The Lagan Valley MLA was speaking following the recent reports that a school in Belfast failed to safeguard its pupils on a school trip.
Ms Guy said: “Bullying often has a devastating impact on children, young people and their families. People should never seek to diminish these impacts or explain away bullying incidents, which can have a lasting impact on mental health and self-esteem.
“The Addressing Bullying in Schools Act 2016 is in place which requires all schools to have an anti-bullying policy, which is regularly reviewed, and to record all incidents of bullying behaviour, including the motivation behind them.
“This is positive, and I know there is a team in the EA doing brilliant work with schools to ensure this Act is fully embedded and understood. The vast majority of schools are of course doing all they can when it comes to bullying incidents and it is essential we learn from good practice.
“However, it remains the case that the Department of Education has little to no understanding of what is going on when it comes to bullying. They don’t know if there are any schools that still don’t have an anti-bullying policy and they don’t know how prevalent bullying is.
“Surely, if the Department is to better support schools and parents, it needs to understand the levels of bullying incidents and the details of the incidents. This could all be done anonymously but would give information to enable tailored support.
“I will continue to push the Education Minister and his Department to focus more on bullying in schools and provide schools, parents and young people with the support they need.”
January 29, 2025
Education Department can do more to prevent bullying and support those experiencing it, says Guy.
Alliance Education spokesperson Michelle Guy MLA has said the Department of Education can do more to support schools in preventing bullying and supporting those experiencing it.
Education
Michelle Guy