Child-on-child
Child-on-Child Abuse Policy
Introduction
Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026 (KCSIE) requires schools to prevent and respond to child-on-child abuse through their safeguarding arrangements.
The school’s procedures must take account of children’s wishes and feelings, provide accessible ways to express concerns and seek help, and operate in their best interests. This policy supplements the Safeguarding Policy and applies to all pupils, including EYFS children, and to abuse online, on or off school premises. In any conflict, current statutory guidance and the Safeguarding Policy govern the response.
All staff should have an awareness of safeguarding issues that can put children at risk of harm, including substance misuse, absence from education and the making or sharing of nudes and semi-nudes.
All staff should be aware that child-on-child abuse may include:
- Bullying, including cyberbullying, prejudice-based and discriminatory bullying; racism, faith-targeted abuse and other discriminatory incidents.
- Physical abuse, serious assault and threatened harm, including threats with weapons.
- Sexual violence and sexual harassment, and causing another child to engage in sexual activity without consent.
- Consensual or non-consensual making or sharing of nudes and semi-nudes, upskirting and technology-facilitated sexual abuse, including manipulated or AI-generated sexual imagery and sexual extortion.
- Abuse in intimate relationships between children, and initiation or hazing involving harassment, humiliation or violence.
Keeping Children Safe
At IGS: Durham we are committed to the prevention, early identification and appropriate management of child-on-child abuse. We continue to ensure that any form of abuse or harmful behaviour is dealt with immediately and consistently to reduce the extent of harm to the young person, with full consideration to the impact on that individual child’s emotional and mental health and well-being.
Therefore, our policy will include a clear and comprehensive strategy taking a contextual whole-school approach to preventing and responding to child-on-child abuse, which includes a clear understanding by staff, children and young people and their parents about everyone’s responsibility in managing any child-on-child abuse incidents. This will include both our prevention measures as well as our response to any incidents of harm. (Farrer and Co. 2017)
All staff and members of the Board have read, understood and agreed to work within this policy framework and parents have access to this policy.
Purpose and Aim
Children and young people may be harmful to one another in a number of ways which would be classified as child-on-child abuse. The purpose of this policy is to explore the many forms of child-on-child abuse and include a planned and supportive response to the issues.
At IGS: Durham, we have the following policies in place that should be read in conjunction with this policy:
Safeguarding Policy, Anti-Bullying Policy, Safe Use of Technology Policy, Attendance and Missing Child policies, Special Educational Needs Policy, Behaviour Policy, Exclusions Policy, Restrictive Interventions Policy, and Searching, Screening and Confiscation arrangements.
Framework and Legislation
This policy reflects the Children Act 1989, Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026, Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026 and Durham Safeguarding Children Partnership procedures. The welfare of the child is central to decisions, with attention to the child’s family, community, online experiences and other contexts in which harm may occur.
What is Child-on-Child Abuse?
For these purposes, child-on-child abuse is any form of physical, sexual, emotional and financial abuse, and coercive control, exercised between children and within children’s relationships (both intimate and non-intimate). Child-on-child abuse can take various forms, including: serious bullying (including cyber-bullying), relationship abuse, domestic violence, child sexual exploitation, youth and serious youth violence, harmful sexual behaviour, and/or gender-based violence. Children’s experiences of abuse and violence are rarely isolated events, and they can often be linked to other things that are happening in their lives and spaces in which they spend their time. Any response to child-on-child abuse therefore needs to consider the range of possible types of child-on-child abuse set out above and capture the full context of children’s experiences. This can be done by adopting a Contextual Safeguarding approach and by ensuring that our response to incidents of child-on-child abuse takes into account any potential complexity (Farrer and Co. 2017).
Abusive behaviour can happen to pupils in schools and settings and it is necessary to consider what abuse is and looks like, how it can be managed and what appropriate support and intervention can be put in place to meet the needs of the individual and what preventative strategies may be put in place to reduce further risk of harm.
Abuse is abuse and should never be tolerated or passed off as ‘banter’ or ‘part of growing up’. Equally, abuse issues can sometimes be gender specific e.g. girls being sexually touched/assaulted and boys being subject to initiation/hazing type violence (KCSIE 2026).
Research suggests that child-on-child abuse may affect boys differently from girls, and that this difference may result from societal norms (particularly around power, control and the way in which femininity and masculinity are exhibited). Barriers to disclosure will also be different. As a result, schools need to explore the gender dynamics of child-on-child abuse within their settings and recognise that these will play out differently in single sex, mixed or gender imbalanced environments (Farrer and Co. 2017). Any child can be a victim or display harmful behaviour, regardless of sex or gender. Absence of reports does not mean absence of abuse. Staff must act on concerns and indicators rather than wait for a disclosure. Racism, faith-targeted abuse and other discriminatory behaviour can significantly affect welfare and safety and must be considered within safeguarding practice where appropriate.
It is important to consider the forms abuse may take and the subsequent actions required.
Children with Special Educational Needs
Children with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities can face additional safeguarding challenges. These can include:
- assumptions that indicators of possible abuse such as behaviour, mood and injury relate to the child’s disability without further exploration;
- being more prone to peer group isolation than other children;
- the potential for children with SEN and disabilities being disproportionately impacted by behaviours such as bullying, without outwardly showing any signs; and
- communication barriers and difficulties in overcoming these barriers.
To address these additional challenges, we will consider extra pastoral support for children with SEN and disabilities particularly when investigating any form of child-on-child abuse. Reporting and support must be accessible, with communication adjustments and trusted adults. Staff must not assume signs of distress or injury arise from disability. Other vulnerabilities, including health conditions and perceived differences, must also be considered.
Language
This policy uses “victim” and “alleged perpetrator” where needed for clarity, while recognising that children may prefer different language and that all children involved may need safeguarding support. Staff use sensitive, non-stigmatising language and avoid prejudging the facts. A child displaying harmful behaviour may also have experienced abuse or have unmet needs; this does not diminish the harm to another child.
Types of abuse
There are many forms of abuse that may occur between peers and the following list is not exhaustive. Each form of abuse or prejudiced behaviour is described in detail followed by advice and support on actions to be taken.
Physical abuse e.g. (biting, hitting, kicking, hair pulling etc.)
Physical abuse may include, hitting, kicking, nipping, shaking, biting, hair pulling, or otherwise causing physical harm to another person. There may be many reasons why a child harms another and it is important to understand why a young person has engaged in such behaviour, including accidentally, before considering the action or punishment to be undertaken.
Sexually harmful behaviour/sexual abuse (e.g. inappropriate sexual language, touching, sexual assault etc.)
Sexually harmful behaviour from young people is not always contrived or with the intent to harm others. There may be many reasons why a young person engages in sexually harmful behaviour and it may be just as distressing to the young person who instigates it as well as the young person it is intended towards. Sexually harmful behaviour may range from inappropriate sexual language, inappropriate role play, to sexually touching another, sexual assault, rape or abuse. Intent is not a prerequisite for protective action. Developmentally appropriate behaviour is distinguished from problematic or harmful sexual behaviour using professional judgement and specialist advice; staff must not minimise harm as curiosity or experimentation.
