The risks of normalising sexual abuse and grooming within schools

Here at Jordans, we work to assist survivors of abuse to seek closure and compensation. Experiences of sexual abuse at any age can have a lasting impact, especially if that abuse occurred from a relationship of trust. 

It can be easy to overlook the risks and prevalence of sexual abuse and grooming behaviour within the school setting, especially against young people aged 14-17. As children enter this life stage, in the transition into adulthood, we expect their recognition of potentially abusive behaviour and ability speak up to be on par with an adult. However, children are still vulnerable and can suffer from a school’s failure to be proactive in its safeguarding measures. While the number of teachers facing accusations of sexual abuse or sexual misconduct against pupils has rapidly decreased in recent years, protecting those at risk remains critical.

In wider society, there is a growing acceptance and encouragement of survivors of abuse to speak out, facilitated by social media. On the other hand, for children at risk of abuse, school can feel like a very isolated place.

This is clear not least from a review of sexual abuse in schools, conducted by Ofsted. The study found that an increasing number of school-aged children experienced exposure to hyper-sexualised language, unwanted sexualised imagery and abusive behaviours from their peers. The result was a culture of normalisation around the topic of sexuality amongst children of this age range.  

Those few but sinister teachers who may look to exploit a child may often target an isolated individual by acting as a friend, taking on the role of their peers. The normalisation of talking about sexual acts with friends within the school setting may therefore make it easier for an abuser to introduce such topics, and more difficult for a child at risk to speak up before the abuse escalates. Gradual exposure to sexual acts by a trusted pastoral figure may not be immediately alarming, allowing the abuse to persist for months and often years in silence. 

In just the latest instance of teacher-student abuse to be reported on, former maths teacher Daniel Rowe was sentenced to a sixteen-month suspended prison sentence earlier this month for a series of sexual acts involving one of his students, then aged between 16 and 17. He was ordered to complete a rehabilitation programme and was barred from working with children for ten years; a long-term restraining order was also put in place to protect the victim from future contact. The teacher had been found guilty in August 2025 of committing a number of these abuses between April 2015 and July 2016. 

The abuse is believed to have begun as one-to-one teaching sessions which the perpetrator used as an opportunity to exploit and isolate the child, encouraging her to avoid romantic relationships with children of her own age. One staff member is known to have identified the inappropriateness of the one-to-one unsupervised meetings, contrary to the school’s policy, yet Rowe is not believed to have been stopped from having contact with the child. Eventually, the abuse escalated to performing undressing and sexual acts during video calls with the student. It is impossible to know for certain, but the proper implementation of safeguarding procedures could have prevented the abuse from reaching this stage. 

Speaking following Rowe’s sentence, Wendy Lloyd, Senior Prosecutor for the CPS, stated:  

“He abused his position to groom and exploit a student, with no thought for the lasting impact it would have on her”;

"Every parent expects their children to be safe while they are at school or college; Rowe's actions have eroded that trust.”

For those young people who survive such horrendous abuses of power and sexuality, it can take tremendous courage not only to acknowledge the wrongdoing of their adult teacher, but to speak out against them as a child. 

It is for this reason that, while the survivor of Daniel Rowe’s abuse was able to come forward at a young age, many are not able to openly confront their experience for many years, often decades, after the abuse has ended. By this time, the impact upon an individual’s lifestyle, wellbeing and mental health can be profound and long lasting, especially when it occurs at such a critical period in a young person’s development. 

While such teachers are now few and far between, the case of Daniel Rowe’s abuse is still not an isolated incident. Quoting again Senior Prosecutor Wendy Lloyd, Rowe’s prosecution should ‘send a clear message to perpetrators of sexual abuse, the Crown Prosecution Service will not hesitate to prosecute abusers, no matter how much time has passed since they committed their crimes.’ This is a sentiment we wish to echo to anyone considering coming forward – your story will be heard.