Select Committee on Education and Skills Written Evidence


Memorandum submitted by Stonewall

INTRODUCTION

  1.  Stonewall welcomes the inquiry into bullying being undertaken by the Education and Skills Committee and we are grateful for the opportunity to submit written evidence. Stonewall is a national organisation working across Great Britain that has campaigned for justice and equality for lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people since 1989.

  2.  Stonewall works to tackle homophobic bullying in schools through our Education for All campaign. This evidence paper focuses on homophobic bullying, to reflect our area of expertise. Homophobic bullying, as with all forms of bullying, seriously compromises the life chances of the young people it affects. The Education for All campaign, launched in early 2005, aims to supply teachers with the appropriate tools and advice to create a positive learning environment for all pupils, to support lesbian, gay and bisexual young people and to create a healthy and open learning environment in which everyone has the opportunity to learn.

  3.  Stonewall is carrying the Education for All campaign forward through a number of projects, including:

    —  The development of an anti-homophobic bullying website suite for the Department for Education and Skills, working with Educational Action Challenging Homophobia (EACH).

    —  In conjunction with the Mayor of London, a DVD for secondary school teachers on how to address homophobia, a copy of which has been sent to every secondary school in London.

    —  A School Climate Survey of young people in the UK who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or are questioning their sexual orientation. The survey focuses on the prevalence of homophobia in schools; why it happens, the perpetrators, the victims, and how this homophobia affects others.

    —  An annual conference for key education professionals.

  4.  We have adhered to the inquiry terms of reference by way of headings in this paper.

EXTENT AND NATURE OF THE PROBLEM

How bullying should be defined

  5.  A person is being bullied when he or she is exposed repeatedly and over time to negative actions on the part of one or more students, teachers or support staff. It also involves an imbalance of power, where the person who is bullied has difficulty defending him or herself. This imbalance of power is particularly acute when a student is gay, or is perceived to be gay. In this case, they can experience discrimination because the bully believes that being gay is inferior.

The extent and nature of the problem of homophobic bullying in schools

  6.  Homophobia in schools is almost endemic and demonstrates itself through various means. It is perpetuated where it goes unchallenged. Homophobia is a learned behaviour and the school, home environment and media play a significant role in tackling it. Homophobic bullying may manifest itself in many of the same ways as other types of bullying, such as through verbal abuse or physical abuse, and in many cases these are used in combination.

  7.  A unique characteristic of homophobic bullying, which can lead to particular isolation for those young people who endure it, is the need for them to "come out" should they decide to reveal the bullying to a teacher, parent or fellow pupil. Even for young people who are not lesbian or gay or questioning their own sexuality, they may feel fearful about seeking help and support due to uncertainty about the sort of response they might receive.

  8.  One feature to note is the use of the word "gay", which has over the past decade come to mean "rubbish" or "lame" by many young people and is often used in acts of homophobic bullying. Role models, such as the Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles, who repeatedly use "gay" in a derogatory way, have a negative impact on the fight against homophobia in schools. The persistent use of the word "gay" in a negative way makes it increasingly difficult for both teachers and pupils to be positive about gay, lesbian and bisexual identities.

  9.  Physical homophobic bullying occurs in many schools across Britain. In 2002, DfES reported that 26% of secondary school teachers were aware of physical homophobic bullying. In the Stonewall survey Queer Bashing (1996) almost half of respondents aged under 18 had experienced violence. Schools have influence and responsibility over young people's development and play an important role in challenging homophobia and homophobic bullying.

The extent of homophobic and racist bullying

  10.  In 2002 DfES reported in Bullying: Don't Suffer in Silence that 82% of secondary school teachers said they were aware of verbal homophobic bullying and 26% were aware of physical homophobic bullying.

  11.  Sex and Relationships, Ofsted 2002 states, "[...] in too many secondary schools homophobic attitudes among pupils often go unchallenged. The problem is compounded when derogatory terms about homosexuality are used in everyday language in school and their use passes unchallenged by staff. Where problems arise, staff have often had insufficient guidance on the interpretation of school values and what constitutes unacceptable language or behaviour."

  12.  A survey of 5,854 pupils in secondary schools in Scotland noted that 3.2% of pupils stated that they were attracted to members of their own sex (Rivers and Duncan, 2002). Using this as an average figure of same-sex attracted young people in England, and given there are around 3,896,000 pupils in mainstream and independent secondary schools in England during 2003, around 125,000 pupils in these schools may be attracted to others of the same sex (Warwick, Chaise and Aggleton, 2004).

