UK bullying measures that are helping to decrease bullying in schools

With bullying remaining one of the major setbacks in terms of the mental health of young people, we explore what measures are in place to decrease bullying in the UK.

Bullying is the silent epidemic that millions of children experience daily throughout the UK. Bullying can take place in person or online, and can be physical, verbal, emotional, sexual or indirect.

You may feel like it’s an impossible situation for your child to be in, but there is a lot of help available to support you through the process of dealing with it. As a last resort, if you feel your child is experiencing bullying and you want legal advice, it’s best to speak to a solicitor that deals with school issues. The question is, what measures are in place in schools and the government to prevent these problems before they get out of hand?

In this article, we explore some of these measures within UK schools to reduce bullying. Take a look…

Can bullying be defined?

Anti-bullying Alliance defines bullying as ‘the repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or a group by another person or group where the relationship involves an imbalance of power’. Whether this is face to face or online, one induvial who uses their ‘power’ over someone else negatively can be classed as a bully.

As younger children are not emotionally mature yet, bullying can occur amongst groups of peers and is usually carried out amongst a group as opposed to one-on-one bullying.

Sometimes a bully may not realise the true depth of their actions till later on in older years, but the impact bullying can have on a victim can stay with them for life. It is a constant social problem amongst schools and, with technology such as phones so accessible to children now, the problem expands beyond school times through online harassment.

Is bullying in the UK getting worse?

There are a few reasons why bullying appears to be getting worse in the UK, such as:

It isn’t obvious to onlookers
It’s constant
It can be happening anonymously
It’s psychological

In 2018, a study showed that that 17 percent of children in England said they had experienced some form of bullying that made them feel scared and upset, with girls likely to report being bullied. The study also found most of the children affected were from deprived areas and aged 10-12 years old. The stats are important to understanding preventative strategies enabled in schools.

Measures in the UK to prevent and stop bullying

UK law

You may think that all bullying cases need to be dealt with within schools but, depending on the severity of the bullying, legal actions can be made.

Some forms of bullying can leave children with social, emotional, and mental health difficulties. Schools have the power to intervene in incidents outside of school, including online activity, home-to-school transport or within the community. Whilst most incidents are not crimes, there are some forms that are illegal and should be reported to the police. Any bullying that includes:

Violence or assault
Theft
Harassment and intimidation (over a period of time)
Sending abusive emails or text
Threatening
Anything involving hate crime
Cyberbullying

Some forms of bullying as mentioned are illegal according to the Malicious Communications Act 1988 and the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. There have been prosecutions made in the UK under these acts.

Measures taken within schools

Throughout the UK, under section 89 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006, schools must have measures in place to discourage bullying and encourage good behaviour. So, you can be assured that every school will have preventative measures in place.

This can vary from school to school, so it is worth checking with your children’s school to find out exactly what measures they have in place if you suspect your child is being bullied. Most schools include this information in their behaviour policy.

In any case, all schools have a responsibility to support children who are being bullied and to put appropriate consequences in place. As much as schools have individual control over policies, there are some measures that are common throughout the UK. These are:

Anti-Bullying Week campaign

Anti-bullying week started in 2005 as a way of raising awareness of bullying within schools. During this annual week in schools, there is a hyper-focus on the effects of bullying as well the importance of being kind to each other.

The anti-bullying charity provides schools with free resources and, in 2020, over 80 percent of schools took part in the campaign which reached 7.5 million children in the UK. The campaign extends to social media, making it more visible to older children, with #AntiBullyingWeek trending at No.1 on Twitter in 2020-21.

The campaign also reached over 44 million users on TikTok, and last year’s Odd Socks Day videos were viewed over 600,000 times on Youtube.

Staff training

All schools provide staff with effective preventative measures in stopping bullying from escalating. Anti-bullying measures are most effective when all staff within schools understand the principles and purpose of the school’s policy and its legal responsibility regarding bullying.

Many schools will invest in specialised skills to help teachers and staff understand the needs of pupils regarding any disability needs, extra educational needs (SEN), or the needs of an LGBTQ+ student.

If you suspect your child is involved with bullying and this hasn’t been picked up on, it is best to speak directly to the teachers so they are aware and can take practical measures. If staff feel that any offence has been committed, they can seek assistance from the police.

Supporting parents

It’s important for schools to feel the parents are confident with sending their children to school, and ensuring their safety and well-being is taken seriously. Teaching children positive reinforcement with good behaviour goes beyond the school gates and needs to be taught at home too.

Behaviour policies are sent out to parents to ensure they understand the consequences of bullying within the school. Therefore, all pupils and parents are aware of the part they play in preventing bullying, including when they find themselves witnessing it.

Support for bullying is available

If you feel you’re not up to date with your child’s school policies on bullying, it is worth enquiring at the school so that you can help support your child at home and create continuity when positively reinforcing good behaviour at home.

If you feel there your child is bullying someone at school and aren’t sure where to turn, please investigate the below resources on addressing this issue. It’s not as complicated as you may think, and there is a lot of free support for parents on bullying matters.

Resources:

Please be advised that this article is for general informational purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for advice from a trained legal professional. Be sure to consult a legal professional or a solicitor who deals with school issues if you’re seeking advice regarding your child. We are not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site