3 Discover what is happening at your school between members of the school
community and in what ways power is being used or abused. Much can be gleaned
from everyday observations of how students interact with each other in classrooms
and playgrounds, how staff treat each other, and the quality of their interactions
with students and with parents. However, given the diversity of impressions
observers commonly receive, it is sensible to make use of short, reliable questionnaires
answered anonymously by all the parties: students, teachers and parents (see
end note). These can help to assess the problem and discover what needs to be
done. They can provide reliable estimates of the nature, extent and consequences
for the school community of bullying at a school. We can discover how safe children
feel at the school; how they are being affected mentally and physically, and
how school attendance and learning is being affected by bullying. The questionnaires
can give us information about where bullying is taking place and how students
are reacting to it. We may note how interested students are in participating
in meetings to help reduce bullying. We are able to see how the school staff
and parents view bullying, and more especially what kinds of policies and actions
staff and parents would support. In general, they provide sound data from which
the school community can collectively make informed judgements about how to
proceed.
4 Make a plan for action. This normally arises out of a general discussion
of what has been discovered about bullying at the school from questionnaires,
supplemented by relevant books, articles and videos. The task of producing a
draft Anti-Bullying Policy for the school may be delegated to a school committee
which should aim at providing a response which is widely supported. Include
as committee members representatives from students and parents: their perspectives
and support are essential.
5 Provide an Anti- Bullying Policy which contains these features:
(i). A statement of the school's stand against bullying
(ii). A succinct definition of bullying, with illustrations
(iii) . A declaration of the rights of individuals in the school community
- students, teachers, other workers and parents - to be free of bullying
(iv) . A statement of the responsibilities of all those who see bullying
going on to seek to stop it.
(v). A general description of what the school will do to deal with incidents
of bullying (see point 8 )
(vi) . An undertaking to evaluate the policy in the near and specified
future
The policy should reflect the views and values of members of a school community
in its own unique circumstances. The means by which it is finally determined
are as important as the content, for unless it helps in promoting a whole school
community approach its effectiveness will be limited.
6.Talk with students individually and in groups about what can be done,
and work with them. Classroom discussions are vital. Most students dislike
and despise bullies. Your first aim is to convince them that it is in their
interest to think about how bullying can be overcome. Next, seek to turn their
feelings into actions, so that when bullying occurs more of them will act so
as to discourage it by not reinforcing the bullies by smiling or showing approval.
Rather (you hope) they will provide, or seek, help for the person being victimised.
Aim to get more students to include victimised children in their games or befriend
them in some way. Encourage students to devote time and effort working with
staff to develop and implement strategies to eliminate bullying.
Here are some suggestions: about how these aims can be achieved.
(i) Role play an incident in which bullying occurs. Then discuss why
such things happen at your school, what harm they do, what can be done to stop
such things happening.
(ii).Have students write an essay about any conflict they have noticed going
on at school. Afterwards, with their permission, read out some, have them
identify what bullying is ;then seek their reactions and their suggestions about
what can be done to prevent bullying. Discuss these and, if possible, reach
resolutions.
(iii).Have students watch a good video that deals with bullying , eg.,
Only Playing , Miss; or read a good book., eg., Cat's Eye by Margaret Attwood,
and discuss it afterwards. For younger children, read Don't pick on me by Rosemary
Stone.
(iv). Present a relevant problem for discussion, for example: How bystanders
can be encouraged to help victims rather than support the bullies.
(v) Invite those who are interested in doing something to stop bullying to
form an Anti-Bullying Committee, run by an interested teacher who is prepared
to listen to their ideas about what students can do to reduce bullying in their
school.
An Anti-Bullying Committee can be very effective in countering bullying. Many
students will in fact respond sincerely to invitations to participate in this
work . They are generally much better informed about what is happening between
students than are staff members. In fact, students are much more likely to go
to them for help and in some cases they are more effective in solving their
problems. Students on such committees are often eager to develop and employ
peer mediation skills which can change the school ethos into one that discourages
bullying. Finally committee members can provide the much needed link between
staff and students in implementing school policy against bullying.
In establishing such a committee (a) include representatives from all the different
years and aim for a gender balance (b) consider carefully whether the committee
can safely include students who have been bullies in the past (this can be very
useful, given that some bullies have their following) (c) provide teacher leadership
that is democratic and not over-directive (d) treat all suggestions with respect
but encourage ideas that are pro-social and not vindictive. Examples could include:
a committee member speaking out against bullying at a school assembly; forming
a welcoming group for new students, designing anti-bullying posters; making
themselves available to talk with students who have a bullying problem; (e)
advising staff on problems as they arise and acting as intermediaries between
staff and students on issues of bullying.
7.Identify and promote staff behaviours that can have positive effects on
interpersonal behaviour between students. These include (i) personally modeling
pro-social, respectful behaviour and avoiding unduly pressuring or bullying
students (ii) carefully monitoring student behaviour in class and at break times
and discouraging bullying whenever it is observed (iii) being open to students
who need support when they are being victimised by others (iv) passing on to
other staff members relevant information about bullying incidents and planning
jointly to remedy the situation
8. Deal appropriately with bullying incidents. It is important to recognise
that incidents of "bullying" often vary widely in severity and seriousness.