Sexual violence and sexual harassment
Sexual violence refers to sexual offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 as described below:
Rape: A person (A) commits an offence of rape if: he intentionally penetrates the vagina, anus or mouth of another person (B) with his penis, B does not consent to the penetration and A does not reasonably believe that B consents.
Assault by Penetration: A person (A) commits an offence if: s/he intentionally penetrates the vagina or anus of another person (B) with a part of her/his body or anything else, the penetration is sexual, B does not consent to the penetration and A does not reasonably believe that B consents.
Sexual Assault: A person (A) commits an offence of sexual assault if: s/he intentionally touches another person (B), the touching is sexual, B does not consent to the touching and A does not reasonably believe that B consents.
Sexual harassment means ‘unwanted conduct of a sexual nature’ that can occur online and offline. In referencing sexual harassment, it is in the context of child-on-child sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is likely to violate a child’s dignity, and/or make them feel intimidated, degraded or humiliated and/or create a hostile, offensive or sexualised environment (KCSIE 2026). Consent must be freely given and may be withdrawn. A child under 13 cannot consent to sexual activity. The age of sexual consent is 16; apparently consensual activity between young people may still require safeguarding assessment. Pressure, coercion and exploitation must never be treated as consent.
Bullying (inclusive of all types)
Bullying is addressed under the school’s Anti-Bullying Policy. A single incident may still constitute abuse or require a safeguarding response, even where it does not meet a definition of repeated bullying.
Bullying is behaviour by an individual or group, repeated over time, that intentionally hurts another individual or group either physically or emotionally. Bullying can take many forms (for instance, cyber-bullying via text messages, social media or gaming, which can include the use of images and video) and is often motivated by prejudice against particular groups, for example on grounds of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, special educational needs or disabilities, or because a child is adopted, in care or has caring responsibilities. It might be motivated by actual differences between children, or perceived differences.
Many experts say that bullying involves an imbalance of power between the perpetrator and the victim. This could involve perpetrators of bullying having control over the relationship which makes it difficult for those they bully to defend themselves. The imbalance of power can manifest itself in several ways, it may be physical, psychological (knowing what upsets someone), derive from an intellectual imbalance, or by having access to the support of a group, or the capacity to socially isolate. It can result in the intimidation of a person or persons through the threat of violence or by isolating them either physically or online.
Low-level disruption and the use of offensive language can in itself have a significant impact on its target. If left unchallenged or dismissed as banter or horseplay it can also lead to reluctance to report other behaviour.
Cyber bullying
Cyberbullying is the use of phones, instant messaging, e-mail, chat rooms or social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to harass threaten or intimidate someone for the same reasons as stated above.
Online harassment, threats, harmful communications and image-based abuse may involve criminal offences. The DSL will obtain police advice where needed, taking account of current law and safeguarding guidance.
Making, possessing or sharing indecent images of children may be an offence under the Protection of Children Act 1978 and Criminal Justice Act 1988. Incidents must be reported to the DSL immediately and handled under current UKCIS guidance and KCSIE. Not every child-generated image incident requires an automatic police referral: the DSL records a risk-based decision and refers urgently where required by the guidance, including adult involvement, exploitation, coercion or immediate risk.
Sharing nudes and semi-nudes
This includes sending or posting nude or semi-nude images, videos or live streams by under-18s, whether consensually or without consent. Pressure to make or share imagery, sexual extortion and manipulated or AI-generated sexual images are safeguarding concerns.
Staff must report concerns immediately to the DSL. They must not seek out, view, copy, print, save or forward imagery, ask a child to send or download it, or delete it or ask a child to delete it. Accidental viewing must be reported. Only the DSL may consider exceptional viewing under current UKCIS guidance and must record the reasons. Staff reassure children without blame and leave further enquiries and device or evidence handling to the DSL in liaison with police where appropriate.
Initiation/Hazing
Hazing is a form of initiation ceremony which is used to induct newcomers into an organisation such as a private school, sports team etc. There are a number of different forms, from relatively mild rituals to severe and sometimes violent ceremonies.
The idea behind this practice is that it welcomes newcomers by subjecting them to a series of trials which promote a bond between them. After the hazing is over, the newcomers also have something in common with older members of the organisation, because they all experienced it as part of a rite of passage. Many rituals involve humiliation, embarrassment, abuse, and harassment.
Prejudiced Behaviour
The term prejudice-related bullying refers to a range of hurtful behaviour, physical or emotional or both, which causes someone to feel powerless, worthless, excluded or
marginalised, and which is connected with prejudices around belonging, identity and equality in wider society – in particular, prejudices to do with disabilities and special educational needs, ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds, gender, home life, (for example in relation to issues of care, parental occupation, poverty and social class) and sexual orientation or gender reassignment.
Teenage relationship abuse
Teenage relationship abuse is defined as a pattern of actual or threatened acts of physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse, perpetrated by an adolescent (between the ages of 13 and 18) against a current or former partner. Abuse may include insults, coercion, social sabotage, sexual harassment, threats and/or acts of physical or sexual abuse. The abusive teen uses this pattern of violent and coercive behaviour, in a heterosexual or same gender relationship, in order to gain power and maintain control over the partner.
Measuring the behaviour
Simon Hackett’s continuum of behaviour (taken from Farrer and Co. 2017) can be a useful guide to measure the behaviour that has occurred and consider the circumstances around the incident (s).
The continuum looks at whether it:
- is socially acceptable
- involves a single incident or has occurred over a period of time
- is socially acceptable within the peer group
- is problematic and concerning
- involves any overt elements of victimisation or discrimination e.g. related to race, gender, sexual orientation, physical, emotional, or intellectual vulnerability
- involves an element of coercion or pre-planning
- involves a power imbalance between the child/children allegedly responsible for the behaviour and the child/children allegedly the subject of that power
- involves a misuse of power
Behaviour which is not abusive at first may potentially become abusive quickly or over time. Intervening early and addressing any inappropriate behaviour which may be displayed by a child is vital and could potentially prevent their behaviour from progressing on a continuum to become problematic, abusive and/or violent - and ultimately requiring (greater/more formal) engagement with specialist external and/or statutory agencies.
Expected action taken from all staff
All staff should be alert to the well-being of children and young people and to signs of abuse, and should engage with these signs, as appropriate, to determine whether they are caused by child-on-child abuse. However, staff should be mindful of the fact that the way(s) in which children will disclose or present with behaviour(s) as a result of their experiences will differ (Farrer and Co. 2017).
Staff respond to concerns immediately, protecting children and referring to the DSL or deputy. Ordinary staff do not conduct safeguarding investigations or seek statements from every child involved.
Listen calmly, take the child seriously and reassure them that they will be supported and kept safe. Do not promise secrecy; explain that information will be shared only with those who need it to protect children. Do not blame the child or suggest they are causing a problem by reporting. Record the child’s own words and relevant observations promptly, distinguishing facts from opinion, and pass the record securely to the DSL.
