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What Is Peer-on-Peer Abuse?
Peer-on-peer abuse — also called child-on-child abuse — refers to harm caused by one child or young person to another. It can occur in person or online, inside or outside school. It covers a wide range of behaviours, from sexual harassment to physical violence to psychological coercion.
It is never acceptable and is never the victim's fault.
KCSIE 2025 is explicit: schools must not dismiss or minimise concerns about peer-on-peer abuse. It must be treated as seriously as abuse by an adult. The age of the perpetrator does not reduce the harm caused to the victim.
Peer-on-peer abuse occurs across all school types, ages, genders, and social backgrounds. It is not confined to urban secondary schools. Primary schools, rural schools, and independent settings all report cases. Normalisation — the "that's just what boys/girls do" response — is the most common barrier to effective safeguarding.
KCSIE 2025: What the Law Requires
KCSIE 2025, Part 5 is dedicated entirely to child-on-child sexual violence and sexual harassment. It sets out specific duties and procedures that all schools and colleges must follow when a report is made.
Schools Must:
- ✓ Have a clear policy on peer-on-peer abuse
- ✓ Ensure staff can recognise the signs
- ✓ Take all reports seriously and investigate promptly
- ✓ Risk assess to determine if the alleged perpetrator poses ongoing risk
- ✓ Consider whether to involve the police
- ✓ Provide support to both victim and alleged perpetrator
- ✓ Avoid re-traumatising victims through repeated questioning
- ✓ Address the issue through curriculum (RSHE/PSHE)
Key Legislation
- Sexual Offences Act 2003: Defines sexual offences — children under 13 cannot consent in law
- Protection of Children Act 1978: Making and sharing indecent images of under-18s is a criminal offence — including when the subject is the creator
- Online Safety Act 2023: Platforms must prevent harmful content including non-consensual intimate images
- Children Act 1989: Peer abuse may constitute significant harm — triggering s.47 duties
- Equality Act 2010: Sexual harassment is unlawful; schools have a duty to prevent it
Types of Peer-on-Peer Abuse
Sexual Harassment
Unwanted conduct of a sexual nature including: sexual comments, jokes or taunting; displaying sexual images; catcalling; sexual gestures; intrusive questions about sexual activity. The Ofsted 2021 review found this is routine and normalised in many schools — experienced by the majority of girls and a significant proportion of boys.
Note: Sexual harassment does not require physical contact. It is covered by the Equality Act 2010.
Sexual Violence
Includes rape, assault by penetration, and sexual assault. These are serious criminal offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. Schools must follow KCSIE 2025 Part 5 protocols immediately — this includes involving the police where appropriate and ensuring the victim is not required to face the alleged perpetrator.
Critical: A child under 13 cannot consent to sexual activity in law. Report to police and children's social care without delay.
Sexting and Image-Based Abuse (IBSA)
The sending, receiving, or sharing of sexual images of under-18s is illegal under the Protection of Children Act 1978 — regardless of whether the person depicted consented or created the image themselves. Prevalence is high: approximately 40% of 13–17 year olds have received an unsolicited sexual image (NSPCC, 2023).
Schools must report to police if they become aware of such images. Staff must not view, store, or share images. Contact the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and use the UKCIS Sexting Guidance (2017) for your response framework.
Physical Abuse Between Peers
Physical assault between children — including "happy slapping," initiation rituals, and gang-related violence — constitutes a safeguarding concern when it causes, or risks causing, significant harm. This goes beyond normal conflict between children and requires a safeguarding (not merely a disciplinary) response.
Coercive Control Between Peers
Controlling behaviour within teenage relationships — including isolation from friends and family, monitoring of devices, financial control, and emotional manipulation — mirrors domestic abuse patterns. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 extended coercive control offences to include relationships between young people. Schools should be alert to controlling relationship dynamics between pupils.
Online Peer Abuse and Cyberbullying
Online peer abuse includes: harassment via social media; sharing private images without consent; exclusion from online peer groups used for coordination; pile-on harassment; and creating fake profiles to humiliate. Schools have responsibilities for online behaviour that impacts on the school community, even when it occurs outside school hours.
Why Children Don't Report
Understanding the barriers to disclosure is essential for effective safeguarding. Most peer abuse goes unreported. Research from Ofsted (2021) found that many pupils — particularly girls — did not report sexual harassment because they did not believe anything would change.
