PCD 1787 VAWG Prevention Schools Toolkit - grant extension 2025-26

Executive Summary: 

At the heart of the Mayor’s approach to reducing violence, as committed in the 2022-25 Police and Crime Plan for London, is prevention – and as outlined in the Mayor’s Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy 2022-2025, prevention of VAWG is a core tenet of his plan to make London safer for all women and girls. VAWG remains a Mayoral priority and will feature in the new Police and Crime Plan for London, followed by the refreshed VAWG strategy.  

From 2022-23, as part of the Mayor’s programming on VAWG prevention, the Mayor championed communications campaigns Have a Word and Maaate, which focussed on encouraging Londoners to challenge public harassment and misogyny. As part of this approach, the Mayor committed to providing support that promotes healthy relationships in schools across London. Since 2022, he has invested over £1 million into the design, development and rollout of schools’ toolkits that support promoting healthy relationships to young people. 

In 2022, MOPAC commissioned Tender Education and Arts to develop VAWG Prevention toolkits and run training sessions for primary and secondary school teachers across London. Grant funding of £920,089 was awarded to Tender for this activity from October 2022 to March 2025 (PCD 1297 relates).  

Following the successful rollout and training for secondary school teachers in March 2023 and primary school teachers in September 2024, the Mayor is increasing his investment to develop the programme and expand access to more schools across London.   

This decision is seeking approval to modify MOPAC’s existing grant agreement with Tender Education and Arts by up to £250,000, bringing the total grant value to £1,170,089, and to extend the grant agreement to near the end of the 2025/26 school year (31 July 2026). 

Recommendation:  

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to:   

1. Approve a grant modification to MOPAC’s existing grant with Tender Education and Arts (MOPAC847) to expand roll-out of the VAWG Prevention Schools Toolkit and accompanying training for teachers until July 2026.   

2. Approve the allocation of up to a maximum value of £250,000 to Tender Education and Arts for this work, to be funded from the VAWG £5m budget. 

PART I - NON-CONFIDENTIAL FACTS AND ADVICE TO THE DMPC 

1. Introduction and background  

1. The Mayor’s refreshed Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy 2022-2025 sets out the Mayor’s long-term ambition to eradicate VAWG in London so that every woman and girl can participate fully in public life without experiencing or fearing harassment, abuse or violence.  

2. Within the Strategy, prevention of VAWG before it occurs is a key priority to its long-term eradication, building on the public health approach to tackle violence championed by the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU). The Strategy also committed to targeted VAWG prevention activity in schools: “to supplement our targeted interventions, we will ensure that we proactively reach out to all schools to encourage them to join the drive to tackle misogyny at all levels and empower them to address any form of VAWG that they may encounter at their respective establishments.” 

3. VAWG has devastating human and societal costs. It is known and accepted that VAWG is rooted in gender inequality; most perpetrators of VAWG offences are male (90%), while most victims are female (over 80%).  In 2022/23, police recorded more than one million VAWG offences in England and Wales, accounting for 20% of all police recorded crime.  

4. A 2023 report into sexual violence in schools and colleges by the House of Commons’ Women and Equalities Committee described sexual harassment as a “scourge“ leaving women and girls feeling “powerless”.  

5. The End Violence Against Women and Girls Coalition’s (EVAW) 2023 survey into sexual harassment in schools found that: 

• 80% of girls think schools need to do more to support young people’s sex and relationships education, and to tackle sexual harassment in schools 

• 30% of young women don’t feel safe from sexual harassment in school  

• Almost 1 in 4 (24%) girls in mixed sex schools say they have been the subject of unwanted sexual touching at school 

6. Girlguiding’s 2024 Girls Attitude Survey, which surveyed over 2,500 girls and young women aged 7-21, found that: 

• 3 in 4 girls aged 11-16 see or experience sexism, increasing to 95% for young women aged 17-21 

• 47% of 11-21-year-olds feel less safe as a result of sexism 

• 77% of girls and young women aged 7-21 have experienced online harm in the last year. 

• 63% of girls aged 7-21 have experience sexism at school, college, university or in their daily life  

7. Against this backdrop, the Mayor’s VAWG communications campaign #HaveAWord, a multi-year public communications programme to challenge misogynistic attitudes, was launched successfully in 2022. As part of this campaign, and as part of his approach to championing VAWG prevention across London, the Mayor committed to providing access to a toolkit for schools to support the promotion of healthy relationships.   

8. In support of this commitment, in October 2022, MOPAC commissioned Tender, an arts and education charity, to develop a free VAWG Prevention Toolkit. The toolkit training use drama, art and media to provide a safe, enjoyable space where children can engage with sensitive topics, ‘rehearse’ for real life scenarios and explore their rights, responsibilities and expectations within relationships.  

9. Since 2022, the Mayor has invested over £1 million to support the roll-out of VAWG Prevention toolkits in schools and other educational settings across London.  

10. To support the Mayor’s commitment to continued VAWG prevention and a public health approach to reducing violence, as outlined in his Police and Crime Plan and Tackling VAWG Strategy, the Mayor is increasing his investment to develop the VAWG Prevention Toolkits programme and expand access to more schools across London. This builds upon the commitment made in PCD 1297.  

2. Issues for consideration 

2.1     Since the Secondary school toolkit was launched in March 2023, it has gained 7,655 views and has been accessed by nearly 5,000 (4,811) users. To date, 239 secondary school teachers from across 131 schools/educational settings/youth clubs have attended training on using the toolkit in their respective settings.  

2.2  Since the Primary toolkit was made available for schools in July 2024, a total of 230 teachers from 165 schools/educational settings/youth clubs have attended training on using the toolkit in their settings.   

