Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

790. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the guidelines issued to the board of management of secondary schools in relation to bullying policies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11550/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department published new Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools at the beginning of the 2013/14 school year.

These procedures are designed to give direction and guidance to school authorities and school personnel in preventing and tackling school-based bullying behaviour amongst its pupils.

All Boards of Management are required to adopt and implement an anti-bullying policy that fully complies with the requirements of the procedures. A template anti-bullying policy which must be used by all schools for this purpose is included in the procedures.

The procedures outline key principles of best practice for both preventing and tackling bullying and require all schools to commit to these principles in their anti-bullying policy. In particular, they emphasise that a cornerstone in the prevention of bullying is a positive school culture.

The procedures require that the prevention of bullying must be an integral part of a school's anti-bullying policy. The education and prevention strategies that the school will implement must be documented in the anti-bullying policy and must explicitly deal with the issue of cyber-bullying and identity-based bullying including, in particular, homophobic and transphobic bullying.

A school's anti-bullying policy must also set out the school's procedures for investigating and dealing with bullying and the school's procedures for the formal noting and recording of bullying behaviour. These must be consistent with the Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools.

The school's anti-bullying policy must be made available to school personnel, published on the school website (or where none exists, be otherwise readily accessible to parents and pupils on request) and provided to the Parents' Association.

The Board is also required, under the Department's procedures, to undertake an annual review of the school's anti-bullying policy and its implementation by the school. Written confirmation that the review has been completed must be made available to the Parents' Association and published on the school website.

The Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary schools are available on my Department's website www.education.ie.