Sex Offences in Schools
Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request ref: 01/FIN/25/003309/X
Version Date: 24/06/2025
The Performance Analysis Department have provided the following information.
Performance Analysis have searched the Niche Crime Universe for Sexual Offences with an occurrence address of a school. (Location subtype of “school”, “College” or “Other (Education)” or with the building name including “school”, “College” or “academy”)
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I am writing to request the following information regarding sex offences reported in Dorset schools over the past five years:
• The total number of sex offences reported in schools within Dorset.
598
- Breakdown of these offences by school level (primary, secondary, etc.).
|
School Level |
Count |
|
Primary |
70 |
|
Middle |
24 |
|
Secondary |
321 |
|
Specialist College |
22 |
|
College |
46 |
|
Multi-Age |
64 |
|
Unknown/Other |
51 |
- Breakdown of these offences by type of offence.
|
Offence |
Count |
|
Abuse of position of trust: Sexual activity with a child (S16, SOA 2003) |
1 |
|
Adult abuse of position of trust - cause child under 13 to watch a sexual act - not s.21 premises - SOA 2003 (recordable) |
1 |
|
Adult abuse of position of trust - cause/incite sexual activity with a boy 13 to 17 - not s.21 premises - SOA 2003 (recordable) |
1 |
|
Adult attempt to engage in sexual communication with a child (recordable) |
1 |
|
Adult incite sexual activity with a boy under 13 family member - no penetration - SOA 2003 (recordable) |
1 |
|
Arrange / facilitate the rape / assault by penetration of a child under 13. Sexual Offences Act 2003 Sec 5, 6, 14. |
1 |
|
Arranging or facilitating child prostitution or pornography (S50, SOA 2003) |
1 |
|
Assault a boy under 13 by touching - SOA 2003 (recordable) |
29 |
|
Assault a female 13 and over by penetration with part of body / a thing - SOA 2003 (recordable) |
1 |
|
Assault a girl under 13 by penetration with a part of your body / a thing - SOA 2003 (recordable) |
2 |
|
Assault a male 13 or over by penetration with part of body / a thing - SOA 2003 (recordable) |
4 |
|
Attempted rape of a Female aged under 16 (Sec 1, SOA 2003) |
1 |
|
Cause / incite a girl 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity - no penetration - offender under 18 (recordable) |
20 |
|
Cause / incite a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity - no penetration (recordable) |
11 |
|
Cause a female 13 or over to engage in a non penetrative sexual activity - SOA 2003 (recordable) |
1 |
|
Cause a person to engage in sexual activity without consent (S4, SOA 2003) |
1 |
|
Causing a child under 16 to watch a sexual act (S12/13, SOA 2003) |
8 |
|
Engage in penetrative sexual activity with a girl 13 to 15 - offender under 18 (recordable) |
16 |
|
Engage in sexual activity in presence of a child under 13 - offender 18 or over (recordable) |
2 |
|
Engage in sexual communication with a child (recordable) |
17 |
|
Exposure - SOA 2003 (recordable) |
8 |
|
Offender 18 or over cause / incite a boy 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity - no penetration - SOA 2003 (recordable) |
2 |
|
Offender 18 or over cause / incite a girl 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity - no penetration - SOA 2003 (recordable) |
10 |
|
Offender 18 or over cause a child under 13 to watch / look at an image of sexual activity - SOA 2003 (recordable) |
6 |
|
Offender 18 or over engage in non penetrative sexual activity with girl 13 to 15 - SOA 2003 (recordable) |
2 |
|
Offender 18 or over engage in penetrative sexual activity with a girl 13 to 15 - SOA 2003 (recordable) |
2 |
|
Offender of any age cause / incite a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity - no penetration - SOA 2003 (recordable) |
3 |
|
Offender under 18 cause / incite a boy 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity - no penetration - SOA 2003 (recordable) |
8 |
|
Offender under 18 cause / incite a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity - no penetration - SOA 2003 (recordable) |
