Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullying was published on 1st December 2022. Cineáltas is my department’s whole-education approach to preventing and addressing bullying behaviour in schools.
Cineáltas is dedicated to the prevention and addressing of bullying behaviour including cyber bullying, racist bullying, gender identity bullying and sexual harassment, among other areas, in schools. It is centred on a child rights-based approach and provides a collective vision and clear roadmap for how the whole education community and society can work together to prevent and address bullying behaviour in our schools.
Cineáltas incorporates each of the nine components of UNESCO’s Whole Education Approach to prevent and address bullying behaviour. It is rooted in four key principles: prevention, support, oversight and community. Implementation of Cineáltas is well advanced.
One of the more significant actions under Cineáltas is to update the 2013 Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools. This action has been completed with the publication, on 19 June 2024, of Bí Cineálta: Procedures to Prevent and Address Bullying Behaviour for Primary and Post-Primary Schools. These updated procedures were developed in collaboration with the education partners, including the National Parents Council, and are heavily informed by the views of children and young people, parents, school staff, Board of Management members and the wider education community.
The Bí Cineálta procedures are centred on a child rights-based approach and support a partnership approach where all members of the school community work together to prevent and address bullying behaviour. The procedures have been updated to take account of gender identity bullying, cyberbullying, racist bullying, sexist bullying, and sexual harassment. They support schools to develop clear strategies to prevent and address these bullying behaviours. The Bí Cineálta procedures have been implemented all in schools since the beginning of the 2025/2026 school year.
The Bí Cineálta procedures include a template for schools to use for their Bí Cineálta policy. This template includes common text that all schools must use in their policy. Schools must outline the preventative strategies that they will use and the steps that will be taken to address incidents of bullying behaviour if and when they occur. Every school can decide, as a school community, on what strategies and actions they deem appropriate to adopt in its Bí Cineálta policy.
Another action under Cineáltas is to progress the development of a national database to facilitate data being collated in an anonymised manner to facilitate the development of an annual national report on bullying in schools. Officials in my department are currently working with the education partners to progress this action and a literature review has been commissioned to inform how to proceed.
The Traveller and Roma Education Strategy (TRES) 2024–2030 sets out targeted actions to address discrimination and improve inclusion for Traveller and Roma students. These include embedding Traveller and Roma culture and history across the curriculum, strengthening teacher training on cultural competence and anti-racism, and supporting engagement between schools, families and communities through 15 newly funded Community Link Workers. Implementation is overseen by a dedicated TRES Oversight Group and is informed by ongoing evaluation and structured consultation with Traveller and Roma organisations through the Traveller and Roma Education Forum.
In 2016, a resource, compiled by the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN), was published for post-primary schools called ‘Being LGBT in School’ in order to provide assistance for individual schools in designing their policies. It provides guidance to support key individuals as they fulfil their responsibilities in ensuring that their school is safe, supportive and affirming of all students.
The ‘Being LGBT in School’ resource is currently under review by Maynooth University. This work is expected to be completed over the coming months. On receipt, my department will consider the appropriate next steps.