2.3 In addition, 107 governors have also attended training from 99 settings across 34 sessions and 118 Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) teachers have attended from 95 settings across 34 sessions. 

2.4  As part of MOPAC’s performance management of the programme, Tender’s quarterly monitoring includes a survey of those who have attended their introductory training sessions on the Toolkits. The surveys have found that between April – June 2024, 75% of teachers reported increased awareness of gendered violence and its impact on children and young people; and 80% of teachers reported increased confidence to support children and young people regarding relationships 

2.5  As part of the Mayor’s increased investment in 2025/26, MOPAC have worked with Tender to incorporate learning from the success of the programme so far. The intention is for new and expanded activity to include more in-person delivery of training sessions, expansion of the programme to work directly with children and young people, and greater recognition of schools that participate in the programme.  

2.6 The anticipated outcomes of those benefitting from this expanded roll-out include:  

For Teachers:  

• reporting increased knowledge of gender-based violence and its impact on children;  

• being able to respond sensitively to the needs of children who may experience gender-based violence;  

For Children:  

• being able to recognise what makes a relationship healthy or unhealthy 

• demonstrating positive attitudes to gender-based violence (e.g. reduced victim-blaming attitudes) 

• being likely to support a friend experiencing an abusive situation. 

3. Financial Comments  

1. The cost of this grant agreement extension is up to £250,000 across 2025/26 and 2026/27. The exact split over each financial year is not yet known but it is estimated to be £180,000 in 2025/26 and £70,000 in 2026/27. This will be funded from the respective VAWG £5m budget. 

4. Legal Comments  

1. MOPAC’s general powers are set out in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (the 2011 Act). Section 3(6) of the 2011 Act provides that MOPAC must “secure the maintenance of the metropolitan police service and secure that the metropolitan police service is efficient and effective.” Under Schedule 3, paragraph 7 (1) MOPAC has wide incidental powers to “do anything which is calculated to facilitate, or is conducive or incidental to, the exercise of the functions of the Office.” Paragraph 7(2) (a) provides that this includes entering into contracts and other agreements. 

2. Section 143 (1) (b) of the Anti-Social, Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides for MOPAC to provide or commission services “intended by the local policing body to help victims or witnesses of, or other persons affected by, offences and anti-social behaviour.” 

3. There are further relevant powers set out in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 at sections 17(1) (a) to (c) which place MOPAC under a duty to exercise its functions with due regard to the likely effect of the exercise of those functions on, and the need to do all it can to prevent, crime and disorder (including anti-social and other behaviour adversely affecting the local environment), reoffending in its area, and the misuse of drugs, alcohol and other substances in its area. The proposed arrangements are consistent with MOPAC’s duties in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. 

4. Paragraph 4.8 of the MOPAC Scheme of Delegation and Consent provides that the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC) has delegated authority to approve all offers of grant funding. 

5. Paragraph 4.8 of the MOPAC Scheme of Delegation and Consent provides that the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC) has delegated authority to approve the award of all individual grants whether to secure or contribute to securing crime reduction in London or for other purposes. 

6. Paragraph 4.6 of the MOPAC Scheme of Delegation and Consent provides the DMPC authority to delegate those functions which are reserved for the DMPC. 

7. These recommendations are in line with the MOPAC Scheme of Delegation and Consent. 

8. Officers must ensure the Financial Regulations and Contract Regulations are complied with. 

9. Officers should ensure that the funding agreements are put in place with and executed by MOPAC and the provider before any commitment to fund is made. 

5. Commercial Issues  

1. This Decision seeks to modify MOPAC’s existing grant with Tender Education and Arts (MOPAC 847) by up to £250,000, with an original value of £920,089.  

2. In accordance with 4.8 of MOPAC’s Scheme of Delegation, the DMPC can approve the acceptance and strategy to make use of grant funding. 

3. The actions proposed can be taken in compliance with procurement legislation and MOPAC’s Contract Regulations. 

6. Public Health Approach  

1. Violence against women and girls is a public health issue. The refreshed Mayor’s VAWG Strategy 2022-2025 has adopted a public health approach to VAWG. The key principles guiding this approach are: we base our decisions on data and evidence; we prioritise early intervention and prevention; we place communities at the heart of change; we develop long-term solutions with partners; and we evaluate our activities to understand what works. 

2. The public health approach to violence prevention is being led by London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), which supports MOPAC’s work through preventative programmes supporting young people. 

3. This decision provides funding to provide VAWG preventative education on healthy relationships in London which will align with and support the Violence Reduction Unit’s public health approach to tackling the causes of violent crime in London.  

7. GDPR and Data Privacy  

1. MOPAC will adhere to the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 and ensure that any organisations who are commissioned to do work with or on behalf of MOPAC are fully compliant with the policy and understand their GDPR responsibilities.   

2. The extension of funding for this programme will not alter the data protection measures in place. Where required, DPIAs will be updated to reflect the extension of the corresponding project or service.  

8. Equality Comments  

1. MOPAC is required to comply with the public sector equality duty set out in section 149(1) of the Equality Act 2010. This requires MOPAC to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations by reference to people with protected characteristics. The protected characteristics are: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. 

2. As highlighted in Baroness Louise Casey’s review standards of behaviour and internal culture of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), women and girls have been left further behind due to various reasons such as the de-prioritisation and de-specialism of certain areas of public protection. This includes sexual harassment and assault, crimes that disproportionality impact women and girls. 

3. Tackling VAWG is an equalities issue. The proposed grant variation and additional funding for this project will provide support for teachers in relation to VAWG prevention and healthy relationships advice to promote the fair treatment of women and girls from all backgrounds, who are disproportionately vulnerable to and affected by crime. 

9. Background/supporting papers 

1. PCD 1297 Tender VAWG Prevention Toolkit support FY 22/23 – 24/25