A WINCHESTER student is well on her way to changing the education system.

Nimue Miles, 18, has more than 33,000 signatures on her petition, which is calling on the Government to improve the quality of teaching on sexual violence, harassment and consent in schools.

The Fulflood resident who studies at Peter Symonds told the Chronicle that she wants to make an "active change".

"I have shown my support online, researched, been to demonstrations and marches in the past, but I wanted to make a real change," said Nimue. "Education is an important and effective way of changing society.

"The recent media attention on these issues and the recent statistic that came out that 97 per cent of women have been sexually harassed caused me to consider the fact that education has the power to change the misogynistic attitude that is so deeply rooted in our society. I thought about how these issues have affected me, as well as most other females I know, and sexual harassment is seen as something that is expected by a lot of women, it is almost normal.

"Why should we be taught to protect ourselves, get given rape alarms, or anti drink spiking products, when in fact it should be the potential perpetrators getting educated, rather than the potential victims getting prepared and protected for the possibility of horrific things happening?"

She added that the national curriculum barely touches subjects as rape, sexual harassment and consent.

"It also does not address the complexities of the internet and the sexual harassment young people can be subject to on there," she said.

"The extent of the teaching I received personally was ‘Yes means Yes’ and ‘No means No’ when in fact, consent is a lot more complicated.

"Real consent is a freely given, knowledgeable agreement, and the complexities of coercion, assent, and acquiescence are not taught. These issues I feel are vital to educating young people, particularly in the online world that they now grow up in."

Nimue also believes that education on such topics should be compulsory.

She said: "I know in my sixth form experience that education on sexual assault was not compulsory. I believe it should be, because to assume 16-18 year olds can educate themselves on these topics is completely ridiculous. It is still an age of development and an age where if informed properly, maybe there will be less of a tendency to commit gender based crime. Technically this age group is still in compulsory education, therefore I believe this should be a part of the curriculum all students are made to attend."

To view the petiton, visit: https://bit.ly/3r5g44d.

After 10,000 signatures, petitions get a response from the government. After 100,000 signatures, petitions are considered for debate in Parliament.