Bullying

Bullying can take place anywhere - in schools, in the wider community and on-line. It can be particularly distressing not only to the person being bullied but also the individual's family.

Bullying is often targeted at certain groups of people, perhaps because of their disability, race, religion or sexuality.

Bullying can take the following forms:

  • verbal - name calling, insulting, teasing
  • physical - pushing, shoving, hitting, kicking, damage to personal property and belongings
  • indirect - spreading nasty stories or rumours, exclusion from friendship/social groups
  • cyberbullying - sending hurtful text messages or e-mails, using Facebook or other social media to insult, tease or spread rumours, sharing phots on forums, websites and instant messages in a way that is designed to hurt an individual.

For more information and support about online safety click here Nottshelpyourself | Online Safety

Disabled children may also experience the following forms of bullying:

  • manipulative bullying - where a person is controlling someone
  • conditional friendship - where a child thinks someone is being their friend but times of friendliness are alternated with times of bullying 
  • exploitative bullying - where features of a child's condition are used to bully them
What should I do if I'm concerned my child is being bullied?

If you are concerned that your child is being bullied at school you should make contact with the school as soon as possible to speak to their class teacher, head teacher, or head of year, if they are in secondary school, to raise your concerns.

Some forms of bullying are illegal and should be reported to the police These include:

  • violence or assault
  • theft
  • repeated harassment or intimidation, for example name calling, threats and abusive phone calls, emails or text messages
  • hate crimes
Schools and the law

By law, all state (not private) schools must have a behaviour policy in place that includes measures to prevent all forms of bullying among pupils.

This policy is decided by the school. All teachers, pupils and parents must be told what it is.

Anti-discrimation law

Schools must also follow anti-discrimination law. This means staff must act to prevent discrimination, harassment and victimisation within the school. This applies to all schools in England

Support and advice

If you do require further support and advice on bullying take a look at:

 Anti-bullying alliance

Childline

Family Lives UK

CEOP Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre

Actions

Page last reviewed: 02/03/2023

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