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- New guidance launched on sexist, sexual and transphobic bullying -

Schools will today receive extra help to crackdown on bullying, as a new duty to record and report incidents of bullying is announced by School’s Minister Vernon Coaker.

Schools will today receive extra help to crackdown on bullying, as a new duty to record and report incidents of bullying is announced by School’s Minister Vernon Coaker.

By ensuring bullying incidents are picked up and resolved earlier, the new duty will help schools tackle bullying more effectively. It also means that head teachers can reassure parents and keep them well informed about everything the school is doing in dealing with bullying incidents.

The new duty, to be consulted on over the next 12 weeks, will mean that schools will have to record and report serious or recurring incidents of bullying to their local authority. This will include incidents of bullying and racism between pupils, and abuse or bullying of school staff. The government is clear that schools must take seriously any complaints made by their staff of abuse or bullying by pupils.

The government is committed to ensuring that all forms of bullying are taken seriously. New guidance also announced today on sexist, sexual and transphobic bullying is the final guidance in the ‘Safe to Learn’ set of guidance for schools. The guidance provides advice on how schools can help prevent and respond to gender related bullying.

School’s minister Vernon Coaker said:

“Bullying can ruin lives and can have a lasting impact on young people. Every child should be able to learn in an environment free from fear of bullying of any kind.

“The majority of schools already record incidents of bullying. However, I want to make sure that all schools have measures in place to prevent and tackle bullying and show they are taking it seriously. Having the right information early on can be vital in dealing with problems quickly. The new duty announced today will ensure this becomes common practice for all schools.

“There is no place for bullying in our schools. No matter what form bullying takes it is always unacceptable. Today we have also published guidance on sexist, sexual and transphobic bullying to give teachers the advice they need to help deal with this form of bullying. The government is committed to tackling gender bullying more widely through our violence against women and girls strategy.”

Recent evidence from the Tellus3 survey shows that 48% of young people have experienced bullying in the last year. The government has maintained a strong message that bullying should not be tolerated in or outside of schools, and we have ensured that schools and teachers have the powers they need to promote good behaviour, respect for others and prevent all forms of bullying among pupils. The Secretary of State wrote to schools this week to reiterate this message and stress the importance of a senior teacher having responsibility for tackling bullying within the school. Today’s guidance will further support this work.

Plans for a new duty on schools to report incidents of bullying were first announced in September 2008 by Jim Knight and Kevin Brennan, as part of ongoing work to help tackle bullying in schools.

Christopher Cloke, Chair of the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA), said:

“The Anti-Bullying Alliance welcomes the proposed new duty to record and report bullying incidents. In our work to support the development of sound anti-bullying policies and practice, we find that the most successful schools have proper systems in place for recording incidents.

“We are also pleased that the government is demonstrating its commitment to tackling the serious issues of sexual, sexist and transphobic bullying through the publication of this addition to Safe to Learn. ABA will be supporting the use of the guidance in its work with local authorities and schools.”

Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, said:

“The only effective way for schools to ensure that all pupils are in a safe place to learn and that all staff have a safe working environment is to ensure robust recording and monitoring of incidents of bullying and assault.

“The NASUWT welcomes the Government’s commitment to tackling all forms of bullying.

“Workforce and pupil wellbeing is crucial to raising standards in schools.”

In addition, two consultations were announced today to help support schools tackle bad behaviour head on:

.   The consultation on alternative provision looks at new powers for governing bodies to use off-site alternative provision to tackle bad behaviour before it escalates to a point where exclusion is necessary.

.   A further consultation is on draft guidance to transform the quality of alternative provision. The proposals are designed to ensure that vulnerable young people in alternative provision receive a personalised education suitable to their needs. This will be done through providing information passports, personal learning plans and a core curriculum entitlement - commitments from the White Paper ‘Back on Track’, published in May 2008.

Editor's Notes
This press notice relates to 'England'
1. The consultation on the new duty to record and report incidents of bullying will be available at: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/consultations/. The consultation will run from 10 December for 12 weeks, and the new duty on schools will come into force in September 2010. The duty to record racist incidents of bullying was one of the recommendations in the Macpherson report into the Stephen Lawrence case – recommendation 68 said all schools should be required to record and report racist incidents.

2. The new guidance on sexist, sexual and transphobic bullying will be issued to schools shortly and will be available here: http://publications.dcsf.gov.uk/default.aspx?PageFunction=productdetails&PageMode=publications&ProductId=DCSF-01136-2009 It is the final part of the Safe to Learn suite of guidance for schools. Previous guidance has been issued on cyberbullying, homophobic bullying, racist bullying and bullying involving children with special educational needs and disabilities.

3. The consultative guidance on alternative provision will be available here: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/consultations/index.cfm?action=consultationDetails&consultationId=1617&external=no&menu=1. The consultation will run until 4 March and the statutory guidance will be published in spring 2010.

4. The consultation on regulations and guidance under section 154 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 (Power of governing bides to require a pupil to attend off-site provision to improve behaviour) will be available here: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/consultations/index.cfm?action=consultationDetails&consultationId=1613&external=no&menu=1

5. The government is working through the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA) to spread good anti-bullying practice in schools. Their advisers are providing support and challenge to LAs and schools, helping them to improve their anti-bullying policies and strategies. The ABA is also providing practical support to partners in local areas to tackle bullying in their communities, by developing their fieldforce of regional anti-bullying advisers.

In addition to this work, the government is piloting innovative approaches to peer mentoring in schools. Schools using peer mentoring schemes report substantial falls in aggressive behaviour with up to 85% of disputes solved in this way resulting in long-lasting agreements (Source: “Don’t Suffer in Silence”, 2002).

Contact Details
Public Enquiries 0870 000 2288, info@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk