Below is a round up of the general election manifestos from the three main political parties in England and what they have said about bullying and related issues. We in no way endorse any party over another and this is an article purely for information purposes.
View National Children's Bureau manifesto: Read our Manifesto for a Better Childhood, developed by children and young people.
Conservative Party Manifesto
Link to manifesto
Specific bullying references:
- “Ofsted inspection serves a valuable purpose not just in improving standards but in improving behaviour. We will continue to help teachers tackle bullying, including homophobic bullying. No child should be bullied on account of who their parents are or where they come from.” (Page. 13)
- "We have strengthened teachers’ powers to deal with bullying and disruption."(Page. 13)
Education:
- "We will back heads and teachers on discipline. We will expand our programme to help schools with the worst behaviour learn from the best – and back heads to use exclusions." (Page.13)
- "Young people are less likely to get into trouble in a well-disciplined school, which is why we will back teachers to enforce discipline." (Page.18)
Children’s wellbeing and mental health
- "We will treat mental health with the same urgency as physical health. We will legislate so that patients suffering from mental health conditions, including anxiety or depression, have greater control over their treatment and receive the dignity and respect they deserve." (page 11)
Online safety and bullying:
- "We will legislate to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online – protecting children from online abuse and harms, protecting the most vulnerable from accessing harmful content." (Page. 20)
- "We will ensure that no one is put off from engaging in politics or standing in an election by threats, harassment or abuse, whether in person or online." (Page. 48)
Labour Party Manifesto:
Specific bullying references :
- Reference is aimed at staff in the NHS and not children: “We will provide mental health support for staff and create a working environment within the NHS that is safe, flexible and free from harassment, bullying or violence." (Page. 35)
Education:
- "We will introduce an Arts Pupil Premium to fund arts education for every primary school child. We will review the curriculum to ensure that it enriches students and covers subjects such as black history and continues to teach issues like the Holocaust." (Page.39)
- "Replace Ofsted and create a new inspection body" (page 40).
- "Take action to end ‘off-rolling’ and increase school accountability." (page 40).
- "We will properly regulate all education providers and reform alternative provision (AP) to ensure an excellent education is the right of every child" (page 40).
- "Provide sufficient funding for schools to deliver mandatory LGBT+ inclusive relationships and sex education." (Page.69)
Children’s wellbeing and mental health
- "We will set new standards for tackling domestic and sexual abuse and violence, and appoint a Commissioner for Violence against Women and Girls." (Page.47)
- "Our £845 million plan for Healthy Young Minds will more than double the annual spending on children and adolescent mental health services. We will establish a network of open access mental health hubs to enable more children to access mental health and recruit almost 3,500 qualified counsellors to guarantee every child access to school counsellors." (Page.34)
Online safety and bullying
- "We will enforce a legal duty of care to protect our children online, impose fines on companies that fail on online abuse and empower the public with a Charter of Digital Rights." (Page.54)
Liberal Democrats Party Manifesto
Specific bullying references:
- “Tackle bullying in schools, including bullying on the basis of gender, sexuality, gender identity, or gender expression, by promoting pastoral leadership in schools and delivering high-quality sex and relationships education.” (Page. 36)
- "Relating to adults: “Take a zero-tolerance approach to harassment and bullying in Westminster and legislate to empower constituents to recall MPs who commit sexual harassment.” (Page.81)
Education:
- "Introduce a ‘curriculum for life’, in all state-funded schools. This will include Personal, Social and Health Education, financial literacy, environmental awareness, first aid and emergency lifesaving skills, mental health education, citizenship and age-appropriate Relationships and Sex Education (RSE). Teaching about sexual consent, LGBT+ relationships, and issues surrounding explicit images and content will be included in RSE." (Page. 33)
- "Replace Ofsted with a new HM Inspector of Schools. Inspections should take place every three years and should consider a broader range of factors including the social and emotional development of children, and the wellbeing of staff and pupils. Independent schools should be subject to the same inspection regime." (Page.33)
- "Tackle bullying in schools, including bullying on the basis of gender, sexuality, gender identity, or gender expression, by promoting pastoral leadership in schools and delivering high-quality sex and relationships education" (page. 36)
Children’s wellbeing and mental health
- "Invest £11 billion in mental health to expand access to therapies and increase the number of psychiatrists and specialist mental health practitioners. We will make mental health services 24-hour" (Page.9)
- "Targeted support for those most at risk of poor wellbeing: vulnerable children, people who are homeless, victims of trafficking and exploitation."(Page.27)
- "Require inclusive school uniform policies that are gender-neutral and flexible enough to suit different budgets, and provide training for school staff on how to review and improve their uniform policies. "(Page.36)
- "Challenge gender stereotyping and early sexualisation, working with schools to promote positive body image and break down outdated perceptions of gender appropriateness of particular academic subjects." (Page.36)
- "Ensuring the lives of women and girls are not ignored in favour of trade or regional alliances; working to extend reproductive rights and end female genital mutilation; and ending sexual violence in conflict zones." (Page.92)
Online safety and bullying
- "Include teaching about how to use social media responsibly in our ’curriculum for life ‘and provide advice and support for parents on how to help their children protect themselves online." (Page.36)
What do young people want?
We worked with young people to write a Change Starts With Us report which sets out key recommendations about how we can address bullying both online and face to face. It includes recommendations for government. It was written with the support of O2.
The Change Starts With Us Report