  13.  Studies in the UK and US show LGB young people in school who are on the receiving end of homophobic bullying to be between 30-50% (Rivers and Duncan, 2002). In England, given the estimate of around 125,000 same-sex attracted pupils in secondary schools, between 37,400 and 62,350 may currently be directly experiencing homophobic bullying (Warwick, Chase and Aggleton, 2004).

  14.  The Bullying of sexual minorities at school: its nature and long-term correlates (Rivers, 2001) studied the types of bullying experienced by 190 LGB adults, and found that:

    —  82% of respondents had been subject to name-calling.

    —  71% had been ridiculed in front of others.

    —  60% had reported being hit or kicked.

    —  59% had rumours spread about them.

    —  58% had been teased.

    —  49% had their belongings stolen.

    —  27% had been isolated by their peers.

    —  11% had been sexually assaulted by either peers or teachers, whilst at school.

Why some people become bullies and why some people are bullied

  15.  Homophobic bullying can affect all pupils regardless of their sexual orientation. Pupils who are perceived to be different or do not fit into the heterosexual norm risk being on the receiving end of homophobic bullying. This could include girls who participate in what are deemed to be "masculine" sports or boys whose academic achievement is not considered appropriate by their social group. Many young people who have gay or lesbian parents/carers also experience homophobic bullying.

  16.  Being gay is often seen as inferior to being heterosexual. It is possible that young people use homophobic bullying as a means of safeguarding their heterosexual identity. Also, young gay, lesbian and bisexual people who are frightened of being perceived to be gay, can themselves resort to homophobic bullying as a "cover" of their own sexuality.

SHORT AND LONG-TERM EFFECTS

The effect of bullying on academic achievement, physical and mental health, and social and emotional wellbeing

  17.  Homophobic bullying threatens to compromise each of the five stated aims of the Government's Every Child Matters initiative:

    —  Be healthy.

    —  Stay safe.

    —  Enjoy and achieve.

    —  Make a positive contribution.

    —  Achieve economic wellbeing.

  18.  As explained in Youth Matters, the Green Paper published in 2005, homophobia and discrimination can lead to social exclusion whereby young gay people may seek out an adult environment and engage in high risk behaviour.

  19.  LGB pupils are more likely to leave school at 16, despite achieving the equivalent of six GCSEs at grade C. In Social exclusion, absenteeism and sexual minority youth (Rivers, I. 2000), 81% of LGB people surveyed held or were studying for GCSEs, but only a third went on to higher education. 72% of LGB adults surveyed reported a regular history of absenteeism at school due to homophobic harassment. 50% who had been bullied at school had contemplated self-harm or suicide—40% had made at least one attempt to self harm.

  20.  Guidance by the NASUWT, Tackling Homophobic Bullying, states that homophobic bullying can lead to low self-esteem, a culture of fear, pupil indiscipline, pupil or staff absenteeism, reduced staff productivity, staff turnover, poor teaching performance, reduced learning outcomes, stress, loss of health, and self-harm. Homophobic bullying damages all pupils if not tackled as a consequence of an unsafe learning environment.

  21.  Research carried out in 2003 found that 51% of gay men and 30% of lesbians reported being bullied physically at school, compared with 47% of heterosexual men and 20% of heterosexual women. (Mental health and social wellbeing of gay men, lesbians and bisexuals in England and Wales, Royal Free College and University College Medical School, 2003).

  22.  Stonewall is producing a major piece of quantitative research of young people, which will be published in early 2007. We hope that it will provide current evidence of the prevalence of homophobia in schools; why it happens, the perpetrators, the victims, and how this homophobia affects others.

Whether and how the effects of being bullied persist into adult life

  23.  Homophobic bullying may incur long term consequences. In cases where schools fail to provide a safe learning environment for all children and young people they risk ostracising pupils who are homophobically bullied. If homophobic bullying is not stopped, bullies may continue to bully in their adult life and young people who are on the receiving end of homophobic bullying will be more reluctant to be open about their sexuality. This has clear implications for their self-esteem.

  24.  As LGB pupils who are bullied are more likely to leave school at 16, despite achieving the equivalent of six GCSEs at grade C, in some cases where bullying goes unchecked young gay people will not have had equal opportunities to continue their education as their heterosexual counterparts.

  25.  Research on gay men, lesbians and bisexuals who self-identify as having been "victims" of homophobic bullying at school, shows that 26% of participants indicated they had been or continued to be distressed regularly by recollections of bullying in school (Rivers, 2004).

The effect of bullying on those who bully

  26.  Homophobia is a learned behaviour and will continue unless it is challenged. Young people who homophobically bully run the risk of continuing their behaviour in their adult life. Increasingly, employers value knowledge and skills in diversity. Bullies who have not had their behaviour challenged may pay a penalty in the workplace in adult life compared to their counterparts whose education has been inclusive and where homophobic bullying has been tackled.

