Bolton reports a rise in sexual misconduct cases in the classroom - as Ofsted prepares to visit schools and colleges where such allegations have been made

Department for Education figures show Bolton schools excluded students 19 times for sexual misconduct in 2018/19 — one permanently and 18 temporarily.

The number of people told to leave class for sexual misconduct was an increase on the year before, when there were 10.

Overall, Bolton schools excluded pupils 3,956 times in 2018-19 – 3,846 of which were fixed, and 110 permanent.

The figures were released as Ofsted, the Government’s education watchdog, announced it would visit schools and colleges across the country facing allegations of sexual abuse after thousands of testimonials were posted on a website that allows students to share their experiences anonymously.

The watchdog said it would look at safeguarding policies following the deluge of reports made to the website Everyone’s Invited.

Ofsted has said it will talk to headteachers and students on the issue first-hand and it will visit a sample of schools and colleges where cases have been highlighted.

All the exclusions occurred in state-funded secondary schools, with none in special or primary schools.

A spokesperson for Bolton Council said: “There has been no increase in the number of permanent exclusions for misconduct of this kind in Bolton.

“We work closely with schools to create a safe and welcoming learning environment for all pupils.”

They were among 1,972 sexual misconduct exclusions – which include incidents of sexual abuse, sexual bullying and sexual harassment – across England that year.

Though a 13 per cent national drop on the year before, Rape Crisis said the number of exclusions will not show the true scale of sexist bullying and sexual violence being perpetrated in schools, particularly against girls.

More than 14,000 testimonies have been posted on the Everyone’s Invited website, where pupils across the country have been anonymously sharing their experiences of abuse and assault.

Website founder Soma Sara said the number of students who have the confidence to report incidences of sexual misconduct pales in comparison to the number who have suffered.

A Government spokesman said: “Where schools do not meet the strict safeguarding standards that we have in place, we will take swift action and we will always back headteachers to remove a pupil from the classroom where this creates a calm and disciplined environment.

“We would encourage anyone who is aware of any specific incidents – and feels comfortable reporting their concerns – to do so.”