Jennifer Horgan: Anti-bullying plan for schools is good... but only on paper

The bullying I witness across schools that hurts me the deepest and makes a mockery of this action plan relates to children with special educational needs

Bullies still prey on people who stand out, who are deemed different, who might have a chink in their armour. As ever, bullying is carried out by people with a chink in their own.

The announcement of a new action plan to tackle bullying in our schools seems welcome. Following years of consultation, it promises a nationally rolled out approach to protecting young people. 

According to the Department of Education it is “dedicated to the prevention and addressing of bullying, cyberbullying, racism, gender identity bullying or sexual harassment, among other areas, in schools.” We certainly need a national effort if we wish to create inclusive state schools with uniformly high standards.