Child on Child Abuse Including Protected Characteristics
What is it?
Peer on peer abuse is unwanted behaviour which a person finds offensive, humiliating, hurtful or behaviour that makes them feel intimated. It can happen in isolation or can take place alongside other forms of discrimination. This form of behaviour can take place in person and also online.
This unwanted behaviour (that will not be tolerated at Junction Farm) could materialise as:
- Spoken or written words
- Offensive / hurtful emails or comments on online platforms.
- Images or graffiti
- Physical gestures
- Jokes and banter
- Control in relationships
- Physical abuse (hitting, kicking, shaking, biting, hair pulling, or otherwise causing physical harm (this may include an online element which facilitates, threatens and/or encourages physical abuse);
- causing someone to engage in sexual activity without consent, such as forcing someone to strip, touch themselves sexually, or to engage in sexual activity with a third party (This also includes inappropriate pictures of themselves or others);
- Upskirting, which typically involves taking a picture under a person’s clothing without them knowing, which causes the victim humiliation, distress or alarm.
- Sexting (known as youth produced sexual imagery) and
- Initiation/hazing type violence and rituals (this could include activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group and may also include an online element).
The OFSTED Review (June 2021) Review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges – GOV.UK (www. gov.uk), says that schools should have:
‘a carefully sequenced RSHE curriculum, based on the Department for Education’s (DfE’s) statutory guidance, that specifically includes sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online. This should include time for open discussion of topics that children and young people tell us they find particularly difficult, such as consent and the sending of ‘nudes.’
Our Jigsaw curriculum meets these criteria in an age appropriate way. At Junction Farm, we understand the importance of getting the basics on how we treat each other, different forms of relationships, consent, respect for other and privacy into the broad based PSHE curriculum to support later more specific work on this as children get older. Concepts are sequenced and interwoven in an ‘age and stage’ manner, allowing for content to be revisited and built on in further depth at appropriate points in their learning.
Children in our school know what a good friendship comprises of and what constitutes a healthy relationship. In Upper Key Stage 2, children explore further in what a healthy relationship looks like with a boyfriend/girlfriend and also includes same sex relationships.
1. Jigsaw Approach to Safeguarding and Consent This article was written in reference to Keeping Children Safe in Education (September 2020) and Working Together to Safeguard Children (July 2018) and is still relevant in relation to the most recent update to the former in September 2021. It explains the content and approaches used in Jigsaw that are used to support children in these sensitive and important areas of learning which can then be linked to other approaches used in the school. Jigsaw carefully considers what to teach when, what is appropriate to teach explicitly and what messages are given implicitly. The aim is to empower pupils to understand that the world may sometimes present threats to their safety and to know how they can protect themselves from these, and to do this in a way that does not cause distress or fear. Jigsaw also builds the underlying resilience and skills needed to assertively protect themselves. 2. The Jigsaw overview of where Jigsaw meets the statutory guidance for RSHE. Many of the statutory statements for RSHE in the DfE Guidance from 2019 relate directly or in a contributory way to the topics of peer-on-peer abuse and sexual harassment. Our RSHE overview document shows you in which specific lessons this statutory content is taught in an age and content appropriate manner.
Protected Characteristics:
It is important that all children have an understanding of the world they are growing up in, having learned how to live alongside, and show respect for, a diverse range of people. It is important our children are equipped to do this.
