Teach Secondary 14.4

Earlier this year, the acclaimed Netflix drama Adolescence propelled incel culture, misogyny and toxic masculinity firmly into the public consciousness. Everyone working in secondary classrooms will be familiar with these issues. In fact, they’ve always existed – but when smartphones and algorithmically controlled social media feeds collided with a divided, fragmented and disconnected society, it created the ideal conditions for these corrosive attitudes to be spread far and wide. And it’s adolescent boys who are most affected. A recent BBC survey (see tiny.cc/ts144-LL2 ) revealed that more than a third of secondary teachers had reported misogynistic behaviour from pupils at their school. A recent NASUWT poll (see tiny.cc/ts144-LL3 ) meanwhile found that almost three in five teachers believe that social media use has had a negative effect on behaviour in schools, with self-proclaimed ‘misogynist influencer’ Andrew Tate specifically cited by a number of respondents. These harmful attitudes can lead to increased polarisation and misinformation, and reinforce negative behaviours. Young people are especially vulnerable to being isolated, radicalised and disconnected from healthy, respectful ways of engaging with others, due to the changes in the brain and body that occur during adolescence. Dealing with these topics can be challenging because naturally, we want all the answers right away. However, we must accept this is a society-sized problem, and that the process will take time. It’s down to responsible adults across society – parents, carers, educators, community workers and beyond – to commence the process by openly talking to young people about these topics We’ve developed a resource containing some useful pointers, based on expert advice from academic and educator. Lewis Wedlock: • Be curious, not furious Approach conversations with authentic interest in young people’s experiences and viewpoints. Ask open-ended, exploratory questions without imposing immediate judgement or correction. • Use active, reflective listening Prioritise hearing and understanding over immediate responses. Reflect on what young people share, ensuring they feel heard, valued, and understood. • Adopt a non-judgemental stance/ presence Develop trust by avoiding immediate criticism or defensiveness. Validate their feelings and perspectives as genuine expressions of their lived experience, even if they differ from your own views. • Model humility and openness to learning Admit when you don’t have all the answers. Model humility and openness by learning alongside young people, demonstrating that it’s okay – and essential – to grow and change your views. • Support critical thinking and encouragement Gently prompt young people to reflect critically on the information they consume. Support them to ask questions about sources, motivations and potential biases. • Recognise the emotional context Identify and sensitively engage with underlying emotions such as fear, insecurity or desires for acceptance, which often drive beliefs or behaviours. • Establish patient boundaries Establish respectful communication norms, clearly stating that derogatory or harmful language isn’t acceptable, while remaining patient and flexible enough to revisit difficult topics when necessary. • Get comfortable with the uncomfortable Recognise that these conversations may cause discomfort or resistance. Stay calm, provide space and allow conversations to unfold naturally, knowing that trust deepens over time. WHYTEACHERS SHOULD... VIV TRASK-HALL IS HEAD OF PRODUCT AND INNOVATION AT THRIVE,WHICH TRAINS TEACHERS AND OTHER EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS TO SUPPORT CHILDREN’S WELLBEING; THRIVE’S NEWRESOURCE, ‘FROM RED PILL TO 80/20’, IS AVAILABLE NOWVIA TINYURL.COM/TS144-LL1 BE CURIOUS, NOT FURIOUS Needto know The Education Policy Institute has warned of a significant ‘workforce quality gap’ at schools with the most disadvantaged pupil populations in the country, compared to those with the most affluent. The EPI’smethod for gauging the effectiveness of teachers between different schools involved measuring the extent of their experience within the profession; their academic and professional qualifications; and the rates of staff turnover and teacher absence at their respective settings. Fromthis, the researchers found that teachers and leaders in disadvantaged schools are typically less experienced and less likely to hold a degree relevant to their subject specialism (with STEM subjects showing the starkest gaps),with disadvantaged schools also seeingmarkedly higher levels of staff turnover andmore teacher absences. The researchers’ proposals for tackling said gaps include offering financial retention incentives for experienced subject specialists in disadvantaged schools; expanding professional development opportunities following themodel of the National Professional Qualifications; providingmore extensive training for school leaders; and adoptingmore sophisticatedmethods for measuring the quality of teaching. Download the full ‘Closing the WorkforceQualityGap’ report via tinyurl.com/ts144-LL7 1,647 The number of counselling sessions delivered by Childline in response to calls from young people citing exam/revision stress between April 2024 and March 2025 Source: NSPCC 78 teachwire.net/secondary