In all cases of child-on-child abuse it is necessary that all staff are trained in dealing with such incidents, talking to young people and instigating immediate support in a calm and consistent manner. Staff should not be prejudiced, judgemental, dismissive or irresponsible in dealing with such sensitive matters.
Staff should also be mindful of contextual safeguarding and that wider safeguarding concerns may influence the child’s account of the event(s). Alongside this peer pressure and the impact of sharing information about the incident(s) may also influence a child’s account.
Receiving and recording reports
Where possible, reports of sexual violence or sexual harassment should be managed with two staff present, preferably including the DSL or deputy. This must not delay listening, protection or referral.
Use only necessary, open and non-leading questions to clarify an initial disclosure; do not interrogate, repeatedly question children or ask them to demonstrate what happened. The DSL coordinates any further enquiries and agrees their scope with police or children’s social care so that school action does not compromise an investigation. The child’s account and the decisions made are recorded securely.
Assess immediate safety and support needs
The DSL or deputy considers harm and risk without waiting to establish intent. Following a report of sexual violence, an immediate written risk and needs assessment is required; for sexual harassment, the need is considered case by case. It covers the victim, other potential victims, the alleged perpetrator, the wider school community and the location and timing of the incident. It is reviewed regularly and whenever circumstances change.
Decide on your next course of action
If a child is in immediate danger, call 999. Refer promptly to children’s social care where a child is at risk of harm, has been harmed or is in immediate danger. Reports of rape, assault by penetration or sexual assault should be passed to police as the starting point, including where the alleged perpetrator is under ten. The DSL normally leads referrals; if unavailable, staff must act directly and inform the DSL as soon as practicable. Protective action must not wait for an investigation or a criminal outcome.
If social care and the police intend to pursue this further they may ask to interview the young people in school or they may ask for parents to come to school to be spoken to also. It is important to be prepared for every situation and the potential time it may take.
It may also be that social care feel that it does not meet their criteria in which case you may challenge that decision, with that individual or their line manager. If on discussion however, you agree with the decision, you may then be left to inform parents.
Informing parents
If, once appropriate advice has been sought from police/social care, you have agreement to inform parents or have been allocated that role from the other services involved then you need to inform the parents as soon as possible. If services are not going to be involved then equally, this information may need to be shared with parents. Parents would not be informed if by doing so the child was put at further risk of significant harm.
Parents are normally informed promptly, unless doing so would put a child at greater risk. The DSL considers the child’s wishes, understanding, privacy and best interests, seeks appropriate agency advice and records decisions. A child’s request for confidentiality does not prevent necessary safeguarding information-sharing. Fraser guidelines relate specifically to contraceptive advice and are not a general test for safeguarding disclosure.
The school encourages safe parental involvement and explains to the child what will be shared and why. Any decision to withhold parental notification is reviewed with relevant safeguarding agencies as appropriate.
The best way to inform parents is face to face. Although this may be time consuming, the nature of the incident and the type of harm/abuse a young person may be suffering can cause fear and anxiety to parents whether their child is the child who was harmed or who harmed another.
Points for the DSL to consider, with specialist advice where needed:
What is the age of the children involved?
How old are the young people involved in the incident and is there any age difference between those involved? (In relation to sexual exploration, children under the age of 5, in particular 1-4 year olds who are learning toileting skills may show a particular interest in exploration at around this stage. This, however should not be overlooked if other issues arise (see following)
Where did the incident or incidents take place?
Was the incident in an open, visible place to others? If so was it observed? If not, is more supervision required within this particular area?
What was the explanation by all children involved of what occurred?
Can each of the young people give the same explanation of the incident and also what is the effect on the young people involved? Is the incident seen to be bullying for example, in which case was it regular and repetitive? Is the version of one young person different from another and why?#What is each of the children’s own understanding of what occurred?
Do the young people know/understand what they are doing? e.g. do they have knowledge of body parts, of privacy and that it is inappropriate to touch? Is the young person’s explanation in relation to something they may have heard or been learning about that has prompted the behaviour? Is the behaviour deliberate and contrived? Does the young person have understanding of the impact of their behaviour on the other person?
In dealing with an incident of this nature the answers are not always clear cut. If you are concerned or unsure as to whether or not there is any risk involved, please seek advice from Children’s Services Social Care.
Repetition
Has the behaviour been repeated to an individual on more than one occasion? In the same way it must be considered whether the behaviour has persisted after the issue has already been discussed or dealt with and appropriately resolved.
Outcomes
The DSL follows current local referral and assessment arrangements. Responses may include internal management, early help, referral to children’s social care or reporting to police, and may operate alongside one another. Decisions and reasons are recorded; continuing concerns are followed up or escalated if support does not improve the child’s safety.
Support and protective arrangements begin immediately and continue throughout any investigation. Following reports of rape or assault by penetration, the alleged perpetrator is removed from classes shared with the victim while facts are established, and reasonable steps are taken to keep them apart on school premises and transport, in accordance with KCSIE. These protective arrangements do not prejudge the allegation. The victim’s education and wishes are considered; the burden of changes must not automatically fall on them.
Next Steps
Support and intervention begin immediately and are reviewed throughout and after the incident response to reduce further harm.
For the young person who has been harmed (alleged victim):
What support they require depends on the individual young person. It may be that they wish to seek counselling or one to one support via a mentor. It may also be that they feel able to deal with the incident(s) on their own or with support of family and friends. In such cases, it is necessary that this young person continues to be monitored and offered support should they require it in the future. If the incidents are of a bullying nature, the young person may need support in improving peer groups/relationships with other young people or some restorative justice work with all those involved may be required. Restorative work or mediation is not imposed on a victim and is used only where safe, appropriate and freely agreed; it must not substitute for safeguarding action or be used to manage sexual violence.
Other interventions that could be considered may target a whole class or year group, for example a speaker on cyber bullying, relationship abuse etc. It may be that through the continued curriculum of PSHE that certain issues can be discussed and debated more frequently.
The child will have a named trusted adult and suitable support and safety arrangements based on the DSL’s assessment, whether or not they describe themselves as vulnerable. Staff consider protection from retaliation, rumours, further online harm and repeated victimisation.
For the young person who has displayed harmful behaviour (alleged perpetrator):
In this circumstance it is important to find out why the young person has behaved in such a way. It may be that the young person is experiencing their own difficulties and may even have been harmed themselves in a similar way. In such cases support such as one to one mentoring or counselling may also be necessary. Particular support from identified services may be necessary through an early help referral and the young person may require additional support from family members.
Support, safeguarding measures and appropriate disciplinary action may proceed together. Any sanction follows the Behaviour and Exclusions policies, considering evidence, needs, reasonable adjustments and agency advice. An ongoing criminal investigation does not automatically require exclusion; safe education and supervision arrangements follow the risk and needs assessment. Restorative approaches are subject to the safeguards above.
