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<p>The Government has no plans to require schools to report centrally on incidents
of bullying, but the Department included questions in its School Snapshot survey in
winter 2017 to obtain information on different types of bullying. The results can
be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-snapshot-survey-winter-2017"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-snapshot-survey-winter-2017</a>.</p><p>Similar
questions have been included in the summer 2019 survey. The results of this survey
will be published next year.</p><p>The Government has sent a clear message to schools
that all bullying, for whatever reason, is unacceptable. The public sector Equality
Duty means that schools must have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination,
harassment and victimisation, and to foster good relations between people who share
a protected characteristic and people who do not.</p><p>The Department has issued
guidance to schools about how to prevent and respond to bullying as part of their
overall behaviour policy. It has also published the Respectful Schools Communities
tool to support schools to develop a whole school approach which promotes respect
amongst all pupils and signposts further sources of advice.</p><p>This will be supported
by the introduction of compulsory relationships education in all primary and secondary
state-funded schools. Statutory guidance for schools sets out that pupils should be
taught about different types of bullying, the impact of bullying and how to get help.
We are committed to ensuring schools are supported and ready to teach these new subjects
to high quality and have announced a budget of £6 million in 2019-20 financial year
to develop a programme of support for schools. The Department is establishing an early
adopter school programme to support early teaching of the new requirements. It is
also working with early adopter schools to support the design of the training programme
and to refine supplementary guidance to ensure that the teaching of the subjects is
as effective as possible.</p><p>The Department is also providing over £2.8 million
of funding between September 2016 and March 2020 to four anti-bullying organisations
to support schools to tackle bullying. This includes the Anne Frank Trust who have
developed the Free to Be debate programme, which encourages pupils to think about
the importance of tackling prejudice, discrimination and bullying. It also includes
the Anti-Bullying Alliance, whose programme has a particular focus on reducing bullying
of those with special educational needs and disabilities. Between 2016-2019 the Government
Equalities Office provided £3 million of funding to prevent and tackle homophobic,
biphobic and transphobic bullying in schools. In the LGBT Action Plan published last
year, it committed £1million to continue the programme until 2020.</p>
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