The headmaster of Lytchett Minster School has issued a statement after students and parents  blasted a video in which it is claimed a teacher links the wearing of short skirts with sexual harassment.

The full statement from Lytchett Minster School headmaster Andrew Mead:

"As a school we wanted to address the issue of sexual harassment. The catalyst for this was the abhorrent posts that were circulating on TikTok earlier in the week which appeared to promote sexual violence against women."

The following letter was sent to parents:

Dear Parents/Carers,

We have been alerted to very unpleasant comments that are circulating on social media which appear to glorify sexual violence against women.  We are aware that some of these comments have been made by young males in the local area.  We advise all students to be particularly vigilant over the next few days whether they are on social media or out and about in the local area.  We have contacted the police and we understand that patrols in the area will be increased. 

 Although these comments did not originate from Lytchett Minster School, we feel we need to bring this matter to your attention.  A number of our students have seen these abhorrent and upsetting comments on social media.  If any student is concerned or worried, they are encouraged to speak to a member of staff. If any student receives threats or comments of a sexual nature from a fellow student, this should be reported to a member of staff immediately and appropriate action will be taken.

 The safety of our students is our absolute priority. We will not tolerate any behaviour which is likely to intimidate or frighten our students.

 Please do not hesitate to contact me if you wish to discuss this matter further.

We felt it was important to raise the issue of sexual harassment in society and in school. We felt it was too important a subject to just sweep under the carpet. 

A video was made by the headmaster and a head of house seeking to address this serious issue.  

A section of the video caused a lot of upset, which was clearly unintended.

A letter of apology was sent to all students and a follow up letter was sent to parents.

Here is the apology sent to students:

Dear Students,

Following the email that was sent out to parents on Tuesday on the subject of social media (and the appalling messages that were being disseminated from various platforms), we felt we needed to address the issue of sexual harassment in school through a video to students. Clearly this is a very sensitive and emotive subject. The purpose of the video was to challenge the unacceptable language being used by some boys towards a number of girls in the school.  The second half of the video was supposed to be about considering ways of keeping safe. Unfortunately, the issue of the length of girls’ skirts was used as an example. This was clearly a mistake and caused a lot of upset.   We accept that we should not have linked the two issues, as there is never any excuse for boys to make inappropriate comments to girls, and no one ever deserves abuse on account of what they are wearing or what they do.  We apologise for the distress caused by linking these two entirely separate issues.  The video has provoked a lot of discussion amongst you and we hope that something positive will emerge from it. Ultimately we want all of you (boys and girls) to feel comfortable and safe coming into school, without fear of being called unpleasant names for the way you look, the way you behave or the way you express yourselves. 

Here is the apology sent to parents:

Following the email that was sent out to parents on Tuesday on the subject of social media (and the appalling messages that were being disseminated from various platforms), we felt we needed to address the issue of sexual harassment in school through a video to students. Clearly this is a very sensitive and emotive subject. The purpose of the video was to challenge the unacceptable language being used by some boys towards a number of girls in the school.  The second half of the video was supposed to be about considering ways of keeping safe. Unfortunately, the issue of the length of girls’ skirts was used as an example. This was clearly a mistake and caused a lot of upset.   We accept that we should not have linked the two issues, as there is never any excuse for boys to make inappropriate comments to girls, and no one ever deserves abuse on account of what they are wearing or what they do.  We apologise for the distress caused by linking these two entirely separate issues.  The video has provoked a lot of discussion amongst students and we hope that something positive will emerge from it. Ultimately we want all students to feel comfortable and safe coming into school, without fear of being called unpleasant names for the way they look, the way they behave or the way they express themselves. 

The member of staff who made the comment on the video (which has become the subject of controversy), is an exceptionally caring teacher. She deeply regrets the comment she made about the length of girls’ skirts and has apologised fully. She recognises that no one ever deserves abuse on account of what they are wearing, and it was a mistake to link the two issues. She cares deeply about the safety and wellbeing of our students.  It is disappointing that a number of parents have felt it appropriate to make personal verbal attacks on her on social media.

A number of students have chosen to make their feelings known by organising a protest on the school field. We have allowed this to take place. It is being supervised by staff. One of the sixth form students who spoke at the demonstration emphasised that the protest was about the wider issue of women’s safety in society.

Andrew Mead

Headmaster