Children as young as three are being taught to reject toxic masculinity at London schools as part of a programme aimed at reducing youth violence and misogyny. The initiative, designed by global education specialists Think Equal, is being implemented in 4,750 UK classrooms, including St Saviour’s nursery and primary school in Poplar, east London.
The programme focuses on social and emotional learning, teaching children that no emotional reaction is “bad” and encouraging them to speak up about anything that makes them uncomfortable, including hugs. Executive headteacher Fanoula Smith said it is important children are “seen, heard” and told “their feelings matter”. As a result, St Saviour’s has no permanent exclusions and a lower rate of suspensions.
Over 9,000 London schoolchildren receive lessons up to three times a week on respect, kindness and how their actions make others feel. Think Equal founder Leslee Udwin, a British filmmaker turned education activist, said it is “too late after six-years-old” to teach these skills. She warned that in a vacuum of positive role models, children turn to figures such as self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate and street gang leaders.
Research suggests children are 82 per cent less likely to commit crime if they do not conform to dangerous gender stereotypes. Udwin noted that some teachers have encountered eight-year-old boys addicted to pornography, and that many children display violence and aggression, particularly post-Covid. “If you don’t have empathy, you can pull out a knife and stab someone later on and many do. But they won’t if you come in with a programme like this,” she said.
Think Equal’s UK director Katie Cohen said the programme has reached over 93,000 children in 29 local authorities, with more councils expected to start teaching it in 2026. A study in Hounslow found higher communication, language, social and emotional development outcomes for children on the programme. The initiative has faced criticism from Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, who called Labour’s separate plan to teach respect for women and girls a “complete distraction” that “risks demonising boys”.
