Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of a (a) national and (b) mandatory Code of Practice to tackle bullying in schools.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
All schools are legally required to have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying.
The department has issued guidance to schools on how to prevent and respond to bullying as part of their overall behaviour policy. The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-tackling-bullying.
The department is establishing up to 90 new regional improvement in standards and excellence Attendance and Behaviour Hubs, which will focus on supporting senior leaders to develop safe, supportive school cultures with high expectations for attendance and behaviour, including using data to identify and address areas of concern.
In addition to this, the department has engaged with charities, academics, parents and young people, to understand the issues around bullying. We will use that input to inform ways of testing practice that can be shared through hubs.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to defend the right to free speech on university campuses.
Answered by Janet Daby
This government is absolutely committed to freedom of speech and academic freedom in universities. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, confirmed to Parliament on 15 January the government’s plans for the future of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023, which will create a more proportionate, balanced and less burdensome approach to protecting academic freedom and freedom of speech.
On 28 April, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State signed commencement regulations, bringing the following provisions into force from 1 August 2025:
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle mental health discrimination in schools.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
Discrimination or bullying of any kind is never acceptable and must be tackled quickly. The government is committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people. This is critical to breaking down barriers to opportunity, and helping pupils to achieve and thrive in education.
To support education staff to understand mental health issues, the department provides a range of guidance and practical resources on promoting and supporting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing. The government will provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs). By April 2026, we estimate that 60% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England will be covered by an MHST, up from 52% in April 2025.
Through statutory relationships, sex and health education pupils are taught about healthy, respectful relationships and physical health and mental wellbeing, including talking about their emotions and the benefits of exercise and simple self-care techniques.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to tackle (a) harassment, (b) sexual assault and (c) misconduct against women in the armed forces; and if he will introduce an independent body to handle serious complaints of (i) harassment and (ii) misconduct.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
There is no place for harassment or any form of abuse within the Armed Forces – or anywhere within Defence.
Last month the Minister for Veterans and People announced the formation of a new tri-Service complaints unit for the Armed Forces. The new team will be independent of the single Service chain of command to provide individuals with greater confidence and help ensure that the most serious complaints, including bullying, harassment and misconduct, are dealt with quickly.
The Ministry of Defence is also setting up a Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Taskforce which will be supported by a network of regional VAWG Advisors, trained to offer support on topics including domestic violence and sexual offending. These roles will connect with existing networks of multidisciplinary experts to support Armed Forces personnel, including healthcare providers, social workers, and HR advisors, in particular working hand in glove with the Victim and Witness Care Unit. The VAWG Taskforce will provide an escalation route independent from the military chain of command, directly up to ministerial level if required.
The upcoming Armed Forces Bill will also introduce new measures to ensure the Service Justice System protects victims of the most serious offences, including sexual assault. The Government is also establishing an Armed Forces Commissioner as a new independent champion with the power to investigate issues raised by Service personnel and their families.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to protect neurodiverse pupils from bullying at school in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The department is clear that schools must take a strong stand against all forms of bullying and should tackle bullying at the earliest opportunity to prevent it from escalating. All schools must have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying, including the bullying of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
The department does not collect data on specific incidents of bullying in schools. We expect schools to develop their own approaches for monitoring bullying and exercise their own judgement as to what will work best for their pupils.
We monitor young people’s perceptions of bullying at a high level, through surveys, which indicate that a higher level of children and young people with SEND, including neurodivergence, report that they have been bullied, than children without SEND. The latest survey can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6628dd9bdb4b9f0448a7e584/National_behaviour_survey_academic_year_2022_to_2023.pdf.
The department has published advice to support schools with addressing incidents of bullying, which can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/625ee64cd3bf7f6004339db8/Preventing_and_tackling_bullying_advice.pdf, as well as a practical tool to help schools, which can be found on the Educate Against Hate website here: https://www.educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/.
Asked by: Chris Webb (Labour - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of initiatives to tackle bullying in schools.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Schools must take a strong stand against all forms of bullying and should tackle bullying at the earliest opportunity to prevent it from escalating, particularly given the impact it can have on pupils, both emotionally and physically. It is up to schools to develop their own anti-bullying strategies to suit their specific needs and are held to account by Ofsted.
