Schools have been urged to tackle the "underestimated" issue of sexual abuse and harassment among students.
Cllr Kath Loftus has tabled a motion demanding action after officials at Halton Borough Council made it "clear" that the reporting of incidents in education establishments was “not as open as it should be”.
Her call, seconded by Cllr Irene Bramwell, is to be discussed at full council at Runcorn Town Hall on March 2.
The issue was previously raised at Halton's children, young people and families policy and performance board (CYPB) in September, where council officers relayed the findings of a national Ofsted review that found the issue had been “underestimated”.
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In her motion, which also relates to sexual bullying, Cllr Loftus has urged every school board of governors in Halton to debate the matter at their next meeting and report back to councillors.
She made three main proposals, first of which is for all "young adults" to be educated about the impacts of sexual violence, harassment and bullying has on both “victim and perpetrator”.
She added schools should make sure incident reports are recorded and “all complaints are taken seriously and investigated thoroughly” alongside victim support, with the police “involved from the start” for any criminal act.
In her third proposal, Cllr Loftus, Labour, warned that although some schools allow girls to wear trousers, they are “often bullied by people making assertion of their sexual identity”, leading her to recommend that schools be encouraged to adopt “gender neutral uniforms”.
In her motion she concluded: “With the changes to the rules governing school uniforms (thanks to Mike Amesbury) this could be the opportune time to encourage schools to promote gender neutral uniforms (including gym kits) from September.
“This will be very economically beneficial for those parents on limited incomes.
“I hope all members can agree with me that these steps need to be taken, when you vote.
“We all need to remember that as councillors we are corporate parents.”
Halton Council’s full council is due to discuss the notice of motion at Runcorn Town Hall on Wednesday.
Ofsted’s review published last June - which prompted the CYPB to examine the issue in September - contained survey findings setting out an estimated prevalence of sexual abuse and harassment among school and college students.
It warned that incidents among pupils were “so commonplace that they see no point in reporting them”, and the issue was “so widespread that it needs addressing for all children and young people”.
Among those surveyed nearly 90% of girls and 50% of boys said “being sent explicit pictures or videos” of “things they did not want to see” happened a lot or sometimes to them or their peers.
Ofsted reported that girls said sexual harassment and online sexual abuse in addition to experiencing pressure to send pictures of themselves were “much more prevalent than adults realise”.
Department for Education figures published last August showed five Halton school pupils were suspended during 2019-20 for sexual assault.
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