LONDON, January 30, 2008  –  The first-ever national guidance from the UK Government to help schools tackle homophobic bullying has been launched by a Government minister.

“Bullying of any form is unacceptable – we must uphold every child’s right to learn in a safe and secure environment,” said Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families Ed Balls MP at the London launch event.

“Just as any form of racist bullying is unacceptable, so, too, is homophobic bullying.

“Even casual use of homophobic language in schools can create an atmosphere that isolates young people and can be the forerunner of more serious forms of bullying,” he pointed out.

“I’m proud that as a Government we have been robust in tackling this and I’d like to thank Stonewall for the work they have done.”

The innovative online guidance is aimed at school governors, heads, teachers and all other school staff.

It provides them with short, easily digestible links containing practical information – including lesson plans – about how to prevent and respond to homophobic bullying.

Stonewall’s The School Report, published in June 2007, highlighted the scale of homophobic bullying in Britain’s secondary schools.

The research found that almost two thirds of young gay people have experienced homophobic bullying.  Ninety seven per cent of gay pupils regularly hear homophobic insults at school; three in ten of the 1145 young people surveyed said that it was adults in schools who carry out the bullying.

“Stonewall is proud to have been commissioned by the DCSF to produce this guidance,” said Ben Summerskill, Stonewall chief executive.

“It is very encouraging the government has recognised this form of bullying as a serious problem, which can have such a damaging effect on children.

“When writing this guidance, we ensured it was specifically designed to give teachers more confidence to confront the problem.  This is a significant step forward in our campaign to tackle homophobic bullying.”

Stonewall was commissioned to write the groundbreaking online guidance in partnership with the Bristol-based EACH (Education Action Challenging Homophobia).

■ EACH runs a dedicated young people’s helpline where youngsters experiencing homophobic bullying can get confidential help and support.

The freephone Helpline for young people affected by homophobic bullying is available 10am to 5pm weekdays and 10am to midday on Saturdays. Dial 0808 1000 143 – calls are free from all landline telephones (including payphones) and from MOST mobile phone networks (dial and listen for an announcement to tell you if the call is chargeable)

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Posted: 30 January 2008 at 00:00 (UK time)