An MP has called for schools and colleges to be given specialist training and support to deal with allegations of sexual harassment.

MP for Walthamstow Stella Creasy said she would like to see a change in the culture of what is considered socially acceptable behaviour when she spoke in Parliament last week.

In her speech, Ms Creasy said a mother in her constituency approached her for help recently after her daughter was assaulted on a school trip.

She said the school had failed to inform the parent and let the perpetrator back into class after just one day’s suspension.

Ms Creasy said: “Our schools and governing bodies are crying out for help to get this right.

“Why do we expect them, like our Members of Parliament, to be any different from the rest of our unequal society in not understanding how to deal with the power used to abuse and to harass?”

Ms Creasy describes herself as an “inbetweener feminist”, being of the generation after that which got involved in political campaigning and before that which has to “deal with the consequences of the internet”.

She said the sexual harassment scandal in Westminster “shames all political parties”.

“As an inbetweener feminist, I also know what is coming next,” she said.

“Let us be blunt about what has happened in the past couple of weeks in our society, not just here in the UK but around the world.

“There has been a wake-up call; we have all said, “Me too.”

“But we know that the backlash will come. We will hear, ‘It was just a knee—it was a misunderstanding’”.