Funding support for schools and colleges to tackle all forms of bullying

THE department for education on Tuesday (16) confirmed over £1 million funding for five leading organisations to support schools and colleges to tackle all forms of bullying, a statement said.

Projects and programmes that tackle bullying including LGBT, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and victims of hate-related bullying will receive the latest funding.

A new support scheme for school leaders worth £760,000 to promote good wellbeing across pupils, teachers and school and college staff was also launched on Tuesday. It will provide one-to-one counselling and peer support to around 2,000 school leaders.

Part of the new relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum, which has been designed to reflect a diverse range of views and backgrounds, whilst fostering respect for others and the understanding of healthy relationships. Subjects include teaching about bullying, healthy friendships, equality and the risks of stereotyping, the statement added.

“Bullying in any form is unacceptable and can have a devastating effect on children, young people and their families. It is so important that we all take a stand against bullying so we can help create safe and inclusive places for young people both in schools and online," said minister for children and families Will Quince.

“It’s crucial that our children and young people know how to treat one another with respect and celebrate one another’s differences. That’s why we are supporting organisations leading in the way with providing schools with specialist support and training for thousands of teachers to help respond to any concerns and to make sure bullying never prevents any young person from fulfilling their potential.”

An updated Education Staff Wellbeing Charter will also be published this week. It pledges to work with the sector to drive down unnecessary workload, improve access to wellbeing resources, and champion flexible working, among a range of actions to support staff wellbeing.

According to the statement, the Online Safety bill will also deliver a ground-breaking new system of accountability which will require internet companies to protect users from online abuse, and will make it easier to report harmful activity.

The latest announcement comes ahead of the UK government hosting its first global LGBT conference in June 2022. The event will bring together elected officials, policymakers, and the international LGBT community to protect and promote the rights of LGBT people around the world.

Minister for equalities, Mike Freer, said: “Bullying, especially when it targets an innate characteristic like being LGBT, is particularly damaging and distressing to children. It is vital we stamp it out and equip our brilliant teachers to do so effectively. Every child has the right to be themselves and thrive at school. I look forward to meeting some of these organisations to hear more about their work.”