The Schools White Paper: A Statement from the Anti-Bullying Alliance

The Anti-Bullying Alliance welcomes the publication of the Schools White Paper and its strong emphasis on belonging, inclusion, engagement and creating calm, safe and supportive school environments in which children can thrive and achieve. We particularly welcome the recognition that belonging is fundamental to attainment, attendance, wellbeing and longer-term outcomes, the commitment to a Pupil Engagement Framework, national monitoring of belonging, and the introduction of an enrichment framework to widen access to extracurricular opportunities, especially for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. We also welcome moves to improve behaviour guidance, early intervention through Attendance and Behaviour Hubs, changes to the school complaints system, strengthen reintegration support after suspension, and improve support for staff experiencing bullying and harassment.

However, we are deeply concerned that bullying itself is not given sufficient prominence or treated as a central barrier to children thriving, achieving and engaging in school. Despite clear evidence that bullying is a major driver of poor belonging, deteriorating mental health, disrupted peer relationships, behaviour issues and school absence, it is largely absent from sections focused on disengagement and attendance. The White Paper also misses the well evidenced links between bullying and SEND, where children face a significantly higher risk of bullying, lower feelings of safety and belonging, poorer wellbeing and greater exclusion. We cannot achieve the ambition that every child thrives at school without directly addressing bullying when one in four children experience it, and one in three children with SEND do.

We are also concerned that the White Paper does not sufficiently address peer to peer relationships or the critical role of trusting relationships between pupils and school staff, nor does it adequately respond to online bullying or the complex overlap between online and face to face harm. While we welcome support for families on online safety, this must be better connected to schools, the RSHE curriculum and the realities staff face when addressing bullying that crosses digital and physical spaces. Similarly, while behaviour is rightly framed as inclusive practice, the White Paper does not sufficiently recognise that bullying is closely linked to behaviour and exclusion, including the increased risk of exclusion for children who are bullied. 

Finally, while we welcome commitments on teacher training, complaints reform and system support, we are concerned that antibullying training is not mandatory within initial teacher training or ongoing professional development. Tackling bullying effectively requires confident, well-trained staff across the whole school workforce. We look forward to engaging constructively with government on the development of the Pupil Engagement Framework, behaviour guidance, Attendance and Behaviour Hubs and complaints reform, and to working together to ensure bullying, wellbeing and safety are fully embedded within efforts to ensure every child feels they belong, achieve and thrive in school.

• Read the Schools White Paper: Every Child Achieving and Thriving
• Read our summary of the Schools White Paper here: /node/8273