None should be ignored, but one needs to differentiate 'least severe', eg occasional
thoughtless teasing, for which an informal "talking to" is often adequate, from
'most severe', eg continual group harassment with threats and physical injury,
for which formal procedures are needed. These would normally include interviews
with perpetrators and parents, possible suspensions of recalcitrant bullies,
and, in some circumstances, police action, and/or the use of Community Conferences
at which all the parties involved, including parents, may be present.
Many cases are of intermediate seriousness. Such bullying is in no sense "criminal"
but nevertheless of serious concern. It is continual, often employing a range
of bullying tactics, such as cruel or derisory remarks, occasional jostling
or pushing around, rumour spreading, malicious notes and deliberate exclusion
and isolation. Over time such treatment can be extremely hurtful and must be
stopped. How the school responds to such cases should be a major focus for discussion
and, if possible, group consensus. Many schools are now opting for a two stage
process. As a first step, perpetrators are identified and spoken with individually
- without threats. The teacher or counsellor shares his concern with the "bully"
for the person being victimised and (once the victim's plight is acknowledged)
invites the perpetrator to act in a responsible and constructive way to remedy
the situation. Pioneered by the Swedish psychologist , Anatol Pikas, and known
as the Method of Shared Concern, this approach often works - especially if there
is careful monitoring of subsequent behaviours. In the minority of cases where
this approach is not successful and the bullying continues, non-physical sanctions
may be used. (The website
provides detailed descriptions of alternative methods).
9.Provide help students who are being victimised by others at school. Where
possible, victims should be helped to solve the problem themselves. When this
happens there is a rapid rise in the self-esteem of the person who was victimised.
Teachers need to identify children whose behaviour is so provocative as to invite
bullying - and point this out. They need to exercise judgement as to whether
victims can reasonably overcome their problem, given the situation they are
in and their capacity to overcome the odds. Something more than moral support,
valuable though it can be, may be needed. The perpetrators may need to be confronted
by the school authorities.
10.Work constructively with parents. Teachers often need to work with
parents over cases of bullying, either because the bully's parents need to be
appraised of the situation and asked to help, or because parents want help from
the school because their child is being bullied. Restraint is often needed in
interviewing parents of either kind. It is tempting to heap blame upon the bully
and by association the bully's parents, when cooler counsel suggests that the
wiser course is to share one's concern for the victim and point to how the behaviour
of the son or daughter is contributing to this unhappy state. However, if one
is met with denial or cynicism, the school needs to take very firm action. With
parents of the victim the danger is that you will react to the understandable
anger of the parent over what has happened in an over-defensive way, creating
the impression that the school's reputation is more important than the child's
well-being. If at the meeting the focus can be on the School Anti-Bullying Policy
- which parents have helped to develop - and how it can be implemented for the
good of the school and the good of the child, you are a long way towards solving
the problem together.
QUESTIONNAIRES FOR ASSESSING BULLYING IN SCHOOLS
1.The Peer Relations Questionnaire (PRQ): Rigby and Slee (1993). This
has been used by over 38,000 students in Australia and overseas. It is basically
a research instrument which provides very detailed results and requires that
analyses be done by computer.
2 The Peer Relations Assessment Questionnaires (PRAQs): Rigby (1995). These
questionnaires are much shorter than the PRQ and can be readily "scored" and
collated by hand. They have been used extensively in both Primary and Secondary
schools and have generally superseded the above. There are 3 of them in the
package:
a. PRAQ for students (8 to 18 years)
b. PRAQ for school staff
c. PRAQ for parents of school children
Tally and summary sheets are provided, together with a handbook on administration,
interpretation and suggestions for how the data can be used in developing anti-bullying
strategies.
3 The PRAQ for Junior Students (aged 5 - 8 years): Rigby (2000, in press).
This is a much needed version suitable for children in Junior Primary. It makes
extensive use of drawings and cartoon figures in the assessment procedure.
4 The Student Relations Assessment Package (SRAP) : a computerised assessment
instrument accessible through the Internet: Rigby and Barnes (2000). This
can be accessed through the Internet by arrangement. Can be used in schools
with adequate computing resources, it is relatively cheap to administer and
the results can be obtained quickly and economically.
For further details on 1,2 and 3, please contact Dr Barrington Thomas, Editor,
The Professional Reading Guide for Educational Administrators, P/O Box 104,
Point Lonsdale, Victoria, 3225; Phone 03 52582340; Fax 0352583878; email profread@pipeline.com
For details on SRAP, contact Dr Alan Barnes, School of Education, University
of South Australia, Magill Campus, Magill, S.A; ph 08 83024543; email alan.barnes@unisa.edu.au
Further information on the questionnaires is given at http://www.education.unisa.edu.au/bullying/
Assoc Professor Ken Rigby, Ph.D. University of South Australia, Underdale Campus,
Holbrooks Road, Underdale, SA 5032, AUSTRALIA Ph. 08 83026945 Email ken.rigby@unisa.edu.au