Bullying
Being bullied at school can have measurable and lasting effects in adulthood, causing increased levels of loneliness, emotional distress and difficulty forming relationships. Preventing and tackling bullying is integral to promoting the emotional well-being of children and young people, developing their social and emotional skills and improving the overall ethos of a school.
Contents
- What is bullying?
- A whole school approach
- Example of a whole school approach
- Useful resources
- Useful links
Whats New
What is bullying?
Bullying involves a range of behaviours and requires a range of responses, approaches and developments at school, classroom and individual levels.
Common forms of bullying include:
- verbal bullying – name calling, spreading rumours, sarcasm
- emotional bullying – exclusion from the group, ridicule, humiliation, tormenting
- physical violence
- threats
- racism – taunts, gestures
- sexual intimidation – unwanted comments or physical contact.
Those involved in bullying may take on one of the following roles:
- bully – leader and initiator; directly involved in the bullying activity
- assistant – supporting bully; actively involved at instigation of others
- reinforcer – giving positive feedback to those directly involved in bullying, for example as an audience, or by laughing at the victim
- victim – the target of the bullying behaviour
- defender – provides direct or indirect support to the victim; may try to stop the bullying
- outsider – withdraws from bullying situations.
A whole school approach
Whole school strategies can teach children and young people about the importance of empathy, assertiveness, rights and responsibilities, as well as supporting the development of self-esteem and respect for others.
In tackling bullying, it is important that schools take a whole school, preventative approach that combines:
- changing the school ethos and culture
- improving or making better use of the physical environment
- participation and involvement of pupils, staff, families and the community
- peer support/education
- developing emotional literacy
- problem solving and social skills development
- improving staff morale.
Example of a whole school approach
A whole school approach to the prevention of bullying has been used with great success in Norway, in a scheme pioneered by Dan Olweus and developed and evaluated over a 20-year period. Effective actions have been shown to include:
- developing positive whole-school environments
- carrying out questionnaire surveys to ascertain the extent of any problems
- convening teacher discussion groups
- enforcing class/school rules against bullying
- organising regular meetings with all pupils to discuss bullying issues
- monitoring behaviour
- working in close liaison with parents/carers
- ensuring effective supervision during breaks and activities
- talking to bullies and implementing planned interventions
- forming coordination committees.
Useful resources
Olweus, D, 'Bullying or Peer Abuse at School: facts and interventions', Current Directions in Psychological Science, 1995, 4, 196–200
Olweus, D, 'Core Programme Against Bullying and Anti-Social Behaviour: A teacher handbook', Bergen: Hemil Research Centre for Health Promotion (2001)
The Child and Adolescent Health Research Unit has published a series of briefing papers about bullying using data gathered in the 2002 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey.
- HBSC Briefing Paper 8: Bullying and fighting among schoolchildren in Scotland: age and gender patterns, trends and cross-national comparisons
- HBSC Briefing Paper 9: Social context of bullying behaviours
- HBSC Briefing Paper 10: Bullying: health, well-being and risk behaviours
Fresh
'Fresh' is a leaflet for primary-aged children to help them cope with the issues surrounding bullying. It talks about friendships and bullying and what to do when things go wrong. It is part of the 'Let's stop bullying' pack issued to all schools by the Scottish Executive.
Fresher
'Fresher' is a leaflet designed for teenagers to explore the issues around bullying and provide information and advice on how to tackle and prevent it. It talks about friendships and how to be confident and happy in your relationships while allowing others to feel the same. It is part of the 'Let's stop bullying' pack issued to all schools by the Scottish Executive.
Bullying Matters
Activity pack designed for use with 4-11-year-olds and contains more than 80 activities, guidance on using children's literature as an anti-bullying resource and a list of useful organisations and websites.
Bully No More
Practical materials for use with 11-14-year olds that looks all the roles in bullying - the bully, the rescuer and the watcher as well as the victim.
Useful links
Respectme: Scotland's anti-bullying service
The Respectme website contains information for parents and professionals on a spectrum of issues related to bullying.
Anti-bullying Network
The Scottish Anti-Bullying Network provides school staff, young people and families with assistance in tackling bullying.
