Written question asked by Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative) on Friday, 24 February 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 28 February 2006. It was answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern (Labour) on Tuesday, 14 March 2006 on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills.

Education (Peterborough)

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding is planned to be made available to schools in Peterborough for anti-bullying campaigns in each of the next five years.

Answer: Ring-fenced funding for anti bullying campaigns is not made available on either a local authority or school by school basis. Rather it is a matter for schools and local authorities to decide how much of their budget they devote to this important work.Support for anti-bullying work is embedded in the behaviour and attendance strands of the national strategies which have at least one consultant in place in each local authority. In addition, support is also provided through DfES funded anti-bullying alliance coordinators in each Government Office region.At a national level the Department has funded a number of initiatives to tackle bullying. Since 1997 this has included events to disseminate good practice, plus development of guidance and resources for schools. We have supported an award scheme to share and celebrate the excellent work of schools and young people. We have funded the voluntary sector to embed effective practice and offer training and support to schools. We have run public information campaigns encouraging children to ‘tell someone' and to support their friends, as well as providing information and support to parents. We have funded the anti-bullying alliance to continue its work coordinating support for local authority and voluntary sector anti bullying work on a regional basis, developing new approaches to bullying, and working with schools to promote best practice directly and through anti-bullying week and other events.

Secondary information