The Inclusion in schools programme works with schools to make the whole learning environment and experience more welcoming, safe and engaging to all students. We know from national data that there are discrepancies in students’ future pathways; that some groups of student experience more mental health problems and that others are overrepresented in exclusion data. We listen to schools, audit data and offer them bespoke support in making changes they need to be more inclusive.

We are being increasingly asked about misogynistic attitudes and the influence, especially on young vulnerable boys, of Andrew Tate. On International Women’s Day, as we celebrate the progress towards a more equal society, it’s important to recognise there is still a long way to go. This isn’t just a problem for girls, who face discrimination in a misogynistic society, but for all young people.

This has formed the focus of some of our network meetings, webinars and wider reading. Here is a summary of some of our reflections.

How many positive male role models can you name without doing an internet search?  Should we have their names and contributions to society more readily in our minds? Stormzy, Marcus Rashford, Jordan Stephens, Professor Jonathan Van Tam and more, could be given some air time in lessons.

Andrew Tate is not the only misogynist.  Misogyny will, unfortunately, endure longer than Andrew Tate’s prominence.  We need to shift the discussion away from Andrew Tate and towards a more positive and proactive approach – but not forgetting that explicit steps must be taken to open the dialogue with young people.

The misinformation and negative role models need to be shifted by a culture of respect and young people need to feel supported to explore the messages that they receive from society and their peers.

In an article in the Financial Times, journalist Laura Bates writes that schools must be proactive rather than reactive and that the conversations need to be calm, regular, open and non-judgmental.

Mark Roberts, teacher, Director of Research and author of The Boy Question and Boys don’t try?, gave the following suggestions to the Inclusion in Schools programme team:

Provide CPD opportunities for staff
Prepare teachers by providing a suggested script or offering guidance about concrete action to take. Provide facts that put Tate’s comments into perspective.

Tackle boys’ attitudes through assemblies
Schools often decide to avoid all talk of Tate as they are concerned about popularising his views. This risks allowing Tate to gain further traction. To help boys understand the harmful consequences of his view, action is required.

Try not to silence boys
Faced with reprehensible comments, teachers will often, want to shut down any discussion. This, however, plays into Tate’s twisted narrative, where he insists that he is being silenced for telling “the truth” about gender. Listening to boys and calmly discussing the obvious flaws in Tate’s logic is more likely to lead a gradual shift in opinions.

Consider Tate’s wider appeal
As well as misogyny, Tate promotes a “glamorous” lifestyle of fast cars and private jets, and an emphasis on physical and mental strength. Only by placing these messages into the wider context of what he stands for can we help boys to see the grim reality behind the lustrous façade.

You can read more from Mark Roberts in his article in the TES https://www.tes.com/magazine/teaching-learning/secondary/andrew-tate-how-schools-tackle-misogyny