Governance
The Rise of the Manosphere: Are Governors Prepared for the Impact on School Culture?
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School culture doesn't develop in isolation. Increasingly, children and young people are shaping their views, attitudes and relationships through content they encounter online. While not all online communities are harmful, the rise of manosphere influencers and toxic masculinity narratives has raised important questions for schools, trusts and governing boards.
How are these messages affecting behaviour, relationships and attitudes towards women and girls? Are schools seeing the impact in the classroom, online interactions or safeguarding concerns? And how can governors and trustees provide effective challenge and oversight?
During the session, you'll learn how to:
- Understand how the manosphere and toxic masculinity are influencing school culture
- Reflect on how some schools are tackling this key issue
- Ask the right questions to governors and trustees
Let us introduce you to this week's professional speaker
Steve Barker
Steve brings over 30 years of experience in school and trust governance across all phases of education, combining national sector influence with hands-on leadership at board level.
As Judicium’s Governance Expertise and Partnership Lead, Steve plays a central role in shaping high-quality governance support for schools and trusts. A current Chair of Trustees in an academy trust, Chair of an infant school governing body, and Member of a ten-school multi-academy trust, he understands first-hand the realities and pressures facing boards today.
He is a former Ofsted Lay Inspector and was appointed as a National Leader of Governance (NLG) and NLG Advocate by the National College for Teaching and Leadership. As part of a select national group, he helped develop and pilot the External Reviews of Governance programme, leading the first-ever review in 2013, and previously served on the Department for Education Advisory Group on Governance. A prolific writer and facilitator of governance training for over two decades, he supports boards nationwide through training, advisory work and thought leadership.
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