Department for Education
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Balls: Call to parents to always report bullying

- Ed Balls welcomes N-Dubz release of new anti-bullying song -

- ‘laugh at it, you’re part of it’ campaign continues with online advertsand new mobile phone clips -

Ed Balls today called on parents to always report incidents of bullying to their child’s school, as new research highlighted the positive impact this can have on stopping bullying. Together with Schools Minister Vernon Coaker, Ed Balls today launched Anti-Bullying Week at an event with the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA), young people and teachers at the Science Museum.

Anti-Bullying Week, which begins on the 16th November, is a focal point for activities across the country and is led by the ABA. The theme of this year’s Anti-Bullying Week is tackling cyberbullying, under the slogan ‘Stay Safe in Cyberspace’. The week will see schools, colleges and youth groups raising awareness about bullying and giving advice on how to stamp it out.

Key findings from new research published today shows that where parents report their child being bullied to the school, their children are less likely to still be bullied in the future. The research also found that cyberbullying and name calling are the most common forms of bullying among secondary school pupils.

Earlier today, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families Ed Balls also welcomed the release of a new anti-bullying song from the group N-Dubz.

Ed Balls said:

“I'm delighted to help kick off this year’s Anti-Bullying Week with N-Dubz as they release their new single 'RU Cyber Safe'. N-Dubz are great ambassadors for CyberMentors - a fantastic website which helps young people support each other through mentoring. This shows once again that if all young people come together and show their solidarity against bullies, we can make bullying a thing of the past.

“It’s really important that young people can use new technology and the internet to learn, have fun and stay in touch with their friends. But we also know that mobile phones or computer screens can be used to taunt and bully young people, which can have devastating consequences. I want parents to feel confident coming forward and reporting bullying incidents to schools, as we know this helps to stop bullying continuing.

“Schools, parents, young people and technology providers all need to work together to tackle cyberbullying, and I’m really pleased that we are working closely with the ABA to ensure this happens. Through our cyberbullying campaign we will continue the push to help stamp it out for good.”

Parents can access a range of support to help combat bullying. A new online leaflet, ‘Keep an eye on it’ produced by ABA, Young ABA and NASUWT, provides information for parents and adults working with young people on how to spot the signs of bullying and what they can do to help. Parents can also seek advice from Parentline Plus, funded by the DCSF, which runs a helpline for parents whose children are being bullied and provides support through their ‘Be Someone to Tell’ website.

The next phase of the ‘laugh at it, you’re part of it’ cyber-bullying campaign continues next week with online adverts and new mobile phone clips. The adverts will highlight how easy it is for young people to accidentally become part of the problem by forwarding on emails, pictures and video clips without thinking of the impact it can have on the victim. The department has secured the backing of top commercial partners like Google, T-Mobile, o2, Bebo and YouTube, who will be supporting the campaign through online activity and free downloads.

Speaking at the launch event for Anti-Bullying Week, Schools Minister Vernon Coaker, said:

“I’m delighted to be able to launch this year’s Anti-Bullying Week. Bullying, in any form, should not be tolerated. It can destroy lives and have a lasting impact on young people’s confidence, self-esteem and emotional development.

“We know that bullying has evolved to take advantage of new technologies, particularly mobile phones and the internet. Young people need to be aware of the negative consequences of their actions and the impact their behaviour has on their peers. That’s why our cyberbullying campaign is continuing this year, with new film clips and online activity designed to reach young people and make them aware of the consequences of their actions.“

In addition, the department has provided guidance and resource packs to schools on how to deal with cyberbullying, and in April new guidance was issued on how to prevent and tackle the cyberbullying of school staff.

Sue Steel, National Manager of the Anti-Bullying Alliance, said:

“It is very encouraging that the Government is doing so much to make Anti-Bullying Week a real success. We all need to work in partnership to ensure children, young people and their parents are aware of the risks of cyberbullying and know how to prevent it.”

Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, today welcomed the new parents leaflet produced for Anti-Bullying Week with the ABA,

“The NASUWT is proud to have worked jointly with the ABA and the YABA on the production of this leaflet.

“Too many children and young people have their lives blighted by bullying. Often they suffer in silence, too frightened to confide in or seek help from their family.

“Bullying takes an appalling mental and physical toll on its victims. It’s not part of growing up and it cannot be tolerated.

“This leaflet provides essential information for all parents and carers to enable them to spot the signs of bullying and to take action to prevent a young person from being emotionally scarred for life. Parents and carers play an essential role in helping schools to stamp out bullying.”

Editor's Notes
This press notice relates to 'England'

1. The research summary with key findings published today was commissioned by the DCSF and will be published in full in early January. It was carried out by The National Centre for Social Research. They analysed data on bullying from the Longitudinal Survey of Young People in England (LSYPE).

The LSYPE has tracked a large (10,000+) national sample of young people since 2004, when the participants were in year nine. The research reported in the brief investigated the characteristics associated with being a victim of bullying, as well as what types of bullying are most common. It also examined the relationship between attainment and main activity at 16/17, and being bullied. The research available here: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DCSF-RBX-09-14.pdf

 2. The online leaflet for parents ‘Keep an eye on it’ is published by the ABA, Young ABA and NASUWT with support from the DCSF. It will be available to view on http://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk

3. Anti-Bullying Week is run by the Anti-Bullying Alliance and activities are taking place all across the country. To find out what’s happening in your area, please contact http://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk

4. Parentline Plus is funded by the DCSF. Parents can get advice and support at http://www.besomeonetotell.org.uk/ or through DirectGov: http://www.direct.gov.uk/bullying

5. In 2008, the DCSF issued a DVD and resource pack for teachers called ‘Let’s Fight It Together’. It is available to download from the Teachernet website:http://publications.teachernet.gov.uk/default.aspx?PageFunction=productdetails&PageMode=publications&ProductId=DCSF-00239-2008&

Contact Details
Public Enquiries 0870 000 2288, info@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk

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