Guidance on school anti-bullying policies

All schools in England and Wales, or education authorities in Scotland, must not only take steps to prevent and address bullying but have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty when developing their anti-bullying policy. This covers the following protected characteristics: age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and sexual orientation. To help schools meet this duty, last month the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) published recommendations for addressing prejudice-based and other forms of bullying.

Department for Education guidance on Preventing and Tackling Bullying defines it as "behaviour by an individual or group, repeated over time, that intentionally hurts another individual or group either physically or emotionally. Bullying can take many forms…and is often motivated by prejudice against particular groups". Bullying can include name-calling and teasing; making offensive comments - verbally, by text message, by email or by social networking sites; malicious gossip; physical violence; making threats; coercion; and isolation from group activities. The guidance highlights that while "stopping violence and ensuring immediate physical safety is obviously a school's first priority", emotional bullying can be more damaging than physical.