Police in England and Wales received reports of nearly five sexual crimes against children aged 12 and younger at schools every day between 2021 and 2025, new data has revealed. A series of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests show at least 8,500 offences against children were logged during this time, equating to 4.7 per day.
This figure includes around 2,000 alleged rapes and attempted rapes, working out as one rape at a school across England and Wales each day. The FOI requests were sent to 43 police forces, of which 33 responded. While the majority of reports did not specify the age of the accused, they are most likely to have been other schoolchildren.
Commissioner says abuse is 'widespread'
Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children's Commissioner for England, said child-on-child sexual abuse in schools was "widespread" and "too often brushed under the carpet". She added: "We have taken important steps in the last few years. But as these figures show, we have a long way to go. This is not simply a school or college issue, it is a societal one."
The new data also includes reports of a further 6,140 crimes involving the possession, taking, making or distribution of indecent or prohibited images of children under 18. At least 1,890 of the reported sexual offences against victims aged under-13 were committed by perpetrators under the age of 18.
Nearly two-thirds of victims are female
Nearly two-thirds of sexual crimes against under-13s were committed against females. Andrew Lord, a partner with Leigh Day solicitors who represents survivors of sexual abuse, said: "This new dataset evidences clearly the horrifying true scale of sexual abuse of children within schools. Those in authority can no longer claim that they were not aware of how prevalent an issue this is.
"Parents deserve to know that their children are safe while undertaking their education, and anything short of concrete action to tackle this problem is simply not good enough."
Government response
A government spokesperson said: "No child should be unsafe at school, and no child should have to carry this alone. That is why schools' duty to respond to sexual violence and harassment is now statutory, and why staff are trained to spot concerns early and support victims.
"As part of our strategy to halve violence against women and girls, we have pledged to make sure all young people are taught about healthy relationships and consent from an early age – and we've forced tech companies to tackle harmful content and protect young people online through the Online Safety Act."
