Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I too am concerned that any child would feel upset in school because of bullying, be it physical, verbal or cyber. I am anxious that all schools have effective practices in place both to prevent bullying and to deal with cases that may arise.

As the Deputy will be aware, each school is required to have in place a policy that includes specific measures to deal with bullying behaviour, within the framework of an overall school code of behaviour and discipline. Such a code, developed through consultation with the whole school community and properly implemented, can be the most influential measure in countering bullying behaviour in schools.

My Department has issued guidelines as an aid to schools in devising measures to prevent and deal with instances of bullying behaviour and to increase awareness among school management authorities of their responsibilities in this regard. These guidelines were drawn up following consultation with representatives of school management, teachers and parents, and are sufficiently flexible to allow each school authority to adapt them to suit the needs of their school. My Department, through the National Centre for Technology in Education, NCTE, has also developed policy guidelines and advisory notes for schools and parents which deal with the issues of Internet and mobile phone bullying.

The National Educational Welfare Board, NEWB, is currently developing further guidelines for schools on codes of behaviour, as provided for under section 23 of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000. The process involves drawing up a draft framework discussion document for the guidelines, which is being used as a basis for consultations with the key stakeholders including school management, teachers, parents, and children. The board has established an expert working group for this purpose. Work on the guidelines is at an advanced stage and it is envisaged that implementation will commence in the next school year.

Once the NEWB guidelines are in place, my Department will commence the process of revising and updating its own guidelines on countering bullying behaviour. This review will take into account issues such as legislative developments, the involvement of the support services available to schools, technological advancements such as the Internet, e-mail, mobile and camera phones and the latest developments in international best practice on dealing with bullying behaviour. These guidelines, on top of those that are already in place, will provide vital guidance for schools in fulfilling their responsibilities in this issue.

The Deputy may also be interested to know that dealing with bullying has been incorporated in training for principals through the leadership development for schools programme. I have also stressed to the teacher unions the importance of not just having a written policy on bullying but of ensuring a climate in which it is not tolerated in any form and in which children know that if they make a teacher aware of bullying that it will be dealt with.

Deputies will also be aware that the education of students in both primary and post-primary schools with regard to anti-bullying behaviour is part of the SPHE curriculum. SPHE is now a compulsory subject both at primary level and in the junior cycle of post-primary schools. Its curriculum provides for the development of personal and social skills including self-awareness, respect for others, self-esteem and communication skills, all of which are important elements in addressing the issue of bullying.

While responsibility for tackling bullying naturally falls to the level of the individual school, a wide range of measures are in place to support schools in this area.

See this speech in context