Harmful narratives about domestic abuse persist in our society. They can include questioning “why doesn’t the victim just leave?”. They might mean believing in a hierarchy of abuse, where physical abuse is taken more seriously than other forms.
Stereotypical characterisations of how a victim should behave and what a perpetrator looks like remain. Overall, a lack of understanding and awareness serves to silence and exclude those most affected.
Research I conducted in West Yorkshire revealed that these narratives are entrenched within social services, the legal system, the police and wider society. Dispelling these ideas about domestic abuse is vital if people affected are to get the support they need.
Many of those needing support are teenagers. UK data shows that young people aged between 16 and 19 are among the groups most affected by domestic abuse. Despite these figures, educational guidance does not prepare students to recognise or respond to abusive relationships adequately.
Harassment and the normalisation of harmful behaviour are widespread in schools. Research from schools inspectorate Ofsted has found that nine in ten girls have experienced sexist name-calling or unsolicited sexual images. It’s critical that education aimed at stopping harmful narratives about domestic abuse takes place in secondary schools.
Guidance for schools
In December 2025, the UK government released its long-awaited strategy for tackling violence against women and girls. The strategy also recognises that supporting young people and providing a route to change extends beyond the school environment. This is evident in a package of preventative measures, including a new helpline for young people who are concerned about harmful behaviour. However, while the strategy recognises that educational interventions have a vital part to play, it lacks detail on what these might look like.
The strategy followed the publication of statutory guidance on relationships, sex and health education, released in July 2025. This guidance introduced welcome developments. It outlines broad expectations for the teaching of relationships, including the recognition of abuse, and brings several improvements in the area of domestic abuse education.
This guidance improves clarity around legal definitions and acknowledges the importance of schools identifying harmful behaviour in their relationships education discussions. It makes some progress toward acknowledging harmful narratives and misconceptions about domestic abuse.
Again, though, it lacks specific details to support schools. It still does not equip secondary school students with the critical knowledge and nuanced understanding necessary to identify abuse, challenge stigma or contribute to long-term cultural and societal change. There is no clear roadmap for teachers to challenge misconceptions in practice. It fails to outline how domestic abuse should be taught progressively across key stages.
Based on research, I’ve put together a comprehensive educational programme to reframe how domestic abuse is taught and understood in secondary schools.
I designed the programme in partnership with West Yorkshire Combined Authority, West Yorkshire Police, Leeds City Council, Leeds Domestic Violence Service Voices Project, +Choices (a service for perpetrators of domestic abuse) and local secondary schools. It offers age-appropriate, engaging content and opportunities for critical discussion that challenges stereotypical and reductive narratives of abuse. The pilot of this programme is currently underway across West Yorkshire. The aim is to make it a compulsory part of the curriculum in the region from September 2026.
The programme of lessons is built around a short animation video (above). This takes young people on a journey down a typical street visiting the homes of four different types of couples experiencing different types of abuse. Each lesson is tailored to a specific year group, ensuring that lessons remain age appropriate. Additionally, lessons are designed flexibly, deliverable either in one hour or in three 20-minute sessions, to accommodate the different ways in which schools deliver the relationships and sex education curriculum.
For year seven (ages 11 and 12) the lesson begins by introducing the couples in the video and what domestic abuse is. Students explore what happens behind closed doors and identifying trusted adults in their lives.
From year eight (ages 12 to 13) onward, each lesson focuses on a scenario from the animation as students explore the dynamics and abusive behaviours in each relationship. Sessions focus on witnessing domestic abuse and exploring unsafe relationship patterns. They cover the cycle of abuse, coercive control, financial abuse, social isolation, stalking, digital abuse, love bombing and emotional abuse.
The aim of the programme is to encourage teachers and students alike to better recognise, prevent and respond to abusive relationships in all forms. It makes a proactive step towards realising the government’s commitment to ensuring that “children are taught to tackle harmful ideas, unhealthy views about relationships and misogyny in school”.
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