Even following the conclusion of any investigation the behaviour that the young person has displayed may continue to pose a risk to others, in which case an individual risk assessment may be required. This should be completed via a multi-agency response to ensure that the needs of the young person and the risks towards others are measured by all of those agencies involved including the young person and their parents. This may mean additional supervision of the young person or protective strategies if the young person feels at risk of engaging in further inappropriate or harmful behaviour.
Any supervised removal from lessons or exclusion follows the Behaviour and Exclusions policies. Seclusion is not used as punishment. Unofficial exclusion or a part-time timetable imposed as a behaviour sanction is not permitted.
After care
It is important that following the incident the young people involved continue to feel supported and receive help even if they have stated that they are managing the incident. Sometimes the feelings of remorse, regret or unhappiness may occur at a much later stage than the incident. It is important to ensure that the young people do not engage in any further harmful behaviour either towards someone else or to themselves as a way of coping (e.g. self-harm). In such cases, regular reviews with the young people following the incident(s) are imperative.
Disciplinary Action
The school/setting will need to consider whether disciplinary action may be appropriate for any child/children involved. Any such action should address the abuse, the causes of it, and attitudes underlying it. Disciplinary action may sometimes be appropriate, (a) to ensure that the child/children take(s) responsibility for and realise(s) the seriousness of their behaviour; (b) to demonstrate to the child/children and others that child-on-child abuse can never be tolerated; and (c) to ensure the safety and well-being of other children. However, these considerations must be balanced against the child’s/children’s own potential unmet needs and any safeguarding concerns. Before deciding on appropriate action the school will always consider its duty to safeguard all children from harm; the underlying reasons for a child’s behaviour; any unmet needs, or harm or abuse suffered by the child; the risk that the child may pose to other children; and the severity of the child-on-child abuse and the causes of it.
Any proposed exclusion or agreed change of placement follows the school’s Exclusions Policy and applicable procedures, with the welfare and education of all children considered. Safeguarding support continues regardless of any disciplinary outcome. A police decision not to proceed or a not-guilty outcome does not itself establish that an allegation was false; the DSL reviews risk and support on the available information.
Review of Circumstances
Following any incident of harm, it is necessary for the school to consider if anything could have been done differently. The DSL records actions and lessons learned; the Principal and Board review implementation, patterns, supervision and prevention. Concerns and outcomes are recorded confidentially with the reasons for decisions, and retained under the school’s safeguarding and data protection arrangements.
Preventative Strategies for Schools and Settings
It is important to develop appropriate strategies in order to prevent the issue of child-on-child abuse rather than manage the issues in a reactive way.
Firstly, and most importantly is recognition that child-on-child abuse can occur on any site even with the most stringent of policies and support mechanisms. It is therefore important to continue to recognise and manage such risks and learn how to improve and move forward with strategies in supporting young people in talking about any issues and through sharing information with all staff.
This can be supported by ensuring that we have an open environment where young people feel safe to share information about anything that is upsetting or worrying them. This can be strengthened through a strong and positive PSHE curriculum that tackles such issues as prejudiced behaviour and gives children an open forum to talk things through rather than seek one on one opportunities to be harmful to one another.
To enable such an open and honest environment it is necessary to ensure the whole workforce and the Board feels confident and enabled to talk about issues and challenge perceptions of young people including use of inappropriate language and behaviour towards one another. In order to create such an environment, whole staff training and CPD is needed around abusive behaviours and talking to young people in a way that continues to create an open and honest environment without prejudice. It is incredibly important that staff do not dismiss issues as ‘banter’ or ‘growing up’ or compare them to their own experiences of childhood. It is necessary that staff consider each issue and each individual in their own right before taking action. If staff minimise the concerns raised it may result in a young person seeking no further help or advice.
Parents need to be informed and included in policy forming, lesson plans and through open and frank conversations, training/courses about what child-on-child abuse is and how the school and setting will be tackling it. This can help to alleviate any concerns and worries and create a joined-up approach.
It is important that signposting is available to young people in the event that they don’t feel confident raising an issue to staff or a peer. It is useful to have a resource board with support services on a wide range of issues so young people can seek their own solutions should they wish to. In the same way external services or support programmes could be brought in to talk to young people about specific issues in support of the prevention of child-on-child abuse. Pupils may speak to any trusted member of staff, the DSL or deputy, and may ask for support to communicate a concern. The school explains these routes in age-appropriate ways and checks that children know how to use them.
It is useful to ensure young people are part of changing their circumstances and that of the procedures within schools. Having a school council and pupil voice and encouraging young people to support changes and develop ‘rules of acceptable behaviour’ will go far in helping to create a positive ethos in school and one where all young people understand the boundaries of behaviour before it becomes abusive.
Multi agency working can consolidate in house procedures in schools/settings. By accessing advice, support and guidance, effective decisions can be made in collaboration to improve outcomes for children who may be at risk of harm. Seeking advice and guidance can act as a preventative measure so that the right course of action is taken at the earliest opportunity. It is also necessary that the school actively refers concerns/allegations of child-on-child abuse where necessary to front door services/children’s social care and the police where appropriate. This is particularly important because child-on-child abuse can be a complex issue, and even more so where wider safeguarding concerns exist. It is often not appropriate for one single agency (where the incident cannot be managed internally) to try to address the issue alone – it requires effective partnership working (Farrer and Co. 2017).
Schools which excel at tackling bullying (and peer abuse) have created an ethos of good behaviour where pupils treat one another and the school staff with respect because they know that this is the right way to behave. That culture extends beyond the classroom to the corridors, the dining hall, the playground, and beyond the school gates including travel to and from school. We will work to ensure that values of respect for staff and other pupils, an understanding of the value of education, and a clear understanding of how our actions affect others permeate the whole school environment and are reinforced by staff and older pupils who set a good example to the rest. (Preventing and Tackling Bullying 2017).
This policy has been heavily supported by the key document:
Farrer and Co: Peer on Peer Abuse Toolkit. December 2017 (background source; current statutory guidance governs practice).
https://www.farrer.co.uk/Global/Peer-on-peer%20abuse%20toolkit%2014.pdf
This policy should be read in conjunction with:
DfE: Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026, including Part Five. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2
DFE: Preventing and Tackling Bullying: Advice for headteachers, staff and governing bodies. July 2017
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/623895/Preventing_and_tackling_bullying_advice.pdf
DfE: Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children--2
UKCIS: Sharing nudes and semi-nudes: advice for education settings working with children and young people (updated March 2024).
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sharing-nudes-and-semi-nudes-advice-for-education-settings-working-with-children-and-young-people
Durham Safeguarding Children Partnership procedures and current local referral arrangements. The DSL and deputy contacts are maintained in the Safeguarding Policy. This policy is reviewed annually and sooner following significant incidents or changes in guidance.
The Independent Grammar School: Durham
Reviewed: October 2026. Next Review: October 2027
Child-on-Child Abuse Policy
Introduction
Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026 (KCSIE) requires schools to prevent and respond to child-on-child abuse through their safeguarding arrangements.
