Pupils ‘Should Penalise Bullies’

Pupils should be able to suggest suitable punishments for bullies in their school, according to an MPs’ report into bullying. The Commons Education Select Committee also said schools should have to record all bullying, including homophobic.

But the government said this would be too bureaucratic for head teachers – and would shortly issue new guidance. The MPs said that more research was needed into finding more effective ways to reduce bullying.

There had been “very little evidence” underpinning current guidance – and the lack of accurate, reliable data was a barrier to more effective work, the report said. The Department for Education and Skills should require schools to record all incidents, said the report into bullying from the House of Commons Education Select Committee.

It added: “Unless specific kinds of bullying are explicitly included in anti-bullying policies, we believe there is a danger that they will not be adequately addressed.” They should mention disability-related, race-related, faith-based and homophobic bullying. And, because of the rise in cyber-bullying, mainly outside schools, policies should also be aimed at parents.

The committee said: “We recommend that punishment regimes are reviewed to incorporate where permissible ‘pupil suggested’ punishments i.e. litter picking and school clean-ups.” This would put pupils at the heart of efforts to reduce bullying. “We are concerned to hear that some schools are excluding the victims of bullying on health and safety grounds,” said the report.

Retaliating violently was unacceptable and schools were right to discipline those who did it. “However, we would expect previous bullying to be taken into account when deciding on appropriate disciplinary measures.”

Committee chairman Barry Sheerman said: “The idea that bullying is in some way character building and simply part of childhood is wrong and should be challenged.”

A spokesman for the education department said teachers were about to get stronger legal powers against bullying. It had asked experts to identify schools with weak anti-bullying strategies and would be issuing updated guidance on homophobic and cyber bullying.

But feedback from head teachers indicated that having to record every incident would be “a huge bureaucratic burden”. The Association of School and College Leaders also rejected the MPs’ proposal for separate complaints and appeals procedures. “This is an unnecessary layer of red tape,” said general secretary John Dunford.

Liberal Democrat committee member Stephen Williams MP said anti-bullying programmes had taken a back seat to political rhetoric about stamping down on discipline and raising standards.

Conservative spokesman Nick Gibb said: “Bullying is traumatic for children and its prevalence is a sign of poor behaviour and discipline within a school.”

The leader of the National Union of Teachers, Steve Sinnott, said the committee’s finding on special educational needs bullying was “deeply disturbing”. “The inclusion of children with special educational needs in mainstream schools is being carried out without sufficient preparation and resources.”

Mencap and the National Autistic Society had told the MPs that children with SEN might not know when they were being bullied. This could range from being misled into inappropriate behaviour, to a child being told by another that he would be hit every day, so he believed that was the “rule”.

Kidscape director Michele Elliot told the committee: “Teasing is very easy to describe. I can tease you and you can tease me and, if we are enjoying it, that is great. If it is causing pain, then that is bullying.”