Great work has been done on reducing bullying and violence in schools, and while there is still more to do, thanks to the Government's reforms, reported incidents of bullying has fallen. I support the Government's continued drive to deliver an excellent education for every child, Ministers are determined to ensure teachers have the tools they need to tackle bullying and violence in schools.
Some measures already in use in our classrooms include stronger powers to search pupils, removing the requirement to give parents 24 hours' written notice of after-school detentions, and clarifying teachers' powers to use reasonable force to control unruly pupils. Teachers also now have greater powers to tackle cyberbullying by searching for and deleting inappropriate images on mobile phones and tablets.
Ensuring that children are supported is also very important, and £3.3 million is being made available this year to charitable organisations to tackle bullying and provide support for those who are bullied. I think that while there is still more to do, the figures showing that bullying is plummeting demonstrate that strong discipline coupled with the right support allows children to flourish.