The school’s procedures must take account of children’s wishes and feelings, provide accessible ways to express concerns and seek help, and operate in their best interests. This policy supplements the Safeguarding Policy and applies to all pupils, including EYFS children, and to abuse online, on or off school premises. In any conflict, current statutory guidance and the Safeguarding Policy govern the response.
All staff should have an awareness of safeguarding issues that can put children at risk of harm, including substance misuse, absence from education and the making or sharing of nudes and semi-nudes.
All staff should be aware that child-on-child abuse may include:
- Bullying, including cyberbullying, prejudice-based and discriminatory bullying; racism, faith-targeted abuse and other discriminatory incidents.
- Physical abuse, serious assault and threatened harm, including threats with weapons.
- Sexual violence and sexual harassment, and causing another child to engage in sexual activity without consent.
- Consensual or non-consensual making or sharing of nudes and semi-nudes, upskirting and technology-facilitated sexual abuse, including manipulated or AI-generated sexual imagery and sexual extortion.
- Abuse in intimate relationships between children, and initiation or hazing involving harassment, humiliation or violence.
Keeping Children Safe
At IGS: Durham we are committed to the prevention, early identification and appropriate management of child-on-child abuse. We continue to ensure that any form of abuse or harmful behaviour is dealt with immediately and consistently to reduce the extent of harm to the young person, with full consideration to the impact on that individual child’s emotional and mental health and well-being.
Therefore, our policy will include a clear and comprehensive strategy taking a contextual whole-school approach to preventing and responding to child-on-child abuse, which includes a clear understanding by staff, children and young people and their parents about everyone’s responsibility in managing any child-on-child abuse incidents. This will include both our prevention measures as well as our response to any incidents of harm. (Farrer and Co. 2017)
All staff and members of the Board have read, understood and agreed to work within this policy framework and parents have access to this policy.
Purpose and Aim
Children and young people may be harmful to one another in a number of ways which would be classified as child-on-child abuse. The purpose of this policy is to explore the many forms of child-on-child abuse and include a planned and supportive response to the issues.
At IGS: Durham, we have the following policies in place that should be read in conjunction with this policy:
Safeguarding Policy, Anti-Bullying Policy, Safe Use of Technology Policy, Attendance and Missing Child policies, Special Educational Needs Policy, Behaviour Policy, Exclusions Policy, Restrictive Interventions Policy, and Searching, Screening and Confiscation arrangements.
Framework and Legislation
This policy reflects the Children Act 1989, Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026, Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026 and Durham Safeguarding Children Partnership procedures. The welfare of the child is central to decisions, with attention to the child’s family, community, online experiences and other contexts in which harm may occur.
What is Child-on-Child Abuse?
For these purposes, child-on-child abuse is any form of physical, sexual, emotional and financial abuse, and coercive control, exercised between children and within children’s relationships (both intimate and non-intimate). Child-on-child abuse can take various forms, including: serious bullying (including cyber-bullying), relationship abuse, domestic violence, child sexual exploitation, youth and serious youth violence, harmful sexual behaviour, and/or gender-based violence. Children’s experiences of abuse and violence are rarely isolated events, and they can often be linked to other things that are happening in their lives and spaces in which they spend their time. Any response to child-on-child abuse therefore needs to consider the range of possible types of child-on-child abuse set out above and capture the full context of children’s experiences. This can be done by adopting a Contextual Safeguarding approach and by ensuring that our response to incidents of child-on-child abuse takes into account any potential complexity (Farrer and Co. 2017).
Abusive behaviour can happen to pupils in schools and settings and it is necessary to consider what abuse is and looks like, how it can be managed and what appropriate support and intervention can be put in place to meet the needs of the individual and what preventative strategies may be put in place to reduce further risk of harm.
Abuse is abuse and should never be tolerated or passed off as ‘banter’ or ‘part of growing up’. Equally, abuse issues can sometimes be gender specific e.g. girls being sexually touched/assaulted and boys being subject to initiation/hazing type violence (KCSIE 2026).
Research suggests that child-on-child abuse may affect boys differently from girls, and that this difference may result from societal norms (particularly around power, control and the way in which femininity and masculinity are exhibited). Barriers to disclosure will also be different. As a result, schools need to explore the gender dynamics of child-on-child abuse within their settings and recognise that these will play out differently in single sex, mixed or gender imbalanced environments (Farrer and Co. 2017). Any child can be a victim or display harmful behaviour, regardless of sex or gender. Absence of reports does not mean absence of abuse. Staff must act on concerns and indicators rather than wait for a disclosure. Racism, faith-targeted abuse and other discriminatory behaviour can significantly affect welfare and safety and must be considered within safeguarding practice where appropriate.
It is important to consider the forms abuse may take and the subsequent actions required.
Children with Special Educational Needs
Children with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities can face additional safeguarding challenges. These can include:
- assumptions that indicators of possible abuse such as behaviour, mood and injury relate to the child’s disability without further exploration;
- being more prone to peer group isolation than other children;
- the potential for children with SEN and disabilities being disproportionately impacted by behaviours such as bullying, without outwardly showing any signs; and
- communication barriers and difficulties in overcoming these barriers.
To address these additional challenges, we will consider extra pastoral support for children with SEN and disabilities particularly when investigating any form of child-on-child abuse. Reporting and support must be accessible, with communication adjustments and trusted adults. Staff must not assume signs of distress or injury arise from disability. Other vulnerabilities, including health conditions and perceived differences, must also be considered.
Language
This policy uses “victim” and “alleged perpetrator” where needed for clarity, while recognising that children may prefer different language and that all children involved may need safeguarding support. Staff use sensitive, non-stigmatising language and avoid prejudging the facts. A child displaying harmful behaviour may also have experienced abuse or have unmet needs; this does not diminish the harm to another child.
Types of abuse
There are many forms of abuse that may occur between peers and the following list is not exhaustive. Each form of abuse or prejudiced behaviour is described in detail followed by advice and support on actions to be taken.
Physical abuse e.g. (biting, hitting, kicking, hair pulling etc.)
Physical abuse may include, hitting, kicking, nipping, shaking, biting, hair pulling, or otherwise causing physical harm to another person. There may be many reasons why a child harms another and it is important to understand why a young person has engaged in such behaviour, including accidentally, before considering the action or punishment to be undertaken.
Sexually harmful behaviour/sexual abuse (e.g. inappropriate sexual language, touching, sexual assault etc.)
Sexually harmful behaviour from young people is not always contrived or with the intent to harm others. There may be many reasons why a young person engages in sexually harmful behaviour and it may be just as distressing to the young person who instigates it as well as the young person it is intended towards. Sexually harmful behaviour may range from inappropriate sexual language, inappropriate role play, to sexually touching another, sexual assault, rape or abuse. Intent is not a prerequisite for protective action. Developmentally appropriate behaviour is distinguished from problematic or harmful sexual behaviour using professional judgement and specialist advice; staff must not minimise harm as curiosity or experimentation.