Common Barriers
- ● Fear of not being believed
- ● Fear of being blamed or "slut-shamed"
- ● Believing it is normal or "what everyone goes through"
- ● Loyalty to the perpetrator (especially in relationships)
- ● Fear of retaliation or social exclusion
- ● Shame and embarrassment
- ● Previous poor responses from adults
- ● Not knowing it constitutes abuse
What Schools Can Do
- ✓ Create genuine reporting routes (trusted adult, anonymous reporting)
- ✓ Visibly act on concerns — pupils must see reports are taken seriously
- ✓ Teach pupils what abuse is, including peer abuse, through RSHE
- ✓ Challenge rape myths and victim-blaming language in school culture
- ✓ Train all staff — not just DSLs — to respond non-judgmentally to disclosures
- ✓ Review school culture around sexual comments and "banter"
Warning Signs in Potential Victims
Behavioural Indicators
- ● Sudden withdrawal from friends or activities
- ● Avoidance of certain peers, spaces, or routes
- ● Reluctance to attend school (especially specific lessons/breaks)
- ● Changes in online behaviour — deleting accounts, going offline
- ● Appearing anxious or distressed at certain times of day
- ● Becoming secretive about their phone
- ● Signs of self-harm or low self-esteem
Warning Signs in Potential Perpetrators
- ● Sexualised language used in conversation or graffiti
- ● Viewing pornography at school
- ● Making derogatory comments about gender or sexuality
- ● Being reported by peers for inappropriate touching or comments
- ● History of abuse or trauma themselves
- ● Expressing controlling attitudes in relationships
- ● Known exposure to domestic abuse at home
School Response Protocol (KCSIE 2025)
When a report is received, the DSL must lead an initial response that balances the needs of the victim, the duty to the alleged perpetrator, and the school's legal obligations.
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1
Receive and record the report
The DSL (or a trained member of staff) must receive the report sensitively. Do not promise confidentiality. Record verbatim what was said. Do not investigate — this is the role of police/social care for serious allegations.
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2
Immediate risk assessment
DSL must assess: is the victim safe? Is the alleged perpetrator a risk to others? Are they in the same lessons/group? Safeguarding the victim may require timetable changes — but must be done in a way that does not further victimise them.
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3
Referral decision
For sexual violence allegations — refer to police and children's social care. For sexual harassment — consider referral. For ongoing harassment or bullying — may be managed internally, with close monitoring. When in doubt — refer. Contact your MASH for advice.
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4
Support both parties
The victim needs ongoing pastoral support. The alleged perpetrator also has needs — especially if they are themselves a victim of abuse. Both must continue to access education, managed carefully. A restorative approach may be appropriate in lower-level cases, only with the victim's informed consent.
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5
Review and prevent recurrence
After the immediate response: review school culture and curriculum, consider whether wider prevention work is needed, and log and monitor the case. If the alleged perpetrator is a pupil, consider whether a multi-agency risk assessment conference (MARAC or equivalent) is appropriate.
Sexting and Image-Based Abuse: Staff Guidance
Do not view, copy, share, or store sexual images of children on school devices.
This applies to all staff including DSLs. Viewing indecent images of under-18s — even in the course of investigation — may constitute a criminal offence. Report the existence of the image to the DSL and police, but do not handle the device or seek to view the image.
What to Do
- ✓ Report immediately to DSL
- ✓ DSL refers to police and children's social care
- ✓ Report image to Internet Watch Foundation (iwf.org.uk)
- ✓ Inform parents — unless this places child at risk
- ✓ Provide support to victim; do not punish victim
- ✓ Use UKCIS Sexting Guidance (2017) as your framework
The Law — Key Points
- Making, possessing, or distributing indecent images of under-18s is illegal (Protection of Children Act 1978)
- This applies even if the person depicted made the image themselves
- Police discretion exists for low-risk, consensual peer cases — use NPCC guidance
- Non-consensual sharing of intimate images is a criminal offence (Online Safety Act 2023)
PSHE & Prevention — What to Teach
Effective prevention requires curriculum-embedded RSHE/PSHE that addresses consent, healthy relationships, online safety, and bystander responsibility. The Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) statutory guidance (DfE, 2019, updated 2024) provides the framework.
KS2 (Primary)
- ✓ Respectful relationships
- ✓ Recognising unkind behaviour
- ✓ Body autonomy and consent
- ✓ Safe and unsafe online interactions
- ✓ Who to tell if worried
KS3
- ✓ Consent in relationships
- ✓ What sexual harassment is and is not
- ✓ Healthy vs unhealthy relationship patterns
- ✓ Sexting: legal and emotional consequences
- ✓ Bystander intervention strategies
KS4
- ✓ The law on sexual violence
- ✓ Coercive control — recognition and response
- ✓ Image-based abuse and the law
- ✓ Support pathways for survivors
- ✓ Healthy masculinity and media literacy
Referral Pathways & Support
For Professionals
- Local MASH: First port of call for advice and referral — use our MASH Finder
- Police 101: Non-emergency referral; 999 in immediate risk
- Internet Watch Foundation: iwf.org.uk — report online CSAM
- NSPCC Professionals Helpline: 0808 800 5000
- CEOP: ceop.police.uk — report online child sexual exploitation
For Young People
- Childline: 0800 1111 — free, 24/7, confidential
- CEOP Report Button: ceop.police.uk/safety-centre
- Galop (LGBT+ abuse): 0800 999 5428
- Refuge (domestic/relationship abuse): 0808 2000 247
- Revenge Porn Helpline: 0345 6000 459