Report highlights need to tackle bullying - in faith and secular schools alike

Commenting on today's Education and Skills Committee report into bullying, which he initiated, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson and committee member, Stephen Williams MP said: "Anti-bullying programmes have taken a back seat to political rhetoric about stamping down on discipline and raising standards. But if we cracked bullying, we would see benefits in a lot of other areas too.

"The Government has thrown good money after bad on bullying because proper measures for monitoring incidents and the effectiveness of prevention schemes simply haven't existed.

"This report highlights the fact that we need to go back to square one. Levels of bullying need to be monitored and recorded in a uniform manner so that we can find out the true scale of the problem. Programmes then

need to be properly evaluated so money isn't wasted on well-meaning schemes that don't produce results.

"Bullying doesn't just harm school work, it damages lives. The committee heard harrowing evidence about the impact of bullying based on faith, sexuality or special educational needs can have on young people. All

schools, including faith schools, should ensure that pupils are protected from homophobic and other forms of bullying."