A Call for Changes to National Policy on Bullying

by Anti-bullying Expert Dr Elizabeth Nassem

Bullying is still a prevalent problem in UK schools even though they are legally obliged to address bullying (Children’s Society’s Good Childhood report 2016: Department for Education 2017). Because of bullying, many children feel ostracised, anxious and petrified of school on a daily basis. For meaningful improvements to be made there needs to be a paradigm shift in how policy-makers understand bullying and the strategies they recommend. Here is what needs to change:

An improved understanding

A more rigorous understanding of bullying is needed in order to resolve bullying effectively. Bullying is usually defined as aggression which is repeated, intentional and involves a clear imbalance of power (Olweus 1993). This definition has led to many of children’s experiences of bullying not being adequately addressed such as bullying between ‘friends.’Instead, bullying should be constructed as a spectrum of negative interactions ranging from mild to severe which includes characteristics associated with bullying such as name-calling and hitting. Teachers should be supported to speak to pupils about what constitutes bullying, how bullying is dealt with and how it should be resolved.

Consultation with pupils

To address bullying, policy-makers tend to refer to studies which use surveys and questionnaires usually consisting of categories pre-defined by researchers which can prevent children from fully articulating their views. School based campaigns also tend to be led by staff who might provide assemblies or put up posters but often children do not engage with the message. However, pupils have a wealth of knowledge and resources to help us tackle bullying. Schools should be supported to develop a pupil-led approach by teachers speaking to children about their experiences of bullying; and from this designing, implementing and evaluating an intervention to tackle bullying with children.

Provide mentoring for ‘bullies’

How schools usually respond to bullying ought to be thoroughly investigated. In my research I have found schools usually punish ‘bullies’ by giving them detention or putting them in isolation. These punishments often cause bullying to escalate by making children angry which they subsequently take out on those who they victimise. Alternately, a mentoring programme for children who bully can be used to encourage mentees to reflect on their behaviour and the effect it has on others, and learn how to respond to conflict more respectfully. Mentoring has been found to dramatically reduce school bullying (Nassem 2018).

Empower teachers to resolve bullying

Research should be commissioned to examine what support teachers feel they need to tackle bullying. Anti-bullying policies tend to focus primarily on bullying between pupils. However, thorough guidance should be provided on how schools can resolve bullying between pupils and teachers. An advisory board of pupils and staff should be established for individuals to discuss bullying in their school and develop school strategies to address it. Schools which are failing to combat bullying should be supported to appoint an expert to deal entirely with bullying.

Recognise and resolve systemic bullying

Policy-makers must consider how systems in school can reinforce inequalities and contribute to bullying. Streaming pupils by academic achievement can contribute to bullying where children in the bottom set can be bullied and called ‘thick,’ and some can feel resentful to ‘swots,’ and consequently bully them (Nassem 2017). Strategies need to be developed to prevent school systems from perpetuating bullying. All teachers should be trained on how to understand bullying and address it through evidence-based approaches which involve a substantial input from pupils.

References

Department for Education (2017) Preventing and Tackling Bullying: Advice for Headteachers, Staff and Governing Bodies. London: Crown.

Nassem, E.M. (2017) The complexity of children's involvement in school bullying. Journal of Children's Services 12, 4, 288-301.

Olweus, D. (1993) Bullying at Schools: What We Know and What We Can Do. Oxford: Blackwell.

The Children’s Society (2016) Good Childhood Report. London: The Children’s Society.