Female genital mutilation (FGM): reporting and monitoring

Find out about teachers' mandatory duty to report female genital mutilation (FGM), what others in your school community should do, and how to monitor FGM prevention as part of your school's safeguarding provision.

Last reviewed on 15 April 2026
School types: AllSchool phases: AllRef: 46369
Contents
  1. Teachers have a mandatory duty to report known cases of FGM on a child under 18
  2. FGM as part of your board's safeguarding monitoring

Teachers have a mandatory duty to report known cases of FGM on a child under 18

If a pupil under the age of 18 tells a teacher that FGM has been carried out on her, or the teacher observes physical signs, the teacher must report this directly to the police. This is a personal duty that can't be passed to someone else.

They must make the report within 1 month (it's best practice for them to do this as soon as possible, and by the end of the next working day).

Teachers should not examine pupils, even if they suspect FGM may have taken place. However, teachers might see something in the normal course of their work that appears to show that FGM may have taken place, e.g. when assisting a young child in the toilet. This is explained in the