A whole-school approach to bullying prevention

Why a whole-school approach to bullying?

Evidence now shows that bullying is more than an interaction between individuals, but is a socio-ecological phenomenon that occurs because of what happens in peer groups, families, schools, communities and the wider social environment. This means that schools need to have solutions, for example a whole-school approach, which focus on a range of elements to prevent and respond to bullying. 

What is a whole-school approach?

A whole-school approach covers all aspects of the school experience, including policies, culture and classroom practice. Bullying prevention strategies are most effective when they are integrated into a broad range of activities that promote a positive, inclusive learning environment. Strong leadership and staff who model these positive values and behaviours are essential. In a whole-school approach, bullying prevention is everyone’s business, involving all staff, students, boards, parents and the wider community and making sure everyone knows and supports their school’s strategies and approach to bullying.

Importance of a whole-school approach

Whole-school approaches

A range of evidence based resources are available to support schools to develop and implement a whole-school approach. See links below for more information.

Bullying prevention - What works?

Anti-bullying programmes have been shown to reduce bullying others by around 20 to 23% and victimisation by 17 to 20%. (Ttofi and Farrington’s (2011). Programmes that were longer and included a range of measures such as teacher training, parent information, and a whole-school anti-bullying policy, were more successful.

Each school is different. The best approach found has been to use different parts from several programmes, not just one single specific programme (Swedish National Agency for Education’s 2011 evaluation report on anti-bullying methods) Measures to combating bully should be developed in response to the identified individual needs of a school using evidence-based approaches.

The key elements of an effective bullying prevention approach include:

1. Bullying prevention that is a permanent part of the school environment, not a temporary remedial programme.
2. Strategies and practices that are comprehensive and embedded, not fragmented or ‘added-on’.
3. Information on the nature and dynamics of bullying that is easy to understand for the whole-school community, who all respond effectively when they see or experience bullying.
4. Bullying prevention material needs to be provided in multiple ways (e.g., curriculum, policies, parent information) and co-ordinate with other existing programmes.
5. Approaches that have a positive effect on students and on the school climate, and go beyond the problem of bullying.

Bullying prevention - What doesn't work?

There are common and avoidable misdirections in bullying prevention, including:

• Zero tolerance and disciplinary measures (i.e., school suspensions and expulsions)
• Expecting students to solve bullying problems by themselves
• Telling students to avoid social media as a way of avoiding cyberbullying
• Providing one-off activities (i.e., one-shot assemblies or a short motivational speech)
• Pulling a few bits and pieces from a programme, or small, piecemeal and uncoordinated approaches
• Dealing with individual students who are bullying or being bullied – everyone needs to be involved in bullying prevention.

Already implementing a whole-school approach to student behaviour and wellbeing?

If your school is already implementing a whole-school approach to student behaviour, e.g. PB4L, review your approach to determine how bullying prevention can be incorporated into your policies, procedures and student management approaches.

Don’t have a whole-school approach to student behaviour that includes bullying?

Use the Bullying-Free NZ resources and the resources listed below to develop a whole-school approach to bullying prevention.

"Bullying prevention is everyone's responsibility – all school staff, students, parents and whānau, and the wider school community.  Successful change is more likely to happen “when the whole-school community develops and shares a vision about what it wants to achieve, works to make the vision a reality, and acts in ways that are consistent with that vision”.  (NZCER, A whole-school approach to change using Wellbeing@School tools, March 2012).(external link)

Further information on whole-school approach and effective bullying approaches