In a major move to combat violence against women and girls, the government has announced that all secondary schools in England will be required to teach pupils about healthy relationships. The initiative, part of a wider strategy to halve such violence within a decade, aims to tackle misogynistic attitudes and ‘stop abuse before it starts’.
Core Components of the New Strategy
Announced on December 17, 2025, the plan involves a comprehensive package of measures backed by a £20 million funding package. A central pillar is providing specialist training for teachers, equipping them to lead conversations on topics like consent and building respectful relationships. Furthermore, children who display harmful behaviour towards family members or partners will be enrolled in behaviour change programmes.
A new helpline will also be established for teenagers who are worried about their own conduct within relationships. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer stated that the government is stepping in sooner to back teachers, call out misogyny, and intervene when warning signs appear. He emphasised that this is about protecting girls and driving forward essential education and conversation with boys and young men.
Funding and Critical Responses
The £20 million package includes £16 million of direct government investment, with collaboration sought from philanthropists for an innovation fund. This education drive follows Department for Education research which found that 70% of secondary school teachers had actively dealt with incidents of sexual violence or harassment between pupils.
However, the announcement has been met with calls for greater commitment and detail. Dame Nicole Jacobs, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales, welcomed the focus on misogynistic attitudes but warned that the level of investment ‘falls seriously short’ and that overburdened schools lack the infrastructure to safeguard child victims effectively.
Campaign groups like the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW) welcomed the focus on relationships and sex education but highlighted concerns. Director Andrea Simon pointed to inconsistent delivery across schools and noted that the education is still not mandatory for 16-18 year olds, the age group most likely to experience domestic abuse.
Wider Context and Future Actions
The education measures form part of a broader cross-government strategy. Other commitments include deploying specialist rape investigators to every police force, improving NHS support for survivors, and a £19 million fund for safe housing for domestic abuse survivors. The legal framework for domestic abuse will also be reviewed to better address teenagers' experiences.
This review follows the murder of 15-year-old Holly Newton by a stalker ex-boyfriend in January 2023, with the Prime Minister vowing to look at recognising younger people as domestic abuse victims. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, drawing on her past work in a women's refuge, stressed that early intervention is crucial to change lives before attitudes harden into harm.
Schools for the teacher training pilot will be selected next year, with the aim for all secondary schools in England to be delivering the healthy relationship sessions by the end of the current Parliament.
