Written question asked by David Amess (Conservative) on Monday, 6 July 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 8 July 2009. It was answered by Lord Coaker (Labour) on Monday, 13 July 2009 on behalf of the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Pre School Education: Bullying

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the levels of (a) bullying and (b) intimidation by other children of Jewish children attending nursery schools since December 2008; what steps he is taking to protect Jewish children from such actions; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: Schools, including mainstream nursery schools, have a duty in law to promote race equality and it is compulsory for them to have measures in place to prevent and tackle bullying, whatever the motivation. In March 2006 we published specialist guidance on bullying around race, religion and culture which focused on preventing and tackling racist bullying in schools and included material on bullying related to anti-Semitism.We intend also next year to introduce a new statutory duty on schools to record all incidents of bullying between pupils. We will consult on this in the autumn and also on whether schools should be obliged to report these incidents to their local authority.

Secondary information