New figures show that local parents aren't satisfied with the way schools deal with bullying

More than a third of parents said East Sussex schools were not dealing with bullying quickly and effectively, new figures show.

A latest poll has revealed that more than a third of parents have said that East Sussex schools were not dealing with bullying quickly and effectively.

It comes as the Anti-Bullying Alliance, which coordinates Anti-Bullying Week each year, said staff must be better equipped at tackling bullying to lessen the serious impact it has on children.

Ofsted figures for the year to September 2023 have shown that 5,072 parents were asked if their child has been bullied and whether the school dealt with the bullying "quickly and effectively".

Of the 1,916 parents that said the question was relevant to them, 37% disagreed or strongly disagreed that the school handled the bullying effectively.

In East Sussex, 16% of parents said their child was not happy at their school while 14% said their kid did not feel safe.

David Johnston, minister for children, families and wellbeing said: "Bullying is never acceptable, which is why this government is committed to working with schools to create good behaviour cultures and to improve approaches to tackling bullying.

"We’ve created behaviour hubs across the country, included teaching respect and inclusivity as part of the RHSE curriculum and provided more than £3m of funding to anti-bullying organisations to support their vital work."