Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance and training is available for primary schools on tackling pupil bullying.

The government has sent a clear message that bullying should never be tolerated, and we are committed to supporting all schools to tackle it. The department provides advice for schools, which outlines their responsibilities. The advice makes clear that schools should make appropriate provision for a bullied child's social, emotional and mental health needs. It is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-tackling-bullying.

The department is providing over £2 million in funding, between 10 August 2021 and 31 March 2023, to five anti-bullying organisations to support both primary and secondary schools to tackle bullying. This includes projects targeting bullying of particular groups, such as those who are victims of hate related bullying and Homophobic, Biphobic and Transphobic based bullying.

We have also published, ‘Respectful School Communities’, a self-review and signposting tool to support schools to develop a whole-school approach that promotes respect and discipline. This is available here: https://educateagainsthate.com/school-leaders/?filter=guidance-and-training-school-leaders.

All schools should set clear, reasonable and proportionate expectations of pupil behaviour in line with the department’s guidance on behaviour and discipline in schools, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-in-schools--2.

It is for individual schools to develop their own best practice for managing behaviour in their school.