How Protected Characteristics are taught through Jigsaw:
Protected Characteristics |
What this refers to |
Link to Jigsaw Teaching |
Age |
Where this is referred to, it refers to a person belonging to a particular age group. |
Celebrating Difference Age 8-9 Piece 1: Judging by Appearance Age 8-9 Piece 2: Understanding Influences Age 10-11 Piece 2: Understanding Difference Ages 10-11 Piece 3: Power Struggles |
Gender Reassignment |
The process of transitioning from one gender to another. |
Celebrating Difference Age 6-7 Piece 5: Gender Diversity NB: there is no direct reference to transgender or the concept of transitioning in this lesson. Ages 10-11 Piece 2: Understanding difference NB. In Jigsaw the focus is on accepting all people as unique individuals, not on transitioning itself. |
Being married or in a civil partnership |
Marriage is no longer restricted to a union between a man and a woman but now includes a marriage between a same-sex couple. Same-sex couples can also have their relationships legally recognised as ‘civil partnerships’. Civil partners must not be treated less favourably than married couples (except where permitted by the Equality Act). |
Celebrating Difference Ages 7-8 Piece 1: Families Age 10-11 Piece 2: Understanding Difference Relationships Age 5-6 Piece 1: Families Ages 6-7 Piece 1: Familie |
Being pregnant or on maternity leave |
Pregnancy is the condition of being pregnant or expecting a baby. Maternity refers to the period after the birth, and is linked to maternity leave in the employment context. In the non-work context, protection against maternity discrimination is for 26 weeks after giving birth, and this includes treating a woman unfavourably because she is breastfeeding. |
Celebrating Difference Ages 10-11 Piece 5: Celebrating difference Age 6-7 Piece 4: Standing up for Myself and others Age 8-9 Piece 1: Judging by Appearances Age 8-9 Piece 6: Celebrating Differences: How We Look Age 10-11 Piece 2: Understanding Difference |
Race including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin |
Race including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin. |
Celebrating Difference Ages 9-10 Piece 1: Different Cultures Ages 9-10 Piece 2: Racism Age 7-8 Piece : Families Age 10-11 Piece 2: Understanding Difference |
Religion, belief or lack of religion/belief |
Religion has the meaning usually given to it but belief includes religious and philosophical beliefs. Generally, a belief should affect your life choices or the way you live for it to be included in the definition. |
Celebrating Difference Ages 9-10 Piece 1: Different Cultures Age 10-11 Piece 2: Understanding Difference |
Sex |
A man or a woman. |
Celebrating Difference Ages 6-7 Pieces 1&2: Boys and Girls Age 8-9 Piece 1: Judging by Appearances Age 10-11 Piece 2: Understanding Difference Changing Me Age 7-8 Piece 5: Family Stereotypes |
Sexual orientation |
Whether a person’s sexual attraction is towards their own sex, the opposite sex or to both sexes. |
Celebrating Difference Age 6-7 Piece 4: Standing up for Myself and others Age 7-8 Piece 1: Families Age 9-10 Piece 3: Rumours and Name Calling Age 9-10 Piece 4: Types of Bullying Age 10 – 11 Piece 2: Understanding Difference Relationships Age 8- 9 Piece 5: Girlfriends and Boyfriends Changing Me Ages 10-11 Piece 4: Boyfriends and girlfriends |
1. If children find themselves in position where they are faced with Peer on Peer Abuse, bullying or any kind of discrimination we encourage children to talk to someone:
-
- A teacher
- Senior Leader / Headteacher
- Any member of staff they trust
- A parent
- A friend
- Safeguarding Leads
- Walter the Worry Monster
- THEY MUST NOT KEEP IT TO THEMSELVES, THEY MUST TELL SOMEONE.
As a school, the trusted adult will:
-
- Review incident and identify if other pupils were involved.
- Decide appropriate sanctions and/ or support based on school rules/ guidelines.
- Inform parents/ carers if serious or persistent incident.
- In serious incidents consider informing the Safeguarding Officer as the child instigator could be at risk
- Review school procedures/policies to develop best practice.
2. Children will never be made to feel they are causing a problem and that their concerns are valid. They will not be judged and staff will always be honest. They listen carefully.
3. Children from a very early age at Junction Farm, understand confidentiality. Our Jigsaw charter promotes confidentially, but children are fully aware that this cannot be promised if someone is in danger or unsafe.
Useful links and Further Help:
www.childline.org.uk
www.iwf.org.uk – Internet Watch Foundation is a registered charity based in Cambridge, England. It states that its remit is “to minimise the availability of online sexual abuse content, specifically child sexual abuse images and videos hosted anywhere in the world and non-photographic child sexual abuse images hosted in the UK. Here you can make reports anonymously and confidentially.
You can view our Anti Bullying policy here.