Department for Education
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More support for schools to help tackle bullying of children with special educational needs and disabilities

Schools Minister Vernon Coaker today launched a DVD for pupils and a new resource pack for schools to help them prevent and tackle bullying of young people with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities.

The DVD ‘Make Them Go Away’ is aimed at children from seven to 14 to raise awareness of their peers with SEN and disabilities, including strong messages about how bullying affects their lives.

The schools minister launched the pack at a primary school in London that has been using an effective buddy scheme to give children with SEN and disabilities more confidence and to help prevent them being bullied.

To appeal to the young audience the film also includes a supportive comment from Arsenal Football Club Captain Cesc Fabregas that having a disability should not stop young people achieving what they want.

Vernon Coaker said:

Any form of bullying is damaging and harmful to the victims and can have a lasting impact on their lives. Taunting and demonising a young person because of their disability is particularly nasty. That’s why we have produced the DVD to raise awareness of the problem with young people and prevent bullying occurring in the first place. 
 
The support package for teachers will help them stimulate classroom discussions so that pupils understand the damaging impact of bullying on their disabled peers. 
 
We are determined to put a stop to bullying. Over recent years we’ve provided schools with guidance and support, including specific guidance on how to tackle bullying of children with SEN and disabilities, in addition to giving teachers and heads more powers to get tough on the bullies. 
 
I know that teachers across the country are doing a great job in preventing and managing bullying and I hope that the film will continue to get the message out to young people that bullying will not be tolerated.

Cesc Fabregas said:

At Arsenal we believe bullying is unacceptable. That's why we support this film and we hope the message is clear for young people. Disability should not be a barrier to achieving the things you want.

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