Sexual violence and sexual harassment
Sexual violence refers to sexual offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 as described below:
Rape: A person (A) commits an offence of rape if: he intentionally penetrates the vagina, anus or mouth of another person (B) with his penis, B does not consent to the penetration and A does not reasonably believe that B consents.
Assault by Penetration: A person (A) commits an offence if: s/he intentionally penetrates the vagina or anus of another person (B) with a part of her/his body or anything else, the penetration is sexual, B does not consent to the penetration and A does not reasonably believe that B consents.
Sexual Assault: A person (A) commits an offence of sexual assault if: s/he intentionally touches another person (B), the touching is sexual, B does not consent to the touching and A does not reasonably believe that B consents.
Sexual harassment means ‘unwanted conduct of a sexual nature’ that can occur online and offline. In referencing sexual harassment, it is in the context of child-on-child sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is likely to violate a child’s dignity, and/or make them feel intimidated, degraded or humiliated and/or create a hostile, offensive or sexualised environment (KCSIE 2026). Consent must be freely given and may be withdrawn. A child under 13 cannot consent to sexual activity. The age of sexual consent is 16; apparently consensual activity between young people may still require safeguarding assessment. Pressure, coercion and exploitation must never be treated as consent.
Bullying (inclusive of all types)
Bullying is addressed under the school’s Anti-Bullying Policy. A single incident may still constitute abuse or require a safeguarding response, even where it does not meet a definition of repeated bullying.
Bullying is behaviour by an individual or group, repeated over time, that intentionally hurts another individual or group either physically or emotionally. Bullying can take many forms (for instance, cyber-bullying via text messages, social media or gaming, which can include the use of images and video) and is often motivated by prejudice against particular groups, for example on grounds of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, special educational needs or disabilities, or because a child is adopted, in care or has caring responsibilities. It might be motivated by actual differences between children, or perceived differences.
Many experts say that bullying involves an imbalance of power between the perpetrator and the victim. This could involve perpetrators of bullying having control over the relationship which makes it difficult for those they bully to defend themselves. The imbalance of power can manifest itself in several ways, it may be physical, psychological (knowing what upsets someone), derive from an intellectual imbalance, or by having access to the support of a group, or the capacity to socially isolate. It can result in the intimidation of a person or persons through the threat of violence or by isolating them either physically or online.
Low-level disruption and the use of offensive language can in itself have a significant impact on its target. If left unchallenged or dismissed as banter or horseplay it can also lead to reluctance to report other behaviour.
Cyber bullying
Cyberbullying is the use of phones, instant messaging, e-mail, chat rooms or social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to harass threaten or intimidate someone for the same reasons as stated above.
Online harassment, threats, harmful communications and image-based abuse may involve criminal offences. The DSL will obtain police advice where needed, taking account of current law and safeguarding guidance.
Making, possessing or sharing indecent images of children may be an offence under the Protection of Children Act 1978 and Criminal Justice Act 1988. Incidents must be reported to the DSL immediately and handled under current UKCIS guidance and KCSIE. Not every child-generated image incident requires an automatic police referral: the DSL records a risk-based decision and refers urgently where required by the guidance, including adult involvement, exploitation, coercion or immediate risk.
Sharing nudes and semi-nudes
This includes sending or posting nude or semi-nude images, videos or live streams by under-18s, whether consensually or without consent. Pressure to make or share imagery, sexual extortion and manipulated or AI-generated sexual images are safeguarding concerns.
Staff must report concerns immediately to the DSL. They must not seek out, view, copy, print, save or forward imagery, ask a child to send or download it, or delete it or ask a child to delete it. Accidental viewing must be reported. Only the DSL may consider exceptional viewing under current UKCIS guidance and must record the reasons. Staff reassure children without blame and leave further enquiries and device or evidence handling to the DSL in liaison with police where appropriate.
Initiation/Hazing
Hazing is a form of initiation ceremony which is used to induct newcomers into an organisation such as a private school, sports team etc. There are a number of different forms, from relatively mild rituals to severe and sometimes violent ceremonies.
The idea behind this practice is that it welcomes newcomers by subjecting them to a series of trials which promote a bond between them. After the hazing is over, the newcomers also have something in common with older members of the organisation, because they all experienced it as part of a rite of passage. Many rituals involve humiliation, embarrassment, abuse, and harassment.
Prejudiced Behaviour
The term prejudice-related bullying refers to a range of hurtful behaviour, physical or emotional or both, which causes someone to feel powerless, worthless, excluded or
marginalised, and which is connected with prejudices around belonging, identity and equality in wider society – in particular, prejudices to do with disabilities and special educational needs, ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds, gender, home life, (for example in relation to issues of care, parental occupation, poverty and social class) and sexual orientation or gender reassignment.
Teenage relationship abuse
Teenage relationship abuse is defined as a pattern of actual or threatened acts of physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse, perpetrated by an adolescent (between the ages of 13 and 18) against a current or former partner. Abuse may include insults, coercion, social sabotage, sexual harassment, threats and/or acts of physical or sexual abuse. The abusive teen uses this pattern of violent and coercive behaviour, in a heterosexual or same gender relationship, in order to gain power and maintain control over the partner.
Measuring the behaviour
Simon Hackett’s continuum of behaviour (taken from Farrer and Co. 2017) can be a useful guide to measure the behaviour that has occurred and consider the circumstances around the incident (s).
The continuum looks at whether it:
- is socially acceptable
- involves a single incident or has occurred over a period of time
- is socially acceptable within the peer group
- is problematic and concerning
- involves any overt elements of victimisation or discrimination e.g. related to race, gender, sexual orientation, physical, emotional, or intellectual vulnerability
- involves an element of coercion or pre-planning
- involves a power imbalance between the child/children allegedly responsible for the behaviour and the child/children allegedly the subject of that power
- involves a misuse of power
Behaviour which is not abusive at first may potentially become abusive quickly or over time. Intervening early and addressing any inappropriate behaviour which may be displayed by a child is vital and could potentially prevent their behaviour from progressing on a continuum to become problematic, abusive and/or violent - and ultimately requiring (greater/more formal) engagement with specialist external and/or statutory agencies.
Expected action taken from all staff
All staff should be alert to the well-being of children and young people and to signs of abuse, and should engage with these signs, as appropriate, to determine whether they are caused by child-on-child abuse. However, staff should be mindful of the fact that the way(s) in which children will disclose or present with behaviour(s) as a result of their experiences will differ (Farrer and Co. 2017).
Staff respond to concerns immediately, protecting children and referring to the DSL or deputy. Ordinary staff do not conduct safeguarding investigations or seek statements from every child involved.
Listen calmly, take the child seriously and reassure them that they will be supported and kept safe. Do not promise secrecy; explain that information will be shared only with those who need it to protect children. Do not blame the child or suggest they are causing a problem by reporting. Record the child’s own words and relevant observations promptly, distinguishing facts from opinion, and pass the record securely to the DSL.
