The government has decided it will not implement compulsory sex and relationships education despite recommendations from the women and equalities select committee (Report, 29 November). Yet, according to a poll we recently commissioned, compulsory sex and relationships education is favoured by eight out of 10 Britons.

Our 2016 report on girls’ rights concluded that the UK is failing girls. Schools should be safe environments free from violence, abuse and discrimination. However, in reality they can be part of the problem. Girls in particular report that they don’t feel safe at school due to unwanted sexual contact such as groping. Earlier this year, we revealed that one in five schoolgirls have experienced this, in or around school. If anything the picture is potentially getting worse, with reports of sexual offences in and around school more than doubling in the past four years.