Adolescence factor: 'Parents really have to get control of what their child is seeing' - Black Country headteacher
A Black Country school trust is taking a zero-tolerance approach to derogatory language as part of moves to raise awareness of online hate networks among families.
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All six schools in Dudley Academies Trust are taking tough action before it leads to more serious behaviour with a policy in place to deal with the issues including surrounding prejudice against women.
After the airing if the eye-opening Netflix mini-series Adolescence, trust school Beacon Hill Academy in Sedgley wrote to parents explaining the meaning of some of the emojis and phrases used by incels, or "involuntary celibates", which is a type of misogynistic online culture along with a guide to some of the language to look out for.
The show starring Stephen Graham tells the story of a 13-year-old boy who is arrested after the murder of a girl in his school and explores the online world he was immersed in.
Beacon Hill head Sukhjot Dhami says he's "extremely worried" about the access young people now have to online sites where hate is treated as normal behaviour. The trust is working in partnership with education specialist Flourish on the initiative.
Mr Dhami explains: "We've always combated those views, and we've always worked with young people - and that's the same for racist views and homophobic views.
"We've done parental sessions in school and we're emphasising to parents that they really have to get control of what their child is seeing and doing at home."
A recent national BBC survey found that more than a third of secondary teachers reported misogynistic behaviour from pupils at their school in a single week. Some 40 per cent of those who responded also said they felt ill-equipped to handle such conduct.
Misogyny is commonly characterised as prejudice against or objectification of women.
This month pupils at the My Tomorrow event at Molineux Stadium heard influential speakers address anti-violence issues. Guests included Pooja Kanda, whose 16-year-old son Ronan, was killed in a knife attack in Wolverhampton almost three years ago.
