THE first national Anti-Bullying Week has been launched to help stamp out the scourge in schools across the country.

More than 50 partner organisations have joined together to raise awareness of the problem, and Schools Minister Stephen Twigg is asking people to wear wristbands this week.

The motto "make a stand, wear a band" is part of the plan to provide visible support to the campaign and for youngsters to show they will not tolerate bullying.

For more information and a full list of Anti-Bullying Week events and activities go to www.ncb.org.uk/aba

Managed moves share the load of challenging behaviour

EDUCATION Secretary Charles Clarke last week announced a set of plans to improve pupil behaviour and spread "difficult" students thinly throughout different schools.

The latter proposal is based on the premise that it is fairer if each school has a few "hard-to-place" or excluded pupils than if a few schools ended up with them all.

Speaking to the National College for School Leadership's conference for new headteachers on Thursday, Mr Clarke explained further.

"I expect headteachers to promote good behaviour in their schools, but where they judge it necessary, they have every right to exercise permanent exclusion," he said.

"However, when excluded children are deemed ready to be readmitted to a new school, it is important that heads do not have to take more than their fair share of challenging or excluded pupils, simply because they have places available."

The scheme does tackle an existing problem for schools - by spreading out students who have struggled in the past - but seems to miss a trick from the pupils' point of view.

It waits until after they have been excluded before addressing the problems at school - something akin to closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.

In Worcestershire, headteachers and the county council are trying a different approach, based on helping pupils before they are expelled, which has been in place since September.

"I think we are ahead of the game in Worcestershire," said Alun Williams, headteacher of Nunnery Wood High School, in Spetchley Road, Worcester.

"We have a system up-and-running already called 'Managed Moves' - a mechanism to avoid permanent exclusions by allowing such students to move to another school.

"This system is not for those with severe behavioural difficulties. There are special schools for pupils with these needs and I wouldn't want parents to think that they are included within 'Managed Moves'.

"But the net effect for us in Worcester has been very much as Charles Clarke is hoping to achieve with his new plans."

When a pupil is struggling at one school and facing expulsion, the headteacher can start discussions with another school - perhaps closer to the students' home or where a sibling attends - where he or she may settle more easily.

If both sides agree it is in the youngster's interests, the move can be made.

Under the scheme, students avoid having a permanent exclusion on their record and gain every chance to find a school that is right for them before falling out of education.

Similarly, as Charles Clarke hoped, headteachers are given a say in how many "hard-to-place" pupils they have while also strengthening links and partnerships between schools.

"There is no downside. It means teachers talk and share knowledge about students and we pass expertise from school to school," Mr Williams added.

"But, if I am going to take a pupil from elsewhere - as another school has taken a pupil from here - I need to be convinced that it is the right move for everyone.

"It works because there is trust between the schools and headteachers."

Worcestershire's LEA brokers the scheme but it is controlled by the school heads, who work out between each other the best location for "hard-to-place" students.

In a society where headteachers are now seen as architects of social change as well as school leaders, "Managed Moves" is a further example where they take responsibility for the wider community.

"Nunnery Wood High School is very popular and very full but we fully accept our responsibility goes beyond our own students," concluded Mr Williams. "We accept a responsibility to the young people of Worcester."