In all cases of child-on-child abuse it is necessary that all staff are trained in dealing with such incidents, talking to young people and instigating immediate support in a calm and consistent manner. Staff should not be prejudiced, judgemental, dismissive or irresponsible in dealing with such sensitive matters.
Staff should also be mindful of contextual safeguarding and that wider safeguarding concerns may influence the child’s account of the event(s). Alongside this peer pressure and the impact of sharing information about the incident(s) may also influence a child’s account.
Receiving and recording reports
Where possible, reports of sexual violence or sexual harassment should be managed with two staff present, preferably including the DSL or deputy. This must not delay listening, protection or referral.
Use only necessary, open and non-leading questions to clarify an initial disclosure; do not interrogate, repeatedly question children or ask them to demonstrate what happened. The DSL coordinates any further enquiries and agrees their scope with police or children’s social care so that school action does not compromise an investigation. The child’s account and the decisions made are recorded securely.
Assess immediate safety and support needs
The DSL or deputy considers harm and risk without waiting to establish intent. Following a report of sexual violence, an immediate written risk and needs assessment is required; for sexual harassment, the need is considered case by case. It covers the victim, other potential victims, the alleged perpetrator, the wider school community and the location and timing of the incident. It is reviewed regularly and whenever circumstances change.
Decide on your next course of action
If a child is in immediate danger, call 999. Refer promptly to children’s social care where a child is at risk of harm, has been harmed or is in immediate danger. Reports of rape, assault by penetration or sexual assault should be passed to police as the starting point, including where the alleged perpetrator is under ten. The DSL normally leads referrals; if unavailable, staff must act directly and inform the DSL as soon as practicable. Protective action must not wait for an investigation or a criminal outcome.
If social care and the police intend to pursue this further they may ask to interview the young people in school or they may ask for parents to come to school to be spoken to also. It is important to be prepared for every situation and the potential time it may take.
It may also be that social care feel that it does not meet their criteria in which case you may challenge that decision, with that individual or their line manager. If on discussion however, you agree with the decision, you may then be left to inform parents.
Informing parents
If, once appropriate advice has been sought from police/social care, you have agreement to inform parents or have been allocated that role from the other services involved then you need to inform the parents as soon as possible. If services are not going to be involved then equally, this information may need to be shared with parents. Parents would not be informed if by doing so the child was put at further risk of significant harm.
Parents are normally informed promptly, unless doing so would put a child at greater risk. The DSL considers the child’s wishes, understanding, privacy and best interests, seeks appropriate agency advice and records decisions. A child’s request for confidentiality does not prevent necessary safeguarding information-sharing. Fraser guidelines relate specifically to contraceptive advice and are not a general test for safeguarding disclosure.
The school encourages safe parental involvement and explains to the child what will be shared and why. Any decision to withhold parental notification is reviewed with relevant safeguarding agencies as appropriate.
The best way to inform parents is face to face. Although this may be time consuming, the nature of the incident and the type of harm/abuse a young person may be suffering can cause fear and anxiety to parents whether their child is the child who was harmed or who harmed another.
Points for the DSL to consider, with specialist advice where needed:
What is the age of the children involved?
How old are the young people involved in the incident and is there any age difference between those involved? (In relation to sexual exploration, children under the age of 5, in particular 1-4 year olds who are learning toileting skills may show a particular interest in exploration at around this stage. This, however should not be overlooked if other issues arise (see following)
Where did the incident or incidents take place?
Was the incident in an open, visible place to others? If so was it observed? If not, is more supervision required within this particular area?
What was the explanation by all children involved of what occurred?
Can each of the young people give the same explanation of the incident and also what is the effect on the young people involved? Is the incident seen to be bullying for example, in which case was it regular and repetitive? Is the version of one young person different from another and why?#What is each of the children’s own understanding of what occurred?
Do the young people know/understand what they are doing? e.g. do they have knowledge of body parts, of privacy and that it is inappropriate to touch? Is the young person’s explanation in relation to something they may have heard or been learning about that has prompted the behaviour? Is the behaviour deliberate and contrived? Does the young person have understanding of the impact of their behaviour on the other person?
In dealing with an incident of this nature the answers are not always clear cut. If you are concerned or unsure as to whether or not there is any risk involved, please seek advice from Children’s Services Social Care.
Repetition
Has the behaviour been repeated to an individual on more than one occasion? In the same way it must be considered whether the behaviour has persisted after the issue has already been discussed or dealt with and appropriately resolved.
Outcomes
The DSL follows current local referral and assessment arrangements. Responses may include internal management, early help, referral to children’s social care or reporting to police, and may operate alongside one another. Decisions and reasons are recorded; continuing concerns are followed up or escalated if support does not improve the child’s safety.
Support and protective arrangements begin immediately and continue throughout any investigation. Following reports of rape or assault by penetration, the alleged perpetrator is removed from classes shared with the victim while facts are established, and reasonable steps are taken to keep them apart on school premises and transport, in accordance with KCSIE. These protective arrangements do not prejudge the allegation. The victim’s education and wishes are considered; the burden of changes must not automatically fall on them.
Next Steps
Support and intervention begin immediately and are reviewed throughout and after the incident response to reduce further harm.
For the young person who has been harmed (alleged victim):
What support they require depends on the individual young person. It may be that they wish to seek counselling or one to one support via a mentor. It may also be that they feel able to deal with the incident(s) on their own or with support of family and friends. In such cases, it is necessary that this young person continues to be monitored and offered support should they require it in the future. If the incidents are of a bullying nature, the young person may need support in improving peer groups/relationships with other young people or some restorative justice work with all those involved may be required. Restorative work or mediation is not imposed on a victim and is used only where safe, appropriate and freely agreed; it must not substitute for safeguarding action or be used to manage sexual violence.
Other interventions that could be considered may target a whole class or year group, for example a speaker on cyber bullying, relationship abuse etc. It may be that through the continued curriculum of PSHE that certain issues can be discussed and debated more frequently.
The child will have a named trusted adult and suitable support and safety arrangements based on the DSL’s assessment, whether or not they describe themselves as vulnerable. Staff consider protection from retaliation, rumours, further online harm and repeated victimisation.
For the young person who has displayed harmful behaviour (alleged perpetrator):
In this circumstance it is important to find out why the young person has behaved in such a way. It may be that the young person is experiencing their own difficulties and may even have been harmed themselves in a similar way. In such cases support such as one to one mentoring or counselling may also be necessary. Particular support from identified services may be necessary through an early help referral and the young person may require additional support from family members.
Support, safeguarding measures and appropriate disciplinary action may proceed together. Any sanction follows the Behaviour and Exclusions policies, considering evidence, needs, reasonable adjustments and agency advice. An ongoing criminal investigation does not automatically require exclusion; safe education and supervision arrangements follow the risk and needs assessment. Restorative approaches are subject to the safeguards above.
