About primary schools | Misogyny-Free Schools

Understanding How Primary Schools Operate

Understanding how primary schools operate for those of us outside of the education system is important to understating the opportunities and constraints, allowing us to engage more effectively for meaningful, lasting impact. Topics included here are:

School leadership and decision making

Primary schools are led by a Headteacher, supported by a Senior Leadership Team (SLT) (e.g. deputy heads, assistant heads). They are responsible for the day-to-day running of the school. Schools are also overseen by a governing body or academy* trust board, which provides strategic direction and accountability. Governors are often volunteers and include parents, staff, and community members.

Schools create their own internal policies (e.g. behaviour, safeguarding, relationships education), but these must align with national guidance.

Policy decisions are typically: Drafted by senior staff, reviewed by governors, updated annually or in response to new guidance. There are also key moments in the school year (e.g. planning cycles, budget setting, curriculum reviews) when decisions are more likely to be made.

What this means for us:

Headteachers and SLT make most operational decisions (e.g. curriculum delivery, behaviour approaches, external programmes).
Governors influence longer-term priorities and can be important allies for change.
Timing matters for policy and curriculum decisions so engaging early in decision cycles is more effective than reacting after policies are set.
Schools often welcome input but may not proactively seek it.

National curriculum

The National Curriculum sets out what children should learn in subjects like English, maths, and science. However, it does not cover everything taught in schools and does leave significant space for schools to shape wider learning (e.g. values, relationships, behaviour culture).

Schools must follow statutory requirements, but they have considerable freedom in how they teach content, which resources or programmes they use, what additional topics they prioritise. Academies* typically have even more flexibility than local authority schools.

What this means for us:

Topics like gender equality and misogyny are not explicitly detailed in the curriculum
Schools have flexibility to include these topics through other areas (e.g. PSHE, assemblies, school ethos)
Different schools may approach the same topic very differently

Where curriculum content comes from

Schools often choose between buying in external programmes (e.g. lesson packages, workshops, training) and designing their own content internally.

Reasons schools buy programmes include: saving staff time, accessing specialist expertise, and meeting statutory requirements efficiently. However, programmes vary in quality and scope.

Schools usual design their own curriculum internally for core subjects (English, maths, science), sometimes design their own and sometimes buy in for “Foundation subjects” (e.g. history, geography, art). PSHE / relationships / wellbeing is where buying in is most common.

What this means for us:

What a school teaches on an issue may depend heavily on which programme they’ve chosen
Schools can supplement or adapt programmes—but don’t always do so
Topics like misogyny can fall into the less structured spaces, unless deliberately embedded

PSHE and RSHE

PSHE is a broad umbrella subject and stands for Personal, Social, Health and Economic education. It is not part of the statutory National Curriculum. It covers things like personal well-being, mental health and resilience, healthy lifestyles, economic well-being, social skills and citizenship.

RSHE (Relationships, Sex and Health Education) is part of PSHE and is the part that is legally required (statutory part of PSHE) in England. RSHE is focused specifically on relationships, sexual health, and physical/mental health and covers things like:

Healthy friendships and relationships
Families and parenting
Consent and personal boundaries
Puberty, reproduction, sexual health (sex education part)

So while schools must teach certain content, PSHE as a subject isn’t fully prescribed in the same way as maths or science so they have much more freedom in how and what exactly they teach within it.

Schools typically use bought-in structured PSHE programmes. Some common ones include: PSHE Association, Jigsaw PSHE, Kapow Primary, Brook PSHE, etc.

These programmes cover broad wellbeing and relationships topics, may include gender equality or stereotypes, but often do not explicitly harmful gender norms and misogyny more explicitly. Schools can adapt lessons or add content, but this depends on staff confidence, time, and priorities.

For RSHE schools must actively consult with parents (unlike most other subjects). For formal consultations, schools share RSHE curriculum overviews, lesson content, policies, and invite parent feedback via surveys, workshops, or emails. These usually occur when RSHE is developed or reviewed, often every few years, with annual updates for new parents or year groups.

What this means for us:

There is usually some foundation to build on—but it may not go far enough
Asking how PSHE is delivered is a key entry point for engagement
We can also work to encourage PSHE programmmes to include more on this topic

Primary school structure (EYFS, KS1, KS2)

The education system is structured into stages. Primary schools have the following:

Foundation Stage (EYFS) which is split into two year groups, the Preschool or Nursery year for ages 3 to 4 and the Reception year for ages 4 to 5.
Key Stage 1 (KS1) is also split into two year groups, Year 1 for ages 5 to 6 and Year 2 for ages 6 to 7.
Key Stage 2 (KS2) is split into four year groups, Year 3 for ages 7 to 8, Year 4 for ages 8 to 9, Year 5 for ages 9 to 10, and Year 6 for ages 10 to 11.
Some schools may refer to Lower KS2 (Year 3 and 4) and Upper KS2 (Year 5 and 6)

For KS1 and 2 there are specific areas that must be covered in Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) including teaching about families, caring and respectful relationships, online relationships, being safe, and changing adolescent body. As with PSHE in general, KS1 focuses on foundational skills and KS2 builds on earlier work, moving into more complex topics.

