Commenting on No Place for Bullying, Ofsted’s analysis of the role of schools in tackling bullying, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, said:
“It is good to hear from Ofsted that the majority of schools are doing great work in tackling bullying.
“To ensure that teachers have the confidence and are able to approach issues of diversity and bullying in a constructive and informed fashion, they need access to ongoing training, and as the report highlights, schools excel when clear guidelines on behaviour policy are developed and understood by the whole school community. It is encouraging to see that a very large percentage of pupils believe if they report bullying then action will be taken.
“The NUT believes respect should be accorded in our multicultural society, regardless of race, religion, gender, disability or sexual orientation. Bullying ruins lives and must not go unchallenged. There needs to be the time devoted in the curriculum to preventing bullying through challenging negative attitudes. The lessons learnt make a significant difference to pupils’ attitudes, not only during their school career but throughout their adult life as well.”
For further information contact Caroline Cowie on 0207 380 4706 / 07879480061