Background Information
Glasgow City Council’s anti-bullying policy for educational establishments, previously revised in 1998, sets out a number of key principles to be observed in reducing the incidence of bullying behaviour in educational establishments, supporting those who have been bullied and helping perpetrators to reflect upon and change their behaviour. When it was issued, the 1998 revision placed a requirement on all educational establishments to review and, if appropriate, revise their own anti-bulling policy.
The authority-wide policy has now been further revised, in draft, in response to recent legislative changes and changes also in the nature of bullying behaviour. For example, bullying via modern communications media such as the mobile telephone (equipped with camera) and the internet, virtually unheard of ten years ago, is now a significant issue.
In producing the draft revision, the opportunity has been taken to introduce an additional requirement to record all incidences of bullying and discriminatory behaviour and to submit a statistical return to the department on a regular basis. This return will reflect all types of bullying including those in which there is an element of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, race, disability, gender or religion / faith and will supersede the current requirement to report on racist incidents.