8 |
|
Offender under 18 cause / incite a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity - no penetration - SOA 2003 (recordable) |
14 |
|
Offender under 18 cause / incite a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity - penetration - SOA 2003 (recordable) |
1 |
|
Offender under 18 cause a child 13 to 15 to watch a sexual act - SOA 2003 (recordable) |
1 |
|
Offender under 18 cause a child under 13 to watch a sexual act - SOA 2003 (recordable) |
2 |
|
Offender under 18 engage in non penetrative sexual activity with a boy under 13 - SOA 2003 (recordable) |
4 |
|
Offender under 18 engage in non penetrative sexual activity with a girl 13 to 15 - SOA 2003 (recordable) |
2 |
|
Offender under 18 engage in non penetrative sexual activity with a girl under 13 - SOA 2003 (recordable) |
6 |
|
Offender under 18 engage in penetrative sexual activity with boy 13 - 15 SOA 2003 (recordable) |
3 |
|
Rape a girl under 13 (recordable) |
8 |
|
Rape a woman 16 years of age or over - SOA 2003 (recordable) |
1 |
|
Rape of a boy under 13 - SOA 2003 (recordable) |
10 |
|
Rape of a Female aged 16 or over (Sec 1 SOA 2003) |
14 |
|
Rape of a Female aged under 16 (Sec 1 SOA 2003) |
42 |
|
Rape of a Male aged under 16 (Sec 1, SOA 2003) |
3 |
|
Record image under clothing to observe another without consent (recordable) |
1 |
|
Send photograph or film of genitals - s187 Online Safety Act 2023 / s66A SOA 2003 |
15 |
|
Send/threaten to share photograph or film of a person in an intimate state intending to cause alarm, distress, humiliation or for the purposes of sexual gratification - SOA 2003 s66B |
7 |
|
Sexual assault of a female 13 or over by penetration (S2, SOA 2003) |
16 |
|
Sexual assault of a female child under 13 (S3, SOA 2003) |
50 |
|
Sexual assault of a male child under 13 by penetration (Sec 6 SOA 2003) |
3 |
|
Sexual assault on a female (recordable) |
159 |
|
Sexual assault on a male (recordable) |
1 |
|
Sexual assault on a male aged 13 or over (Sec 3, SOA 2003) |
46 |
|
Share/threaten to share photograph or film of person in an intimate state without consent - SOA 2003 s66B (1) & (9) |
6 |
|
Voyeurism - recording a private act - SOA 2003 (recordable) |
14 |
|
Grand Total |
598 |
- Age of suspects involved in these offences.
|
Age Range |
Count |
|
Under 10 |
4 |
|
11-17 |
155 |
|
18-25 |
13 |
|
26-35 |
5 |
|
36-45 |
8 |
|
46-55 |
7 |
|
56-65 |
11 |
|
66-75 |
2 |
|
76-85 |
16 |
|
Not recorded |
5 |
- Age of victims involved in these offences.
|
Age Range |
Count |
|
Under 10 |
50 |
|
11-17 |
459 |
|
18-25 |
30 |
|
26-35 |
9 |
|
36-45 |
5 |
|
46-55 |
19 |
|
56-65 |
7 |
|
66-75 |
2 |
|
Not recorded |
17 |
- Gender of suspects involved in these offences.
|
Gender |
Count |
|
Male |
206 |
|
Female |
20 |
- Gender of victims involved in these offences.
|
Gender |
Count |
|
Male |
165 |
|
Female |
430 |
|
Blank |
3 |
- The number of these offences that resulted in a charge.
|
Outcome |
Count |
|
1: Summonsed/postal requisition |
5 |
|
10: Police - formal action not in public interest |
3 |
|
11: Named suspect below age of criminal responsibility |
16 |
|
12: Named suspect identified but is dead or too ill (physical or mental health) to prosecute |
3 |
|
13: Named suspect but victim/key witness deceased or too ill |
1 |
|
14: Victim declines/unable to support action to identify offender |
70 |
|
15: CPS - named suspect, victim supports but evidential difficulties |
2 |
|
15: Police - named suspect, victim supports but evidential difficulties |
74 |
|
16: Victim declines/withdraws support - named suspect identified |
187 |
|
18: Investigation complete no suspect identified |
48 |
|
2: Youth caution |
1 |
|
20: Other body/agency has investigation primacy |
48 |
|
21: Police - named suspect, investigation not in the public interest |
58 |
|
22: Diversionary, educational or intervention activity, has been undertaken and there is no public interest to continue |
5 |
|
5: Offender has died |
1 |
|
8: Youth restorative disposal |
2 |
|
Cancelled/transferred |
31 |
|
New |
43 |
|
Grand Total |
598 |