Government launches campaign against school bullying

September 8, 2003 in Children

A “zero tolerance” culture towards bullying in
schools is the aim of a new package of measures being developed by
the DfES. Schools already have a legal duty to draw up
anti-bullying policies but this week the government announced new
measures including a £5 million pilot programme for primary
schools and an anti-bullying charter to help schools check they are
doing all they can to tackle bullying.

35,000 primary schools will be involved in the pilot which aims
to develop young children’s behavioural skills to ensure they
respect others, according to a statement from the Department for
Education and Skills. But as well as whole-class work, the money
will also be spent on interventions identifying children with
particular difficulties in an attempt to stop problems becoming
entrenched.

According to DfES research more than 45 per cent of children say
they have been bullied, and more than a quarter admit to having
bullied others. For most of those who have been bullied, it has
been an isolated incident but 12 per cent are bullied at least two
or three times a month, including 4 per cent who are bullied
several times every week. Both boys and girls bully others.
Usually, boys are bullied by boys, but girls are bullied by girls
and boys. The most common perpetrators are individual boys or
groups of several boys. Children who bully others can come from any
kind of family, regardless of social class or cultural
background.

The new anti-bullying initiatives were kicked off by a publicity
campaign which includes a short information film for children Tell
Someone, to be broadcast on TV.

The charter will be developed in partnership with professional
association s and voluntary organisations, and will be the subject
of a series of regional conferences which will involve pupils as
well as schools, local education authorities and voluntary
organisations.

An anti-bullying pack for schools is available at
http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/workingwithothers/safeschools/bullying/