ANTI-BULLYING ROUNDTABLE WITH THE DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION

On Thursday 27th March, young people from a number of charities took part in an anti-bullying roundtable at the Department for Education (DfE), hosted by Minister Stephen Morgan.

The meeting brought together representatives from across the sector, including two members of The Diana Award’s National Anti-Bullying Youth Board, Yasmin and Sukhmani, both aged 15. They were joined by young people from:

• NSPCC
• The Children’s Society
• The Anti-Bullying Alliance
• Barnardo’s

The roundtable was chaired by Kate Dixon, the DfE’s Director for Pupil Wellbeing and Safety. The session opened with each young person sharing a sentence about bullying — either a personal experience, an issue that mattered to them, or a key message they wanted to communicate to the Minister.

Kate Dixon then asked participants three main questions:

1. What types of bullying are you or your friends seeing, and what is the impact?
2. How do schools currently respond to bullying, and what works well or doesn’t work?
3. If you could change one thing about how schools prevent bullying, what would it be?

The discussion gave young people the opportunity to share their views and experiences directly with policymakers. Their conversation will directly inform the DfE’s future work around anti-bullying.  

We’re incredibly proud of all the young people who took part. Their willingness to speak honestly about difficult experiences, and to propose thoughtful, constructive changes, was a clear reminder that meaningful progress starts with listening to those most affected. Their voices added real weight to the conversation, and their input will help shape a safer, more supportive future for pupils across the country.