Moray schools make strong progress on national Equally Safe programme
A new report to Moray Council’s Education, Children’s and Leisure Services Committee highlights significant progress in helping to prevent gender-based violence and promote healthy, respectful relationships among children and young people across Moray’s schools.
The update on the Scottish Government’s Equally Safe Delivery Plan 2024-2026 shows Moray is exceeding the national targets set with all eight of Moray’s secondary schools now registered with the Equally Safe at School programme. Around 400 secondary school staff have completed specialist e-learning training as part of mandatory child protection training. Trauma-informed practice has also been embedded in staff training and induction programmes.
The report highlights strong partnership working with Moray Rape Crisis, which delivered 167 workshops to 1,944 young people between April 2025 and March 2026. The sessions focused on consent, healthy relationships, gender equality and preventing sexual violence.
Progress has also been made in online safety education, with training provided for practitioners, parents and carers on issues including cyberbullying, sextortion, the sharing of intimate images and technology-facilitated gender-based violence.
Moray’s peer-led Mentors in Violence Prevention programme continues to grow, with all secondary schools now involved. Around 480 pupils have been trained as mentors and 11 members of staff are qualified to deliver training locally.
Chair of the Education, Children’s and Leisure Services Committee, Councillor Kathleen Robertson, said: “Recent police figures reporting the prevalence of domestic violence in Moray shows the importance of this programme in shaping young people’s attitudes at an early stage. It is particularly encouraging to see the progress made through staff training, partnership working and peer-led programmes and the commitment from Moray’s schools and partner organisations to creating safe, respectful and inclusive environments for our young people.
“While there is more work to do, Moray is in a strong position to build on this success and continue helping children and young people develop healthy relationships and challenge harmful behaviours.”