§ Mr. SteinbergTo ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will consider appointing special staff to deal with the problem of bullying in schools: and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ForthHeadteachers are responsible for securing acceptable standards of behaviour and conduct by pupils. The Government expect schools to deal firmly with bullying. To, help them do so, the Department issued "Action Against Bullying" packs to all schools in England in July 1992. Further guidance material is in preparation. The Department has no plans to appoint specialist staff, but local education authorities could bid for support for whole-school action on bullying under the reducing truancy category of the Department's grants for education support and training (GEST) scheme for 1993–94. A number of approved projects incorporate such a component.