Agenda item

This report provides the Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Committee with details on how homophobic bullying in schools is being tackled in Brent.

Anthony Felsenstein (Strategic Co-ordinator for Behaviour and Attendance) introduced the report which provided the committee with details on how homophobic bullying in schools was being tackled in Brent.  He informed the committee that since producing the report, in recognition of LGBT History Month, a workshop on tackling homophobic bullying had been held on the 9 February 2010.  He advised that an encouraging number of pupils had attended the workshop.  He stated that the workshop had a number of speakers, including a representative from Stonewall, Mosaic LGBT Youth Centre, Brent Youth Parliament and Schools OUT. The main part of the meeting, he explained, provided five schools with the opportunity to share their work with each other on how they were tackling homophobic bullying.   He added that pupils had taken the lead in two of the schools which attended the workshop.  Anthony Felsenstein informed the committee that a local newspaper was interested in doing an article on the workshop which would cover some of the good work that was highlighted at the workshop.  He added that Sue Sanders from Schools OUT had informed him that she was very impressed with the work which had been carried out and that she would like to put a case study together based on this.

Anthony Felsenstein explained that since the last time he reported to the committee, the council had updated its anti-bullying guidance, which had been put on the schools extranet.  He stated that the School Improvement Service was currently in the process of collecting more data from schools to find out if there had been an increase in the number of schools which had made reference to tackling homophobic bullying in their anti-bullying policies. Anthony Felsenstein explained that the council would continue to build on the work already being carried out to tackle homophobic bullying and would continue to work with schools to ensure the sharing of good practice.

In the discussion which followed, Anthony Felsenstein explained that when teachers were unsure as to how to deal with homophobic bullying or they required support, it was helpful for them to have a section on homophobic bullying in their school’s anti-bullying policy, as it provided them with guidance as to what they should do. In response to a question regarding the celebration of LGBT History Month in schools, Anthony Felsenstein explained that there was one school which did something specific to celebrate the month.

Responding to a question regarding governor training on how to tackle homophobic bullying, Anthony Felsenstein explained that governors did receive anti-bullying training, but that presently there were not usually separate sessions held for just tackling homophobic bullying.  In answer to a question regarding whether there had been any resistance from schools in incorporating the tackling of homophobic bullying into their anti-bullying policies, Anthony Felsenstein stated that there had been no resistance but that some schools had stated that they did not separate out different kinds of bullying in their anti-bullying policy as they viewed all forms of bullying as unacceptable no matter what the type.  He informed the committee that the Government currently had a consultation out which was looking at whether, from September 2010, all schools should be required to not only record serious incidents of bullying, but to also record the type of bullying which had taken place. The Chair noted the importance of ensuring that all the good work, which had taken place so far, was continued to be built upon. The committee requested that an update, on the progress of tackling homophobic bullying in schools, be provided to the Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Committee in a year’s time.

RESOLVED:-

(i)         that the update be noted;

(ii)        that an update, on the progress of tackling homophobic bullying in schools, be provided to the Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Committee in a year’s time.