Even following the conclusion of any investigation the behaviour that the young person has displayed may continue to pose a risk to others, in which case an individual risk assessment may be required. This should be completed via a multi-agency response to ensure that the needs of the young person and the risks towards others are measured by all of those agencies involved including the young person and their parents. This may mean additional supervision of the young person or protective strategies if the young person feels at risk of engaging in further inappropriate or harmful behaviour.
Any supervised removal from lessons or exclusion follows the Behaviour and Exclusions policies. Seclusion is not used as punishment. Unofficial exclusion or a part-time timetable imposed as a behaviour sanction is not permitted.
After care
It is important that following the incident the young people involved continue to feel supported and receive help even if they have stated that they are managing the incident. Sometimes the feelings of remorse, regret or unhappiness may occur at a much later stage than the incident. It is important to ensure that the young people do not engage in any further harmful behaviour either towards someone else or to themselves as a way of coping (e.g. self-harm). In such cases, regular reviews with the young people following the incident(s) are imperative.
Disciplinary Action
The school/setting will need to consider whether disciplinary action may be appropriate for any child/children involved. Any such action should address the abuse, the causes of it, and attitudes underlying it. Disciplinary action may sometimes be appropriate, (a) to ensure that the child/children take(s) responsibility for and realise(s) the seriousness of their behaviour; (b) to demonstrate to the child/children and others that child-on-child abuse can never be tolerated; and (c) to ensure the safety and well-being of other children. However, these considerations must be balanced against the child’s/children’s own potential unmet needs and any safeguarding concerns. Before deciding on appropriate action the school will always consider its duty to safeguard all children from harm; the underlying reasons for a child’s behaviour; any unmet needs, or harm or abuse suffered by the child; the risk that the child may pose to other children; and the severity of the child-on-child abuse and the causes of it.
Any proposed exclusion or agreed change of placement follows the school’s Exclusions Policy and applicable procedures, with the welfare and education of all children considered. Safeguarding support continues regardless of any disciplinary outcome. A police decision not to proceed or a not-guilty outcome does not itself establish that an allegation was false; the DSL reviews risk and support on the available information.
Review of Circumstances
Following any incident of harm, it is necessary for the school to consider if anything could have been done differently. The DSL records actions and lessons learned; the Principal and Board review implementation, patterns, supervision and prevention. Concerns and outcomes are recorded confidentially with the reasons for decisions, and retained under the school’s safeguarding and data protection arrangements.
Preventative Strategies for Schools and Settings
It is important to develop appropriate strategies in order to prevent the issue of child-on-child abuse rather than manage the issues in a reactive way.
Firstly, and most importantly is recognition that child-on-child abuse can occur on any site even with the most stringent of policies and support mechanisms. It is therefore important to continue to recognise and manage such risks and learn how to improve and move forward with strategies in supporting young people in talking about any issues and through sharing information with all staff.
This can be supported by ensuring that we have an open environment where young people feel safe to share information about anything that is upsetting or worrying them. This can be strengthened through a strong and positive PSHE curriculum that tackles such issues as prejudiced behaviour and gives children an open forum to talk things through rather than seek one on one opportunities to be harmful to one another.
To enable such an open and honest environment it is necessary to ensure the whole workforce and the Board feels confident and enabled to talk about issues and challenge perceptions of young people including use of inappropriate language and behaviour towards one another. In order to create such an environment, whole staff training and CPD is needed around abusive behaviours and talking to young people in a way that continues to create an open and honest environment without prejudice. It is incredibly important that staff do not dismiss issues as ‘banter’ or ‘growing up’ or compare them to their own experiences of childhood. It is necessary that staff consider each issue and each individual in their own right before taking action. If staff minimise the concerns raised it may result in a young person seeking no further help or advice.
Parents need to be informed and included in policy forming, lesson plans and through open and frank conversations, training/courses about what child-on-child abuse is and how the school and setting will be tackling it. This can help to alleviate any concerns and worries and create a joined-up approach.
It is important that signposting is available to young people in the event that they don’t feel confident raising an issue to staff or a peer. It is useful to have a resource board with support services on a wide range of issues so young people can seek their own solutions should they wish to. In the same way external services or support programmes could be brought in to talk to young people about specific issues in support of the prevention of child-on-child abuse. Pupils may speak to any trusted member of staff, the DSL or deputy, and may ask for support to communicate a concern. The school explains these routes in age-appropriate ways and checks that children know how to use them.
It is useful to ensure young people are part of changing their circumstances and that of the procedures within schools. Having a school council and pupil voice and encouraging young people to support changes and develop ‘rules of acceptable behaviour’ will go far in helping to create a positive ethos in school and one where all young people understand the boundaries of behaviour before it becomes abusive.
Multi agency working can consolidate in house procedures in schools/settings. By accessing advice, support and guidance, effective decisions can be made in collaboration to improve outcomes for children who may be at risk of harm. Seeking advice and guidance can act as a preventative measure so that the right course of action is taken at the earliest opportunity. It is also necessary that the school actively refers concerns/allegations of child-on-child abuse where necessary to front door services/children’s social care and the police where appropriate. This is particularly important because child-on-child abuse can be a complex issue, and even more so where wider safeguarding concerns exist. It is often not appropriate for one single agency (where the incident cannot be managed internally) to try to address the issue alone – it requires effective partnership working (Farrer and Co. 2017).
Schools which excel at tackling bullying (and peer abuse) have created an ethos of good behaviour where pupils treat one another and the school staff with respect because they know that this is the right way to behave. That culture extends beyond the classroom to the corridors, the dining hall, the playground, and beyond the school gates including travel to and from school. We will work to ensure that values of respect for staff and other pupils, an understanding of the value of education, and a clear understanding of how our actions affect others permeate the whole school environment and are reinforced by staff and older pupils who set a good example to the rest. (Preventing and Tackling Bullying 2017).
This policy has been heavily supported by the key document:
Farrer and Co: Peer on Peer Abuse Toolkit. December 2017 (background source; current statutory guidance governs practice).
https://www.farrer.co.uk/Global/Peer-on-peer%20abuse%20toolkit%2014.pdf
This policy should be read in conjunction with:
DfE: Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026, including Part Five. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2
DFE: Preventing and Tackling Bullying: Advice for headteachers, staff and governing bodies. July 2017
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/623895/Preventing_and_tackling_bullying_advice.pdf
DfE: Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children--2
UKCIS: Sharing nudes and semi-nudes: advice for education settings working with children and young people (updated March 2024).
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sharing-nudes-and-semi-nudes-advice-for-education-settings-working-with-children-and-young-people
Durham Safeguarding Children Partnership procedures and current local referral arrangements. The DSL and deputy contacts are maintained in the Safeguarding Policy. This policy is reviewed annually and sooner following significant incidents or changes in guidance.
The Independent Grammar School: Durham
Reviewed: October 2026. Next Review: October 2027
Discover more
If you would like to know more about life at IGS, or to book an in-person visit, contact us now.
Discover more
If you would like to know more about life at IGS, or to book an in-person visit, contact us now.