PUPILS as young as five will soon be placed on school ‘hate registers’ for making playground taunts, it emerged last night.
Any form of racist or homophobic bullying will go down on record at the school and the pupil responsible could be monitored throughout their school life.
Details of any incidents, however minor, will then be kept on a database by the local authority and made available to ministers to inform future anti-bullying campaigns.
Children’s charities last night expressed concern that youngsters may be criminalised for simple playground banter.
Michele Elliott, of charity Kidscape, said: “Children are being criminalised and singled out from a very early age when they don’t know what they’re doing.”
The extent of the new measures came to light after 10-year-old Peter Drury was told his name would be placed on a register at his primary school in Somerset and his behaviour monitored. It followed an accusation that he called a friend “gay boy”.
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