Allegations of sexual assaults reported to NSW’s Department of Education have jumped in the past 12 months, according to concerning new data.
On average, two sexual assault allegations were reported every week in 2021, the data has revealed.
The official statistics, supplied to 7NEWS.com.au from the Department of Education, reveal there were 107 allegations of sexual assault reported from schools to the department in NSW in 2021, up from 92 the previous year.
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Of the 107 allegations, 46 of those actually occurred on school grounds, while the remainder were reported to have occurred off-site and were perpetrated by either students or “members of the community”.
The report also offers examples of incidents that have been reported during the year and what school procedures are in place.
“Executive staff member reports a student alleges being (redacted) assaulted by another student on school grounds,” one example stated.
“Year (redacted) student has forced another student to perform (redacted) acts in the (redacted) at the onsite (redacted),” another said.
Meanwhile, the data also shows indecent assaults in schools are on the rise, jumping from 242 in 2020 to 278 last year.
That equates to more than six indecent assaults every single week of the school year.
NSW Education respondsA spokeswoman for NSW Education told 7NEWS.com.au they “work closely with police and relevant authorities to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students”.
“Despite the slight increase in reported allegations, the community can rest assured that NSW public schools are some of the safest places in our community,” she said.
“Schools and staff undertake mandatory training on their reporting obligations. All allegations of sexual assault and harassment must be reported to Police.
“We encourage all young people to report all incidents of inappropriate sexual behaviour to the Police or a trusted school staff member.”
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