§ Mr. WoodwardTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent representations she has received to make it a statutory obligation for schools to allow pupil participation when(a) drawing up and (b) reviewing the school's anti-bullying strategy. [63655]
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggBullying is a serious problem which can put the emotional well-being and educational achievement of young people at risk. From September 1999 head teachers of maintained schools have been908W under a duty to draw up measures to prevent all forms of bullying among pupils; these need to be reviewed regularly.
We have not received recent representations to make it a statutory obligation to allow pupil participation when drawing up or reviewing a school's anti-bullying policy. We recommend such participation, although it is for schools to decide whether this is appropriate particularly if they have very young pupils. In our pack for schools "Bullying: don't suffer in silence" we mention that schools which involve pupils have found their suggestions practical and sensitive to the school's ethos.
We are currently funding new research by ChildLine to obtain young people's views on schools' anti-bullying policies as part of a project on what works in combating the problem. The results should be available early next year.