Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that (a) teachers and (b) school staff receive adequate pay.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Teachers’ pay is set through an independent, statutory process each year, and the 2025/26 process is currently underway. The School Teachers’ Review Body will assess written and oral evidence from government and organisations representing schools and the teaching profession, amongst a range of other factors, when making its recommendations.
The School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document, which sets out the statutory requirements for teachers' pay and conditions within maintained schools in England, is then updated, following consultation, to include all accepted recommendations.
We are currently legislating, via the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, to extend the statutory teacher pay framework to include academy trusts. Bringing academy schools and alternative provision academies into a more flexible statutory framework will mean all prospective and current school teachers in state schools would benefit from a transparent, guaranteed core pay and conditions offer, which is subject to scrutiny and consultation through the pay review process, rather than some or all of their terms and conditions differing based on the school’s administrative structure.
This year’s pay round follows the 2024/25 pay award of 5.5%. This substantial award recognises our hard working school teachers and leaders, and demonstrates this government’s commitment to resetting the relationship with the sector, and delivering opportunity and growth.
We also recognise the vital role that school support staff play in children’s education and the smooth running of schools. That is why we have set out our plans to reinstate the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) through the Employment Rights Bill, which was introduced in Parliament on 10 October 2024.
The SSSNB will be tasked with establishing a national terms and conditions handbook and fair pay rates for support staff, as well as advising on training and career progression routes.
Most school support staff are currently employed on National Joint Council for local government services pay and conditions. The 2024/25 pay award for these employees, a flat cash uplift of £1,290, was recently agreed.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the impact of her Department's anti-bullying funding on schools; and whether she plans to reinstate that funding.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department’s most recent anti-bullying grants, which totalled over £3 million and ran between August 2021 and March 2024, were procured to support schools to target bullying related to protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. The department is currently reviewing the impact of these previous programmes and considering next steps for future programmes aimed at tackling bullying in schools. Funding beyond 31 March 2025 is subject to the next government Spending Review which will take place this autumn. The outcome of the Review will be communicated in due course.
The department published advice in 2017 to support schools with addressing incidences of bullying, including bullying based on perceived differences and protected characteristics. This is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/625ee64cd3bf7f6004339db8/Preventing_and_tackling_bullying_advice.pdf.
In 2016, the department also published a practical tool to help schools, which can be found on the Educate Against Hate website. This can be accessed at: https://educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department plans to provide to tackle bullying in schools based on (a) perceived difference and (b) protected characteristics.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department’s most recent anti-bullying grants, which totalled over £3 million and ran between August 2021 and March 2024, were procured to support schools to target bullying related to protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. The department is currently reviewing the impact of these previous programmes and considering next steps for future programmes aimed at tackling bullying in schools. Funding beyond 31 March 2025 is subject to the next government Spending Review which will take place this autumn. The outcome of the Review will be communicated in due course.
The department published advice in 2017 to support schools with addressing incidences of bullying, including bullying based on perceived differences and protected characteristics. This is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/625ee64cd3bf7f6004339db8/Preventing_and_tackling_bullying_advice.pdf.
In 2016, the department also published a practical tool to help schools, which can be found on the Educate Against Hate website. This can be accessed at: https://educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of (a) trends in the level of bullying in schools and (b) the potential impact of those trends on the (i) mental wellbeing of and (ii) performance of young people in schools.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
There is no legal requirement for schools to record and report incidents of bullying to the government. However, the department does monitor evidence on the impact of bullying on children and young people through robust national surveys.
According to the most recent published data from the department’s National Behaviour Survey (NBS), for the 2022/23 academic year, 26% of secondary pupils reported being bullied and 28% of primary and secondary school parents reported their child being bullied in the past 12 months. This is shown in the table below. To note, the total sample size for pupils was 2,521 and the approximate parent sample size was 2,335.
| 2021/22 Academic year | 2022/23 Academic year |
Pupil reported bullying victimisation | 22% | 26% |
Parent reported bullying victimisation | 26% | 28% |
Pupil reported bullying victimisation by gender |
|
|
Males | 21% | 25% |
Females | 22% | 27% |
Pupil reported bullying victimisation by SEND |
|
|
Pupils with SEND | 34%* | 36%* |
Pupils without SEND | 20%* | 24%* |
Pupil reported bullying victimisation by ethnicity |
|
|
White | 25%* | 29%* |
Ethnic minority | 14%* | 19%* |
Pupil reported bullying victimisation by FSM eligibility |
|
|
Eligible for FSM | 28%* | 38%* |
Not Eligible for FSM | 21%* | 22%* |
*Indicates a significant difference between the sub groups. Changes over time have not been tested for significance.
