Ofsted is to lead an inquiry into how private and state schools deal with peer-on-peer sexual harassment and assault, The Guardian reports.
The NSPCC is also launching a dedicated helpline today to support the victims of abuse, the paper said.
The move has been welcomed by campaigners who are gathering testimonies from thousands of women and girls of alleged incidents on the Everyone’s Invited website.
The Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman said she was “deeply troubled” by the accounts of sexual abuse and harassment that young people had suffered.
She said: “Schools have a crucial role to play in teaching young people about sexual consent and respect for women and girls. They must also be places where all children feel safe, and where they are able to report any incidents of abuse or harassment and be confident that what they say will be acted upon.”
Earlier this week, Julie Robinson, chief executive of the ISC, said schools were “devasted” by the allegations, promising that schools would be “reviewing their school culture and processes.”