Teachers to warn of 'raunch culture'

The National Union of Teachers was on Monday to hit out at the country’s “raunch culture” which it claims is leading sexism to be “rebranded” as something fashionable.

Teachers at the NUT’s annual conference will criticise lap-dancing clubs and pole dancing, saying they were having a “disastrous effect on the self-image of girls,” according to extracts released to the press.

The conference will also be warned that “sexism and inequality are still a huge factor in shaping women’s lives”.

NUT general secretary Christine Blower said: “It is important for all children and young people to learn, in an age-appropriate manner, about respect for their own and other people’s bodies and emotions.

“This is all the more important given the rising levels of pornography which is very much in the public domain. There also continues to be a high rate of sexual harassment and homophobic bullying in society at large, despite efforts in schools to address and reduce it.”