§ Keith VazTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action the Government are taking to support teachers and school staff in their work to prevent(a) violence and (b) crime in schools. [138749]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisThe great majority of schools are orderly places and serious violence is rare. However, we are determined to raise standards of behaviour and security further. We are therefore investing an average of £156 million annually over the next three years in a wide-ranging programme to improve behaviour and attendance in schools. This includes better training for school staff in managing pupil behaviour; support for pupils at risk of becoming involved in crime; and closer working between police and schools, with some officers based in schools in over 50 local education authority areas. We are currently running conferences to help schools combat bullying. We are also making schools more secure; we have legislated against offensive weapons and trespass and published a legal toolkit for dealing with aggressive intruders; we have supported security measures through the Standards Fund and Capital Modernisation Fund, and we are giving school security priority in credit approvals for local authority capital investment.