Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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508. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the procedures currently in place or envisaged to combat school bullying in its various forms at primary and second level schools throughout the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45231/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I launched Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullying on 1st December 2022. Cineáltas is my department’s whole-education approach to preventing and addressing bullying in schools.

Cineáltas is dedicated to the prevention and addressing of bullying, cyber bullying, racist bullying, gender identity bullying and sexual harassment, among other areas, in schools.

It is centred on a child right’s-based approach and provides a collective vision and clear roadmap for how the whole education community and society can work together to prevent and address bullying in our schools.

Cineáltas incorporates each of the nine components of UNESCO’s Whole Education Approach to prevent and address bullying. It is rooted in four key principles: prevention, support, oversight and community.

One of the more significant actions under Cineáltas was to update the 2013 Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools. This action has been completed with the publication on 19 June 2024 of the Bí Cineálta: Procedures to Prevent and Address Bullying Behaviour for Primary and Post-Primary Schools.

The Bí Cineálta procedures are centred on a child rights-based approach and support a partnership approach where all members of the school community work together to prevent and address bullying behaviour.

The procedures have been updated to take account of gender identity bullying, cyberbullying, racist bullying, sexist bullying, and sexual harassment. They support schools to develop clear strategies to prevent and address these bullying behaviours. The requirements of the procedures will come into effect from the beginning of the 2025/2026 school year.

Implementation of these procedures will be supported by a suite of professional learning resources and information sessions for school staff, board of management members and parents.

Information seminars on the updated procedures were held throughout October 2024 which were open to school leaders from every primary and post-primary school.

Beginning this month, Oide will provide in-person professional learning through local education centres, to two staff members from each school in the country, one of which must be a school leader. This will continue until the end of term two of this current school year.

All schools will be provided with learning resources that can be used for Anti-Bullying Week (11-15^th November).

Furthermore, all schools can avail of a half-day closure in the current school year in order to engage with all school staff on the requirements of the updated anti-bullying procedures. My department will provide resources to assist schools with this engagement.

The updated procedures are available at: www.gov.ie/en/policy-information/bullying-information-for-parents-and-students/#bi-cinealta-procedures-to-prevent-and-address-bullying-behaviour-for-primary-and-post-primary-schools