TACKLING THE PROBLEM

The Government's policy on bullying

  27.  Homophobia, Sexual Orientation and Schools: A review and implications for Action (DfES 2004) identified that schools must identify common principles for tackling homophobic bullying in schools, create opportunities for dialogue between schools and key agencies, and conduct a thorough impact assessment of policies, practices and procedures in schools.

How schools deal with bullying

  28.  Despite the high number of homophobic incidents in schools, only 6% of schools have fully inclusive anti-bullying policies that deal specifically with homophobic bullying. Many schools cite the lack of experienced staff and lack of policies as the reasons for their not dealing with the problem (DfES, 2002).

  29.  DfES has published guidance Stand up for us (2004) on how to tackle homophobic bullying in schools. It outlines a whole school approach, whereby school leaders and management, policies and procedures, monitoring of bullying recognise homophobic bullying as a type of bullying and where a school strategy should clearly state the way in which the school tackles it.

  30.  The Mayor of London and Stonewall have produced a teacher training DVD Spell it Out, which provides teachers and other school staff with the tools and confidence necessary to tackle homophobic bullying in schools. This initiative is not part of the government's policy. We believe that the Government is doing the right things as far as their stated policies go, but the challenge remains of how to get these policies into practice in schools, in order to provide teachers with practical tools.

How parents can help if their children are being bullied or are bullying others

  31.  Parents play a significant role in the fight against homophobic bullying. They should be part of the discussions with teachers and school governors about the school's anti-bullying policy. They can help to ensure that the policy is inclusive and acknowledges homophobic bullying as a type of bullying and that there are clear procedures on how to tackle it.

  32.  Friends and Families of Lesbians and Gays (FFLAG) is an organisation that offers support to parents with gay and lesbian children. Educational Action Challenging Homophobia (EACH) provides a national helpline to pupils and parents that experience homophobic bullying in school. It offers support and guidance on how to help a child who is being homophobically bullied.

What support and guidance the DfES provides to schools and to those affected by bullying

  33.  DfES is working closely with Stonewall and EACH in developing an anti-homophobic bullying suite on the DfES website. This tool is aimed at education professionals and provides practical steps to better tackle homophobic bullying in schools.

The role of other organisations, such as non-governmental groups, in providing support

  34.  The reluctance in the past of public bodies to tackle homophobia and homophobic bullying in schools has led to the growth of strategic and operational non-governmental groups that tackle homophobic bullying.

  35.  Stonewall was established in 1989, as a response to the introduction of Section 28, legislation which has had repercussions on schools and the way that homophobia and homophobic bullying has been tackled. After the repeal of Section 28, Stonewall launched the national Education for All campaign, in conjunction with FFLAG and LGBT Youth Scotland, to tackle homophobic bullying in schools. Stonewall is working in collaboration with over 70 organisations across the country and has produced materials for education professionals and for young people which provide the tools and confidence to tackle homophobic bullying.

  36.  Educational Action Challenging Homophobia (EACH) was established in 2001 to support young people who experience homophobic bullying. It provides a telephone helpline to support young people who are homophobically bullied. EACH also offers training for the education and health services, LAs and schools and colleges.

Whether particular strategies need to be used to tackle homophobic and racist bullying

  37.   Every Child Matters states that all children and young people should be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic well being. Children and young people who are on the receiving end of homophobic bullying may suffer from low self-esteem, play truant, have lower attainment levels and leave education earlier. They risk not fulfilling their potential. Strategies for tackling homophobic bullying are vital in order for the Government to achieve the outcomes of Every Child Matters.

  38.  It is essential that homophobic bullying is acknowledged as a specific problem and a specific type of bullying. Education professionals need to recognise and understand the isolation that young gay people can feel as a result of this particular type of bullying.

  39.  Training for teachers on how to tackle homophobia is essential. We know that there are teachers who want to do the right thing but feel that they do not have the necessary tools. The Spell It Out DVD produced by Stonewall and the Mayor of London has met with an extremely positive response from London teachers. It is important that effective diversity and equality training is given during teacher training. We understand that tackling homophobic bullying, along with many other forms of bullying, is not covered by teacher training colleges, which is regrettable.

CONCLUSION

  40.  Stonewall welcomes the Education and Skills Committee's inquiry into bullying, which we see as an important step in understanding the extent and nature of bullying in our schools.

  41.  We are pleased that homophobic bullying is specifically recognised within the terms of reference; homophobic bullying is one of the most difficult forms of bullying to tackle, as acknowledged by Ofsted.

  42.  Stonewall would be more than happy to provide further evidence to the Committee as required.

October 2006





 
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