We are calling on the UK Government and Department for Education to make child grooming awareness a mandatory, age-appropriate part of RSHE (Relationships, Sex and Health Education) — taught once every school term from the beginning of primary school until the end of secondary education.

Why this matters:

The last CPS data showed that only 12% of reported CSA offences get put forward to the CPS by the police to be charged/prosecuted - and 12% is the highest charge rate for this type of offence in YEARS. To add insult to injury, the few that do actually get prosecuted tend to result in increasingly lenient sentences being handed down by our courts, with many offenders walking free from court with community or suspended sentences. Not only does this highlight a lack of justice for victims of CSA, but it also reduces any potential deterrent for offenders. It is particularly concerning that the IICSA report identified the extent to which professionals turned a blind eye and failed to act on allegations of CSA, and the recent Casey Review has shown that  despite the supposed “Lessons Learned” by these institutions, this failure to act to protect children from abuse has continued. Despite this, the Labour government has decided to narrow the scope for which professionals are mandated to report CSA, and have also include a provision which allows them to DELAY reporting the abuse if they feel it’s in the child’s best interests. We appear to be living in a society in which politicians and institutions alike do little more than pay lip service to protecting children, leaving them vulnerable to abuse. 

We therefore feel that it’s essential that children are taught from an early age to identify the signs of grooming, to be aware that as children nobody should be touching them inappropriately, and that they should know that it’s ok to disclose it. And we feel that this awareness should be provided to every child of school age, and be provided on a regular basis, in an age appropriate way. The current RHSE curriculum does not adequately do this  

Right now, RSHE focuses mainly on consent and boundaries within the realm of peer relationships and online safety. But it says very little about the very real danger of grooming by adults — and almost nothing about grooming gangs, even for older children.

 • Children under 10 are rarely taught how grooming starts — being touched or encouraged to touch, given gifts, or told to keep a “special secret.”

 • Older children often leave school without ever learning how organised abusers /gangs manipulate and control victims over time.

If schools are already teaching about consent, gender identity, and masturbation, then there is no valid reason why they cannot teach grooming awareness. It can be done in a sensitive, age-appropriate way that protects children — without frightening them.

We are asking for:

 1. Grooming awareness to be taught every term from Reception to Year 13.

 2. Safeguarding experts and survivors to help shape the content.

 3. Clear, honest language, not euphemism or vagueness.

 4. A real focus on adult grooming and exploitation, not just online risks.

Education is prevention. Children deserve the truth — and the tools to protect themselves.