Protocols for Staff Interventions for Physical Bullying by Students Under 14 Years Old and Guideline Sharing with Parents for Alignment

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Ms Carrie Tan, Nee Soon GRC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education (a) what are the typical intervention steps or approach taken by primary school staff for the handling of physical bullying by students under the age of 14 years; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider providing the intervention guidelines to parents so that they are aligned with the school on the steps to take given that referring such cases to the Police may not be the best channel as the perpetrators are children.

Response

1. We would like to refer members to MOE's response on bullying in schools at the Parliament sitting on 14 October. The key points were:

• MOE takes all forms of hurtful behaviour and bullying seriously.
• From young, students are taught pro-social behaviours and how to respond to bullying.
• When incidents occur, schools handle the cases sensitively, according to their level of seriousness. Support is provided to both victims and perpetrators. Retributive justice must be combined with restorative justice and rehabilitation.
• Parents are critical partners in our effort to educate and support our students.

2. In addition, we would like to assure members that the approach taken by schools in managing bullying, including for younger students, is age-appropriate and considers their maturity and the seriousness of the offence. Schools also share strategies with parents to support their children and reinforce prosocial behaviour. Resources have been provided to parents on supporting their children to respond to bullying. We seek the support of parents and the community to collectively guide our students to be empathetic and kind.