Support for Schools

In an ideal world, every school and organisation would have a dedicated anti-bullying and well-being lead, but as funds and manpower are often so stretched, we recognise that this is just simply not on the agenda.

At BulliesOut, we recognise this…

… and believe in working with you to develop and maintain a positive ethos across your whole school community and creating an environment that meets the emotional, academic and social needs of your pupils and staff.

How We Help

Raising aspirations, encouraging empathy, respect and responsibility are crucial. We integrate practical, interactive activities into our workshops and training programmes as we find them to be a powerful component that helps engage young people and foster a safe, caring and respectful learning environment. These activities provide pupils with empathy, insights into their behaviour and problem-solving strategies, as well as building a positive teamwork and community ethos.

Our work can be delivered face to face or virtually and we also have resource  kits which can be sent out. There are also activities available to download.

Read about our projects below or download our Workshops and Training Programmes

BulliesOut is here to help with bullying behaviour. We are here to support children and families going through an incident of bullying, and we are here to work with teachers and other professionals to keep children safe. By working together, we can prevent and reduce bullying behaviour and support more children and young people. Bullying can happen anywhere at any time to anyone, so it is important that your school encourages and prioritises a culture where staff and students care for one another, take action to prevent bullying behaviour and always takes immediate action should it happen.

What should you do if an incident of bullying happens in your school?

1. Reassure. Let the young person know this is not their fault, you will support them and together you will sort it out.

2. Record. Make a note of what has happened where, with who, and for how long. Then ask them or their parent/guardian to keep a log of everything that has happened.

3. Talk to the young person and ask them what they need from you. Ask how they are feeling, and any practical steps you can take to help stop the bullying. It’s important that they feel in control of the situation. They may be very fearful of the impact of telling you (e.g. being called a snitch/grass) so work together to establish the best course of action.

4. Act. Your focus should be on making sure the bullying stops. Follow up with everyone involved, explore what has taken place and the action needed to stop it happening
again. The other child or children may deny what has taken place, may say that it has been in retaliation, and will very often have an alternative story. The important message is that you will not tolerate bullying behaviour of any kind, that someone has been hurt, that it must stop, and that something needs to change. Discuss with everyone involved what the next steps will be, and a time when you will check in with them.

5. Record the incident and your action. To ensure you are able to keep track of repeated incidents and evidencing you have taken appropriate action, good record keeping is important and is something Estyn/Ofsted will ask to see.

6. Make sure the young person is safe. This is so important and the school has a legal duty to keep them safe. If they have been harmed in any way or are at risk of harm, do not send them into a situation where they are not safe. Their safety is a priority.  If they have been assaulted or threatened with harm,  follow your school’s safeguarding policy and prodecures.

7. Provide further support. Think about what other strategies you can put in place to support all young people long term.  Are there other school staff members or pupils that can be available to support and mentor the person who is being bullied?  If you are concerned about the impact on the child’s physical or mental health, then contact the appropriate services. Support should also be available for the person(s) displaying the bullying behaviour. They may need to help to recognise their behaviour is unacceptable and they may need a longer term intervention.

8. Learn from each incident. Consider the actions you need to take as a whole school aproach to stop this happening again. For example, if bullying behaviour keeps happening in the same place, levels of supervision may need to be increased. If a certain demographic of the pupil population is continually bullied (e.g. children who do not conform to gender norms, disabled children or those with special educational needs), then you need to ensure you increase your education on inclusion. If you have an increase in online bullying, work with the whole school community, including parents, and reinforce the impact of online bullying and the part everyone plays in stopping it.

9. A formal complaint is submitted. The more proactive your work with parents and carers, the more clear the actions you will take to prevent and respond to incidents of bullying behaviour, the less likely this will happen. Work together, agree the next steps, keep records of events and incidents and regularly check-in with the family. If they do complain, always remain calm and do not let it get ‘personal’ or ‘heated’. The safety of the young person and the need for the bullying to stop is paramount. Seek external support if necessary.

The Key Things to Put in Place to Help Deal with Bullying Behaviour

Ethos and Climate

The ethos of a school can sometimes be identified as soon as you enter the reception area. What does yours look like? Is it warm and welcoming? Promote your values and standards at every opportunity and demonstrate in your actions that you listen and care and expect this behaviour from all members of your school community at all times. Let people know that you will not tolerate aggressive or humiliating behaviour and you take a zero tolerance to bullying in any form. It is important that every member of your school community feels a sense of belonging and is welcome, listened to, and valued.

Leadership and Guidance

Bullying behaviour will always be one of the main concerns of children, young people and their families. Having a Governor and named member of the Senior Leadership Team who leads on anti-bullying, prevention and response will offer some confidence that and incidents will be taken seriously and investigated. Ensure this is in line with your safeguarding and behaviour policies.

Trained Staff

It is important that all members of the school staff team receive safeguarding and anti-bullying training, which is reviewed regularly. Visit our Training page to see how we can help.

Anti-Bullying Policy

Consult with the whole school community – staff, pupils and parents, on what you believe your definition of bullying behaviour to be. Include in your policy what you will do to prevent bullying behaviour and how you will support those affected by it. Write it in a language that everyone can understand and share with all. Add the policy to your school website and encourage every member of the school community to sign up to it. Your anti-bullying policy should be a working document and regularly reviewed to ensure it remains fit for purpose.