A response from the Anti-Bullying Alliance Advisory Group to the Department for Education’s announcement on mental health support and the behaviour and attendance hubs.
We welcome the expansion of mental health support teams in schools and the focus on improving attendance and behaviour. Peer-to-peer support and early intervention are vital, and we know that children need to feel safe, supported and that they belong in order to thrive in education.
But to truly tackle the root causes of poor mental health, and absence in schools, we must go further. One of the biggest and most overlooked causes is bullying. A staggering one in four children experience bullying, and its impact is profound, children who are bullied are significantly more likely to miss school, feel excluded from their school community, and face disciplinary measures. The effects don’t stop at the school gates, bullying is a major contributor to poor mental health, and many children go on to experience long-term consequences in adulthood, including mental health issues, being not in education, employment or training (NEET), and difficulties in forming stable relationships.
We are particularly concerned that bullying disproportionately affects children from vulnerable groups, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), those living in poverty and children with care experience.
Currently, there are no national requirements for schools in England to provide anti-bullying training to staff, no requirement to record levels of bullying, and no sustained government support for whole-school anti-bullying programmes – Previous governments have previously provided anti-bullying programmes for much of the last 25 years but these came to an end during the last government and have not currently been reinstated.
Martha Evans, Director of the Anti-Bullying Alliance, said:
"This announcement is a welcome step, but we urge the government to get tougher on the causes of poor mental health and school absence. One of the biggest and most damaging types of behaviour is bullying. Bullying is a major driver of these issues and yet schools are left without the tools, training or resources they need to prevent it. If we are serious about improving mental health and attendance, we must ensure every school in England is equipped to create safe, inclusive environments where all children belong and can thrive."
The ABA's elected Advisory Group call on the government to act now: provide anti-bullying training and whole-school anti-bullying programmes, make bullying data collection mandatory, and ensure that every member of school staff understands what bullying is and how to prevent it. Only then can we truly address the causes of poor mental health, exclusion and attendance in our schools.
You can check out our resources on mental health and bullying here
Free online bullying CPD Training - Mental Health and Bullying