MORE than two in five parents said Barnsley schools were not dealing with bullying quickly and effectively, new figures show.

Ofsted figures for the year to September 2023 show 1,497 parents were asked if their child has been bullied and whether the school dealt with the bullying ‘quickly and effectively’.

Of the 582 parents that said the question was relevant to them, 41 per cent disagreed or strongly disagreed that the school handled the bullying effectively.

Across England, 32 per cent of parents said their child’s school did not deal with bullying well.

The data covers private and public nurseries, primary schools, secondary schools and special schools.

Martha Evans, director of the Anti-Bullying Alliance, said: “We know that almost a quarter of children say they are being bullied frequently face-to-face, so it is unacceptable that understanding how to deal with bullying isn’t a mandatory part of initial teacher training.

“There are many examples of school staff who do a great job for the children that rely on them, but we must do more.

“If we get better at equipping staff to root out the problem, take a whole-school approach to tackling bullying, and make sure there is a senior teacher leading the way, then the serious implications of being bullied can be lessened.”

In Barnsley, 19 per cent of parents said their child was not happy at their school while 15 per cent said their kid did not feel safe.