To ask the Minister of Education to detail his assessment of the recent research paper by Stranmillis University College and Anti-Bullying Alliance 'All Together? The Nature and Extent of Sectarian Bullying in Northern Ireland'.

Bullying type behaviour in our schools, for whatever reason and in whatever form, is unacceptable. My Department is committed to tackling bullying in schools and supporting all of our pupils.

Capturing the potential motivation for reported bullying type behaviour is important to enable identification of school specific issues, patterns and trends, such as sectarian bullying type behaviour. In this data informed context, members of staff are better placed to address need appropriately with tailored pastoral, safeguarding and curricular interventions.

With that in mind, I welcome the 'All Together? The Nature and Extent of Sectarian Bullying in Northern Ireland' research paper. My Department will consider fully the findings and recommendations of the paper, however, it should be noted that a number of measures are already in place to address some of the recommendations.

The Addressing Bullying in Schools Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 (the Act), requires schools to record incidents of bullying type behaviour, their motivation, methods used and their outcome. The legislation provides guidance on exemplar motivations to inform the school assessment and recording process. This list reflects Section 75 groups including those who may be targeted due to their religious belief and political opinion.

The Addressing Bullying in Schools Implementation Team (ABSIT) within the Education Authority was established in September 2022 and provides support for schools, educational settings, young people and parents to help them understand the requirements of the Act. ABSIT has a focus on preventative education to embed cultures that eradicate bullying. The team also provides children, young people and parents/carers, with support to deal with specific incidents of bullying. Furthermore, ABSIT has delivered professional learning to student teachers in Stranmillis University College.

Established procedures are currently in place within schools to address incidents of bullying. Although there is no dedicated process specifically for managing instances of sectarian bullying type behaviour, such incidents are encompassed within the scope of the existing procedures and would be addressed accordingly.