The Government has announced a new duty to record and report incidents of bullying in schools. It is hoped that, by ensuring bullying incidents are picked up and resolved earlier, schools will be able to tackle the issue more effectively. The new duty, to be consulted on over the next 12 weeks, will mean that schools will have to record and report serious or recurring incidents of bullying to their local authority. This will include incidents of bullying and racism between pupils, and abuse or bullying of school staff. School’s minister Vernon Coaker said: “The majority of schools already record incidents of bullying. However, I want to make sure that all schools have measures in place to prevent and tackle bullying and show they are taking it seriously.”