Moray schools anti-bullying policy

An anti-bullying policy is to be developed for all schools in Moray.

It follows the outcome of a survey which found that almost half of all pupils who responded said they has experienced bullying at some point in their school life.

The progress in implementing an anti-bullying policy is highlighted in a suite of reports published by Moray Council under equalities legislation.

The survey of P4 to S6 pupils generated over 2000 responses – the biggest ever response to a survey carried out by Moray Council.

Just under half of all respondents – 47% - said they had been subjected to bullying.

The reports reveal that good progress had been made in researching the issue of bullying in schools and the results of the survey were being followed up with a view to drawing up a policy on bullying by the end of this year.

“We will hold interviews with those pupils who indicated they would be willing to discuss their experiences in person,” said the council’s equal opportunities officer, Don Toonen.

“It is anticipated that this second phase of the consultation process will continue to raise awareness of bullying and that this may result in an increase in the number of officially reported incidences of bullying in schools.

“As our knowledge and understanding of the issue increases, we will be able to fine tune our reporting mechanisms to ensure that we can differentiate between one-off, repeat and escalating incidences.”

Other areas relating to equalities to which the reports refer include domestic abuse, vulnerable adults, disabled access to streets and gender pay gap.

The reports can be accessed here http://www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_86092.html

Moray Council area stretches from Tomintoul in the south to the shores of the Moray Firth, from Keith in the east to Forres in the west. The council and its 4,500 employees respond to the needs of 95,510 residents in this beautiful part of Scotland, which nestles between Aberdeenshire and the Highlands.

Famous for its colony of dolphins, fabulous beaches and more malt whisky distilleries than any where else in Scotland, Moray is a thriving area and a great place to live.

Headquartered in  Elgin, the administrative capital of Moray.