Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help reduce ethnicity-based bullying in schools.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The department has clearly communicated to schools that bullying should never be tolerated, and we are committed to supporting schools’ efforts to tackle it. State funded schools are required by the Equality Act 2010 to have due regard to fostering good relations between those who share a particular protected characteristic and those who do not and to eliminating discrimination, harassment, and victimisation.

All schools are required to have a behaviour policy by law, with measures to prevent all forms of bullying. The department provides advice for schools, which outlines schools’ responsibilities. The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-tackling-bullying.

The department is providing over £2 million of funding, between August 2021 and March 2023, to five anti-bullying organisations to support schools to tackle bullying. We have deliberately focused this grant programme on preventing and tackling bullying of pupils with protected characteristics. The training and resources provided cover hate-based bullying, including resources specifically relating to the bullying of Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller children. For example, one organisation funded by the department has produced a new eLearning course on ‘Bullying and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller young people’ that is available to all schools in England.

In addition, the department is ensuring that all children in England will learn about respectful relationships, in person and online, as part of mandatory Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE). These subjects are designed to give pupils the knowledge they need to lead happy, safe, and healthy lives and to foster respect for other people and for difference. The statutory RSHE guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-relationships-sex-and-health.