Words Matter calls for action on childhood verbal abuse in education following House of Commons discussion

Words Matter has published a new report following an expert-led discussion at the House of Commons in September, on the Impact and Prevention of Childhood Verbal Abuse in Education. It calls for greater action to prevent childhood verbal abuse in education and strengthen positive communication and relationships across schools.

The discussion, chaired by Lord Jim Knight and sponsored by Jess Asato MP, brought together more than 80 policymakers, education leaders, safeguarding professionals, researchers, clinicians and child development and mental health experts. It came at a significant moment for recognition of the issue, with childhood verbal abuse being explicitly referenced for the first time in Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2026.

Speakers included Leora Cruddas CBE, founding CEO of the Confederation of School Trusts; Professor Vivian Hill, Programme Director of the UCL Institute of Education Doctorate in Child, Adolescent and Educational Psychology; Professor Karen Hughes, Professor of Public Health at Public Health Wales and Expert Advisor to WHO; Delyth Lynch, Director of Safeguarding at Wellington College; Pete Wharmby, former teacher, autistic and ADHD advocate and author; Paddy Crump, mental health campaigner and Words Matter Youth Advisory Board member; and Jessica Bondy, Founder of Words Matter.

Two in five (41%) children in the UK experience verbal abuse by adults, with more than half experiencing it weekly and one in ten daily. It can have profound and lasting consequences for children's mental and physical health and development. Childhood verbal abuse is now recognised as the most prevalent form of child maltreatment.

The report includes major new research by Words Matter with the UCL Institute of Education, providing important evidence on the importance of teacher–student communication in children's experience of school.

The research, which included more than 1,000 students and more than 600 teachers, alongside in-depth qualitative research, found that:

• 93% of students said positive communication from teachers makes them more motivated to come to school.
• 94% said positive and encouraging teachers help them learn.
• One in four students (25%) said they had experienced harsh words from teachers.
• 84% of students said negative communication from teachers makes them less motivated to come to school.
• 76% of teachers said building positive relationships with pupils is central to their role, while 93% agreed that positive teacher–student relationships are key to student success, but many said workload, pupil behaviour, curriculum pressures and school culture make building those relationships consistently more difficult.

The research also found that students who experienced harsh language reported feeling humiliated, losing confidence, feeling sad, becoming less interested in learning and feeling singled out, among other impacts.

The report highlights that positive teacher–student relationships are at the heart of education. These relationships are built through everyday interactions and are two-way: teachers have a professional responsibility as adults working with children, while relationships are shaped by both teachers and students and by the wider culture and conditions in which schools operate. Positive relationships help children feel known, respected and valued, while enabling teachers to teach effectively and experience greater professional fulfilment. The report also discusses the importance of understanding neurodivergence and unconscious bias and how assumptions about children’s behaviour or needs can contribute to repeated criticism, correction or negative interactions.

Seven recommendations for action

The report sets out seven recommendations aimed at embedding the prevention of childhood verbal abuse across education and safeguarding:

1. Explicitly recognise childhood verbal abuse within education and safeguarding policy.
2. Make positive teacher–pupil relationships a strategic priority for school improvement.
3. Create school cultures where expectations and positive relationships reinforce one another.
4. Support teachers to build and sustain positive relationships.
5. Strengthen professional development on communication, relational practice and neurodivergence.
6. Put children’s voices at the centre of prevention, recognition and repair.
7. Create a national awareness campaign.

Together, the recommendations seek to ensure that positive communication and relationships are embedded across safeguarding, behaviour, inclusion and school improvement, while giving teachers and other staff the knowledge, skills and support to build positive relationships and repair them when things go wrong.

Resources:

Words Matter provides a free evidence-based online course, Words Matter: How to Communicate with Children so they Thrive, through FutureLearn, as well as a free practical guide to communicating with children in any classroom. Visit www.wordsmatter.org. for more information.