Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the implications for Government policies of the conclusions of the report, The Causal Effects of Adolescent School Bullying Victimisation on Later Life Outcomes by the Institute of Labor Economics.

The Department for Education has not held any specific discussions with the Department for Work and Pensions about this report, but officials and ministers regularly meet counterparts to discuss a wide range of issues.

The Department’s 'Preventing and tackling bullying' guidance sets out out that bullying can be a barrier to pupils’ education and have serious consequences for their mental health. Bullying which takes place at school can have a lasting effect on lives well into adulthood. This guidance includes a clear message that bullying, for whatever reason, is unacceptable and should never be tolerated. All schools are legally required to have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying.

The Department supports schools to tackle bullying. In addition to updating the Department’s guidance, steps have been taken to strengthen teachers' powers to enforce discipline and promote good behaviour; and the Government is providing over £2.8 million of funding between September 2016 and March 2020 to four anti-bullying organisations to support schools to tackle bullying.

The Government is also making relationships education compulsory in all primary schools, relationships and sex education compulsory in all secondary schools and health education compulsory in all state-funded schools in England. Under content regarding respectful relationships, the draft guidance sets out that pupils should know about the different types of bullying, the impact it has, the responsibility of bystanders and how to get help.