Government launches anti-bullying strategy
Education Minister Ivan Lewis announced a series of new measures to tackle bullying today.
The news schemes, including a hard-hitting information film and an anti-bullying charter, are part of a wider programme to improve behaviour in schools and increase levels of inclusion.
A £75m training programme will be rolled out to help teachers tackle the issues in secondary schools, while £5m of specialist curriculum materials, will also be trialled in selected primary schools to help them promote positive behaviour and attendance from an early age.
Mr. Lewis commented: “Tackling bad behaviour in the classroom is essential if we are to raise educational standards and create a greater respect for teachers. It is also central to reducing the anti-social behaviour which is damaging people’s quality of life in too many communities.”
“We must have a new zero tolerance approach to bullying in our schools. No child should know the indignity and distress of suffering
in silence,” he added.
The ‘Tell Someone’ film will be broadcast on national TV as well as at cinemas in the hope that children will be encouraged to tell adults about problems with bullying.
The charter will be developed in partnership with professional associations and voluntary organisations, to help schools to check that they are doing all they can to tackle bullying.
A series of regional conferences will also be held to help share best practice in tackling bullying.
And Ofsted inspectors will now be told to look out for schools that are not implementing their anti-bullying policies effectively.
The measures have been welcomed by teaching unions such as the NAHT, which stressed noted that “every school should be a bullying-free zone”.
But the Liberal Democrats have been more sceptical about the Government’s efforts, claiming that the centralised control exerted on teachers was a major cause of pupil disaffection and disruption.
Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Phil Willis remarked: “Combating bullying in schools will not be solved by grabbing headlines for a day.”
“Schools need to be given the freedom to develop positive behaviour by delivering an appropriate curriculum, taught in appropriate settings with the right methodology.
“For too long successive governments have dictated to schools how, what and when children should be taught and the result is mass alienation.”
