go to school that’s really important. You know it just keeps you around normal people … it’s like rules and people telling you what to do. At the time I didn’t think that was a good thing but it is, believe me.”
“I dropped out of college because I just couldn’t cope … like I was just in a room full of boys, there was only one other girl. They were just having a laugh about [sex] and making jokes about it. It was really difficult and I just couldn’t cope with it...”
“PSHE was really hard for me because it was about abuse and that – I just had to try and get through it ….”
“It was a big impact on my exams, I didn’t get no GCSEs or anything, I was in the exam but because my mind was so full up on that I didn’t have time to revise, I didn’t have time to worry about GCSEs or a piece of paper.”
For the sources of the quotations above, please download our full guide to this aspect of the Response Pathway.
How can you best help the child?
Helping a child feel engaged in their education and supporting their future plans for education, training or employment is vital to their recovery from sexual abuse.
The school can support the child to keep on track with their learning at a pace that feels right for them.
- Ensure ongoing efforts to keep the child in school and engaged in their learning throughout their education.
- Support the child’s emotional wellbeing and recognise that their behaviour may be a symptom of abuse or a difficult home situation.
- Help the child stay on track academically by adapting support to their needs, such as checking understanding, offering extra time, small group work, or differentiated materials.
- Ask the child about any subjects they might be finding more difficult and agree with them what can be put in place to help.
- Avoid giving extra work to catch up or keeping the child back during breaks to recover lost learning.
- If attendance or attainment drops, respond with supportive interventions rather than disciplinary measures, acknowledging the impact of trauma on learning and memory.
- Provide additional support during less structured times, such as directing the child to structured activities or assigning a buddy at breaks and lunch.
- Be mindful if the child overachieves as a response to abuse; ensure they receive appropriate support regardless of their academic performance.
- Establish a routine check-in to review learning and acknowledge progress.
Efforts to keep the child in school and engaged in their learning should continue throughout their education. The school can take a range of actions to help the child keep on track with their learning at a pace that feels right for them:
- Ask the child about any subjects they might be finding more difficult and agree with them what can be put in place to help – such as offering extra time, small group work, differentiated materials or even (in the case of lessons such as PSHE) teaching the child outside a group environment).
- Avoid giving them extra work to catch up on, or keeping them back during breaks to recover lost learning.
- If attendance or attainment drops, respond with supportive interventions rather than disciplinary measures, acknowledging the impact of trauma on learning and memory.
- Provide additional support during less structured times, such as directing the child to structured activities or assigning a buddy at breaks and lunch.
- Ensure they receive appropriate support regardless of their academic performance, recognising that some children overachieve as a response to abuse.
- Establish a routine check-in to review learning and acknowledge progress.
In addition to recognising that any disruptive or ‘challenging’ behaviour may be a symptom of abuse or a difficult home situation, the school can support the child’s emotional wellbeing in many ways:
- Explain to the child that feeling overwhelmed at times is normal, and reassure them by giving examples of how these emotions might show up.
- Help the child identify situations (such as PSHE lessons) that may trigger a reaction, and support them in identifying a safe person to approach if they feel upset. Encourage them to select more than one safe person for support if needed.
- Ensure the safe person actively checks in with the child during the day, rather than waiting for the child to seek help.
- Provide the child with a sign (such as a card they can discreetly show a teacher) to indicate when they need time out or to find their safe person or place.
- Let the child know that they may ring home if they are feeling anxious or upset.
Anyone working with the child can help them to create an ‘emotional first aid kit’ of items (such as something tactile to play with, colouring books, lavender oils or a set of self-help statements) with which they can manage difficult feelings and ground themselves.
Other children in the school may already know that something has happened. This can be very difficult for the child, who may face bullying and or victim-blaming, in person and/or online. It can also be difficult for the other children, who may also feel confused and afraid.
- Reassure the child that the only staff who know about their situation are those who need to know. Tell them who these staff members are.
- Support the child in deciding which peers (if any) to confide in, what details to share, and when to do so. Encourage them to consider whether their friends might share the information with others (including the friends’ parents, whose reactions could vary.
- Help the child anticipate possible reactions from friends, explaining that some may be upset or struggle to believe them, and discuss how these responses might make the child feel.
- Advise the child that, even after sharing with friends, there will be times when they don't wish to discuss the situation. Give them simple scripts to change the subject, such as: “I need some help to distract me from this today – can we talk about something else?”
- If appropriate for the child's age, discuss strategies for responding to negative comments, misinformation or rumours encountered on social media.
The child may need guidance for social interactions, both online and offline. Assist them in preparing responses if someone discusses the abuse, asks about time away from school for appointments, or questions why they are suddenly upset.
Schools face particular challenges when supporting a child who has been sexually harmed by another pupil. Our Safety Planning in Education guide outlines actions to ensure both the harmed child and those who have harmed are kept safe and receive appropriate support.
Equipping school staff to support sexually abused children
Support from school staff is invaluable for children who have been sexually abused, but it can be complex and emotionally challenging for staff.
- School leaders should embed a whole-school approach, ensuring staff have time and skills to regularly talk with and listen to children. Our Implementing a Whole-School Approach to Child Sexual Abuse guide explains how.
- School staff should feel able to seek specialist advice and ongoing support from local independent sexual violence advisors (ISVAs).
- They should feel confident in proactively talking with children where there are concerns or disclosures of sexual abuse; this requires appropriate training, practical guidance, and supervision/support. Our Communicating with Children guide provides advice on what to say and ask, and how to have conversations in various contexts.
- Make sure that staff know how they should interact with the person(s) of concern. A clear written safety plan should be agreed on what should and should not happen.
- Supervision and peer support are especially important for staff working with sexually abused children. Our practice guide Taking care of your own wellbeing contains more information.
External links
- Statutory guidance: Keeping children safe in education [Department for Education]
- Find an ISVA [The Survivors Trust]