Key facts
- Thousands of sexual offences against children under 13 were recorded by police in England and Wales between 2021 and 2025.
- An average of 4.7 such offences were reported daily.
- Nearly 2,000 rapes and attempted rapes were included in the figures.
- Over a third of rape victims were under 13.
- Girls were more likely to be victims, accounting for two-thirds of documented cases involving under-13s.
- The data is based on responses from 33 out of 43 police forces.
Thousands of sexual offences, including rapes, against children under 13 were recorded by police in schools across England and Wales between 2021 and 2025, according to an investigation by The Guardian. The analysis of police data revealed an average of 4.7 such offences occurred daily on school premises or nearby, totaling at least 8,500 incidents over the period.
The figures include nearly 2,000 reports of rape and attempted rape, with one allegation of rape at a school received by police on average each day. More than a third of these rape victims were children under 13. Girls were disproportionately affected, making up close to two-thirds of documented victims under 13 where the victim's sex was recorded.
While the age of perpetrators was not always specified, in at least 1,890 offences against under-13s, the offender was described as being under 18, suggesting many were committed by fellow pupils. The data also detailed over 2,300 sexual crimes against children aged 13 to 16 and more than 9,100 against those aged 13 or over in or near schools during the same period, with three-quarters of these involving female victims.
Children's commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, described the peer-on-peer abuse as "widespread, normalised and too often brushed under the carpet," emphasizing it as a societal issue. The data, obtained through freedom of information requests from 33 police forces, also included over 6,140 crimes related to indecent images of children.
Lawyers and campaigners have condemned the scale of the abuse. Andrew Lord, a partner at Leigh Day solicitors, stated that authorities can no longer claim ignorance and that parents deserve to know their children are safe. Janaya Walker of the End Violence Against Women campaign called the data "shocking but sadly not surprising," highlighting the urgent need to protect children. Acting chief constable Becky Riggs of the National Police Chiefs’ Council acknowledged the figures are "deeply concerning" but suggested it may also reflect increased reporting confidence among victims.
Headteachers are exploring measures such as phone bans and social media restrictions to combat the problem, particularly with the rise of AI and deepfakes. Soma Sara of the Everyone’s Invited campaign noted that while "rape culture" is now more widely accepted, schools cannot address the issue alone, especially with the rapid changes in the online world. Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, expressed dismay and urged ministers to consider further regulation of online platforms.