The NASUWT teaching union has issued a stark warning that a "masculinity crisis is brewing" in UK classrooms, following a survey revealing a sharp increase in misogynistic abuse directed at female teachers by pupils. The union's annual survey found that nearly a quarter (23.4%) of female teachers reported experiencing such abuse from a pupil in the last year, a significant rise from 17.4% in 2023.

This marks the fourth consecutive year the survey has recorded an increase. Teachers described the abuse as "traumatising," leaving them feeling "humiliated" and "violated." One respondent reported a student creating AI-generated naked images of her and other girls, an act she labelled "horrifying." Another said: "Boys have confronted me, shouted at me. Have had boys joke about raping girls in front of me and laughed about it when challenged."

NASUWT General Secretary Matt Wrack stated that if female teachers are struggling to contain this gender-based aggression, it represents a "ticking time bomb." He emphasised the urgent need to support male students before "it is too late."

"We have a masculinity crisis brewing in our schools," said Mr Wrack. "Teachers desperately need increased support to deal with this new frontier of behaviour management." He called for professional training to help staff "identify, challenge, and safely de-escalate behaviour rooted in online radicalisation, sexism, and hate."

The survey of over 5,000 teachers across the UK also found more than one in five had been subject to sexist, racist, or homophobic language from a pupil in the past year. Teachers reported being ignored by male pupils due to their gender and facing misogynistic backlash when addressing behavioural concerns.

Commenting on the wider pressures, Professor Lee Elliot Major of the University of Exeter told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that teachers now act as "de facto parents," contending with numerous societal challenges in the classroom. "The reality is that a teacher these days is a counsellor, a social worker, a poverty alleviator and a guardian of respectful values," he said, noting that teachers are "incredibly stretched" without specific training for these roles.

In response to the crisis, the NASUWT is calling for a ban on social media for under-16s and a ban on mobile phones in schools. A Department for Education spokesperson said misogynistic views are "learned" and that the government is committed to using "every possible tool" to halve violence against women and girls. They highlighted updated guidance, resources to help teachers recognise signs of incel ideologies, and strengthened guidance on mobile phones in schools.