The department sees little difference in self-reported rates of bullying by gender. However, a greater proportion of white secondary-aged pupils reported being bullied compared to pupils from an ethnic minority background. Similarly, a larger proportion of secondary-aged pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reported being bullied compared to those without SEND. Secondary-aged pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) also reported being bullied more frequently when compared with those not eligible for FSM.
Across most of these groups, there is a small percentage point increase in 2022/23 compared to 2021/22. This is between 2 and 5 percentage points, aside from FSM, where the increase was 10. The department does not know if these changes are statistically significant. The department will publish updated data from the NBS in due course.
Other robust data sources which report on bullying prevalence, and with a longer time series, include the Health Behaviours of School-aged Children Study and the Crime Survey for England and Wales, surveying 10 to 15 year olds. These suggest overall prevalence rates have remained reasonably stable between 2018 and 2023.
The department has not made a formal assessment of the links between the level of bullying and impacts on the mental wellbeing and performance of young people in schools, but we are aware of the range of evidence that shows these links. For example, national surveys which show a link between bullying and the impact on mental health include the NHS Digital: Mental Health of Children and Young People in England Survey and the Crime Survey for England and Wales, surveying 10 to 15 years olds. The department also follows the wider academic literature on the impacts of bullying. A recent internal review by departmental analysts identified numerous sources which demonstrate the link between bullying and both mental health and academic outcomes.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of trends in the level of bullying in schools based on (a) perceived differences and (b) protected characteristics.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
There is no legal requirement for schools to record and report incidents of bullying to the government. However, the department does monitor evidence on the impact of bullying on children and young people through robust national surveys.
According to the most recent published data from the department’s National Behaviour Survey (NBS), for the 2022/23 academic year, 26% of secondary pupils reported being bullied and 28% of primary and secondary school parents reported their child being bullied in the past 12 months. This is shown in the table below. To note, the total sample size for pupils was 2,521 and the approximate parent sample size was 2,335.
| 2021/22 Academic year | 2022/23 Academic year |
Pupil reported bullying victimisation | 22% | 26% |
Parent reported bullying victimisation | 26% | 28% |
Pupil reported bullying victimisation by gender |
|
|
Males | 21% | 25% |
Females | 22% | 27% |
Pupil reported bullying victimisation by SEND |
|
|
Pupils with SEND | 34%* | 36%* |
Pupils without SEND | 20%* | 24%* |
Pupil reported bullying victimisation by ethnicity |
|
|
White | 25%* | 29%* |
Ethnic minority | 14%* | 19%* |
Pupil reported bullying victimisation by FSM eligibility |
|
|
Eligible for FSM | 28%* | 38%* |
Not Eligible for FSM | 21%* | 22%* |
*Indicates a significant difference between the sub groups. Changes over time have not been tested for significance.
The department sees little difference in self-reported rates of bullying by gender. However, a greater proportion of white secondary-aged pupils reported being bullied compared to pupils from an ethnic minority background. Similarly, a larger proportion of secondary-aged pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reported being bullied compared to those without SEND. Secondary-aged pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) also reported being bullied more frequently when compared with those not eligible for FSM.
Across most of these groups, there is a small percentage point increase in 2022/23 compared to 2021/22. This is between 2 and 5 percentage points, aside from FSM, where the increase was 10. The department does not know if these changes are statistically significant. The department will publish updated data from the NBS in due course.
Other robust data sources which report on bullying prevalence, and with a longer time series, include the Health Behaviours of School-aged Children Study and the Crime Survey for England and Wales, surveying 10 to 15 year olds. These suggest overall prevalence rates have remained reasonably stable between 2018 and 2023.
The department has not made a formal assessment of the links between the level of bullying and impacts on the mental wellbeing and performance of young people in schools, but we are aware of the range of evidence that shows these links. For example, national surveys which show a link between bullying and the impact on mental health include the NHS Digital: Mental Health of Children and Young People in England Survey and the Crime Survey for England and Wales, surveying 10 to 15 years olds. The department also follows the wider academic literature on the impacts of bullying. A recent internal review by departmental analysts identified numerous sources which demonstrate the link between bullying and both mental health and academic outcomes.