Police recorded at least 8,500 reported sexual offences against children aged 13 or under at schools in England and Wales between 2021 and 2025, including about 2,000 alleged rapes or attempted rapes.
The figures came from freedom of information requests to 43 police forces, of which 33 responded. Across the five-year period, the reports amounted to an average of 4.7 sexual offences a day. The alleged rapes and attempted rapes averaged roughly one a day.
More than a third of the reported rape victims were under 13. Most police reports did not give the age of the accused, leaving it unclear from those records how many alleged offenders were fellow pupils.
Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner for England, said sexual harassment and abuse in schools was a serious issue she had encountered during her time as a headteacher.
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