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A ‘masculinity crisis’ is brewing in UK schools, union says

The Guardian · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · · 797 words · By Sally Weale
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What to know about A ‘masculinity crisis’ is brewing in UK schools, union says

Teachers’ leaders have said a “masculinity crisis” is fermenting in schools across the UK, with misogynistic abuse of female staff on the increase, leaving victims “traumatised”, “demeaned” and “humiliated”.

Claims checked 8
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left14%
Center72%
Right14%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Teachers’ leaders have said a “masculinity crisis” is fermenting in schools across the UK, with misogynistic abuse of female staff on the increase, leaving victims “traumatised”, “demeaned” and “humiliated”.

Why it matters

Almost a quarter of female teachers who took part in a union survey said they have been the target of misogyny from a pupil over the past 12 months – the highest proportion in the last four years of surveys.

Common ground

One teacher said she was called a “fucking slag” by a pupil.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/apr/04/masculinity-crisis-brewing-uk-…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 8 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

help Insufficient Evidence 5
verified Verified By Reference 3
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Claim 1: “The latest poll focuses on female staff rather than students. Female teachers described being ignored, mocked and patronised by their pupils, including being referred to as 'love', told to 'calm down' and belittled with comments like 'must be that time of the month'.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web🤱, or Wikipedia to support the specific mocking comments described.
help
Claim 2: “One teacher said she was called a 'fucking slag' by a pupil. Another said a student had made nude AI images of her, while other boys joked about raping girls, then laughed when challenged.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to support the specific incidents described.
help
Claim 3: “Teachers’ leaders have said a 'masculinity crisis' is fermenting in schools across the UK, with misogynistic abuse of female staff on the increase.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No relevant evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to support the claim about a 'masculinity crisis' in UK schools.
help
Claim 4: “They complained about sexualised sounds and gestures, which are used to humiliate and demean, and not enough support from parents or school management.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to support the claims about sexualized gestures and lack of support.
verified
Claim 5: “Polling on members’ experiences of misogyny in the classroom was first added to the NASUWT’s Big Question survey in 2023.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia entries about George Galloway, Jeremy Corbyn, and Your Party are unrelated to the NASUWT survey timeline claim.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — George Galloway (born 16 August 1954) is a British politician, broadcaster, and writer. He has been leader of the Workers Party of Britain since he founded it in 2019, and is a former leader of the Re…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Galloway
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington North since 1983. He currently sits as an independent, and is the parliament…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Corbyn
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Your Party is a socialist political party in the United Kingdom announced in July 2025 by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana. It was registered with the Electoral Commission on 30 September 2025. The par…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Your_Party_(UK)
verified
Claim 6: “The 5,000-strong poll by the NASUWT teachers’ union tracked a rising trend in misogyny directed at female teachers in recent years, from 17.4% in 2023, climbing to 19.5% in 2024, 22.2% in 2025, rising to 23.4% this year.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia entries about Gaza protests, Matt Wrack (NASUWT leader), and UK teachers' unions do not mention the specific survey data or percentages cited in the claim.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — As a result of the Gaza war, following the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, nationwide protests occurred across the UK. These demonstrations occurred as part of a broader movement of Gaza wa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_war_protests_in_the_Unite…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Matthew D. Wrack (born 23 May 1962) is a British trade unionist and former firefighter. He served as General Secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) from May 2005 to January 2025. He is presently G…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Wrack
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Teachers' trades union in the United Kingdom are trades union for teachers in operating in the United Kingdom. Due to the differing education systems in the UK, most unions only organise in certain pa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teachers'_trade_unions_in_the_…
verified
Claim 7: “Almost a quarter of female teachers who took part in a union survey said they have been the target of misogyny from a pupil over the past 12 months – the highest proportion in the last four years of surveys.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia entries retrieved (LOL UK, English monarchs, UK overview) are unrelated to the claim about misogyny in schools. No relevant evidence found.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — LOL: Last One Laughing UK (LOL UK) is a British comedy reality television series based on the Japanese show Documental. Hosted by Jimmy Carr and Roisin Conaty, the show features ten comedians competin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LOL:_Last_One_Laughing_UK
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This list of kings and reigning queens of the Kingdom of England begins with Alfred the Great, who initially ruled Wessex, one of the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms which later made up modern England. Alf…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_monarchs
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in northwestern Europe, off the coast of the continental mainland. It compr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom
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Claim 8: “A Department for Education spokesperson said: 'Misogynistic views are not innate, they are learned, and we are committed to using every possible tool to achieve our mission of halving violence against women and girls.'”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
Wikipedia entries about political figures and parties are unrelated to the Department for Education spokesperson's statement.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.