What this means for us:

Need to build on from what is being taught in RSE and through all school Stages
Works best to maintain the same age-appropriate framework which build on foundational work and progresses into more complex topics

Whole school approach

A whole-school approach means that an issue is addressed consistently across all areas of the school including: teaching (curriculum and lessons), behaviour policies, staff training and school culture (assemblies, language, role modelling). This is distinct from including it as a one-off or part of PSHE only.

At MFS we find it helpful to see whol school approach as consisting of 7 areas, all of which MFS topics can potentially be included. They are:

1: School leadership and Policy

2: Family and Community Engagement

3: Staff capacity and professional development

4: Curriculum

5: PSHE / Safeguarding / Pastoral support

6: Student Voice, Participation & Peer Leadership

7: Environment, Visibility & Everyday Culture

What this means for us:

Lasting change happens when schools embed values across everything they do
One-off workshops alone are unlikely to be effective, but there are so many opportunities for schools to select from ‘low hanging fruit’ or specialist interest etc.

Partner organisation that support schools on this topic

There are a number of organisations that support primary schools to address harmful gender norms and misogyny, offering services such as whole-school approach development, teacher training, and lesson resources.

These have a cost which can be covered by:

School budgets: Most commonly, schools fund this from their existing (and often limited) budgets, which means they have to prioritise carefully.
Local authority (LEA) programmes: In some areas, local authorities fund or coordinate programmes across selected schools.
Grants and funding pots: Schools may access short-term funding (e.g. from charities, trusts, or government initiatives) for specific projects.
Organisations themselves: Some organisations can provide programs when they get funding or offer subsidised or pilot programmes, especially where there is research or evaluation involved.

What this means for us:

Schools may be interested in getting this specialist support but unable to pay, so cost can be a key barrier.
There are sometimes opportunities to identify or share funding opportunities with schools.
Parents can help by advocating for this work to be prioritised within existing budgets or at local authority level.
These organisations are our partners, our work supports theirs and vice versa.

Ofsted / regulation

Ofsted inspects schools in England and evaluates areas such as: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management. Issues like respect, bullying, and pupil wellbeing fall under these areas. However Ofsted does not specifically inspect misogyny and schools interpret expectations in different ways.

What this means for us:

Schools are motivated by Ofsted—but there is flexibility in how they meet expectations
Framing issues (e.g. misogyny) within “safeguarding,” “behaviour,” or “personal development” can be effective
We can also work to encourage Ofsted to include this more thoroughly and systematically

The role of parents and parent voice

Parents are an important part of the school community, but their influence varies between schools. Some schools actively seek parent input, while others are more limited in how they engage. Common ways parents can engage include:

Parent councils or forums
PTAs (Parent Teacher Associations)
Surveys and consultations
Direct communication with teachers or school leaders

Schools are generally more responsive when feedback is constructive and specific, concerns are raised by multiple parents, not just individuals, and suggestions are linked to existing school priorities (e.g. wellbeing, behaviour, safeguarding).

What this means for us:

Your voice can matter—but it often carries more weight when it’s collective
There may be existing formal mechanisms you can use (e.g. meetings, forums), as well as informal routes
Building relationships with staff and other parents can make engagement more effective

Time and capacity constraints in schools

Schools operate under significant time and resource pressures. Teachers and leaders balance:

Full teaching timetables
Administrative responsibilities
Safeguarding duties
External accountability (e.g. inspections, assessments)
Additional ‘voluntary’ roles (e.g. running clubs)
Their own professional development

As a result, even when schools are supportive, new initiatives can be slow to implement and staff may prioritise areas that are statutory or inspected. There may be limited time to develop new content from scratch and more interest in modifying/adding onto current priorities and programs.

What this means for us:

A positive response from a school does not always lead to immediate change
Schools are more likely to engage with ideas that are practical and ready to use or clearly linked to existing requirements
Being patient—but persistent—can be important for progress

Differences between schools

Not all schools operate in the same way. Key differences can include:

Governance model (local authority schools vs academies*)
Leadership priorities and values
School size and resources
Pupil demographics and community context
Whether the school has a religious character

These factors influence how decisions are made, how open a school is to external input, what is prioritised within the curriculum and school culture.

What this means for us:

There is no single “right approach” that works for every school and strategies that work in one school may need adapting in another
Understanding your specific school’s context can help you engage more effectively

*Academies = Academies are state-funded schools that operate independently of local authorities and are usually run by an academy trust. They have greater freedom over how they manage their budget, curriculum (outside core requirements), and school policies.