Involving Pupils in Anti-bullying Strategies
Research into bullying tells us that both victims and witnesses
can be reluctant to tell adults, especially teachers and that this
tends to become more likely as young people get older.
It is therefore vital that strategies adopted by schools increasingly
involve pupils themselves as part of the solution. The more young people
take an active responsibility for the prevention and resolution of
bullying incidents the less likely they are to become involved themselves
as either bullies or victims.
Involving pupils starts with basic strategies such as:
- Circle time
- After incidents providing victims and bullies with supporters
who can help them move on positively and help to prevent a repeat
incident
- Asking pupils for their suggestions on how incidents can
be resolved and prevented in future
- Actively teaching all pupils assertive behaviours, strategies
to resolve conflict and their responsibilities to support each other
(there are no innocent bystanders).
But it needs to evolve into more systematic involvement such
as:
- buddy groups across the age ranges – forming small
groups of pupils which cut across all the ages as an extra support/advice/friendship
group. Having some playtimes for buddy groups to play together and
opportunities for buddy groups to talk and really get to know each
other
- peer mentoring – mentors undertake 3 functions with
their target: to be a friend, to talk about life in general, and
to support them in discussing particular difficulties and helping
them find a solution
- peer buddies/befrienders – volunteers who are trained
to take their turn on a rota in the playground helping others sort
out friendship problems and finding someone to play with
- peer counsellors/mediators – volunteers who are trained
to listen, support, help and mediate when there are incidents of
bullying or hurtful behaviour.
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