The department provides advice to support schools with addressing incidents of bullying. The guidance is clear that schools should make appropriate provision for a bullied child's social, emotional and mental health needs. This guidance is accessible at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/625ee64cd3bf7f6004339db8/Preventing_and_tackling_bullying_advice.pdf.
Further resource includes the Respectful School Communities toolkit, which can be found on the Educate Against Hate website: https://www.educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/.
The department knows that children experiencing bullying are more susceptible to mental health challenges. The government will work to ensure the right support is available to every young person that needs it, including providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school.
The department has launched a mental health leads resource hub to help schools select the most effective evidence-based support options, including a range of resources that focus on supporting the wellbeing of those who have experienced bullying. This is available at: https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/.
Asked by: Chris Webb (Labour - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support children experiencing mental health issues due to bullying.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Schools must take a strong stand against all forms of bullying and should tackle bullying at the earliest opportunity to prevent it from escalating, particularly given the impact it can have on pupils, both emotionally and physically. It is up to schools to develop their own anti-bullying strategies to suit their specific needs and are held to account by Ofsted.
The department provides advice to support schools with addressing incidents of bullying. The guidance is clear that schools should make appropriate provision for a bullied child's social, emotional and mental health needs. This guidance is accessible at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/625ee64cd3bf7f6004339db8/Preventing_and_tackling_bullying_advice.pdf.
Further resource includes the Respectful School Communities toolkit, which can be found on the Educate Against Hate website: https://www.educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/.
The department knows that children experiencing bullying are more susceptible to mental health challenges. The government will work to ensure the right support is available to every young person that needs it, including providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school.
The department has launched a mental health leads resource hub to help schools select the most effective evidence-based support options, including a range of resources that focus on supporting the wellbeing of those who have experienced bullying. This is available at: https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the level of bullying towards neurodiverse students in schools in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset, and (c) England.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The department is clear that schools must take a strong stand against all forms of bullying and should tackle bullying at the earliest opportunity to prevent it from escalating. All schools must have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying, including the bullying of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
The department does not collect data on specific incidents of bullying in schools. We expect schools to develop their own approaches for monitoring bullying and exercise their own judgement as to what will work best for their pupils.
We monitor young people’s perceptions of bullying at a high level, through surveys, which indicate that a higher level of children and young people with SEND, including neurodivergence, report that they have been bullied, than children without SEND. The latest survey can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6628dd9bdb4b9f0448a7e584/National_behaviour_survey_academic_year_2022_to_2023.pdf.
The department has published advice to support schools with addressing incidents of bullying, which can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/625ee64cd3bf7f6004339db8/Preventing_and_tackling_bullying_advice.pdf, as well as a practical tool to help schools, which can be found on the Educate Against Hate website here: https://www.educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to protect academic and student freedom of speech in schools and universities.
Answered by Janet Daby
This government is absolutely committed to freedom of speech and academic freedom in schools, universities and beyond. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, confirmed to Parliament on 15 January the government’s plans for future of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023, which will create a more proportionate, balanced and less burdensome approach to protecting academic freedom and freedom of speech.
On 28 April, the Secretary of State signed commencement regulations, bringing the following provisions into force from 1 August 2025:
Schools have a statutory duty to ensure a balanced presentation of political issues, but older pupils can engage with the political issues provided activity is conducted sensitively and not targeted at others. The promotion of fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs is considered by Ofsted in their inspections.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 8 April 2025 to Question 42191 on University of Sussex: Disciplinary Proceedings and with reference to her oral statement of 15 January 2025 on Higher Education Regulatory Approach, Official Report, column 379-382, when the parts of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 not being amended will come into force; and when she plans to introduce legislation to amend that Act.
Answered by Janet Daby
On Monday 28 April, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education signed commencement regulations for the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023. These regulations commence the following provisions in the Act from 1 August 2025:
We are seeking a suitable legislative vehicle to amend and repeal the remaining elements of the Act in due course.