Anti Bullying Week in Schools

by Michelle · Published November 10, 2019 · Updated November 8, 2019

This week is anti-bullying week, organised by the charity Anti-Bullying Alliance with a theme of ‘Change starts with us’ #AntiBullyingWeek #ChangeStartsWithUs

The Anti-Bullying Alliance was established by the NSPCC and the National Children’s Bureau in 2002 and is hosted by the National Children’s Bureau.
It contains information, reports and tools and resources to support teachers, children and parents in combating Bullying from Early years through to Secondary Education and beyond.

The effects of bullying can have a massive impact on all individuals and in all areas of life, whether this be in a school environment, University and College setting, work and even socially. There are links with Mental Health and wellbeing, attendance and attainment. It affects adults as well as children.

A recent survey and report by Anti Bullying Alliance ‘Change Starts With Us – Anti-Bullying Week Report’ highlights that are increasing reports of cyber bullying and bullying in online games. Other hotspots include the journey to and from school.

Further research from The Diana Award also shows high incidences of bullying in Secondary schools – “Almost 30% of secondary school students experienced bullying compared to 23% of primary students” Taken from ‘Experiences of bullying amongst school-aged children in the UK A snapshot’ (Accessed 8th November 2019)

The University of Sunderland is committed to providing an environment free from discrimination, bullying, harassment or victimisation, where all members of our community are treated with respect and dignity. If you feel like you need to talk someone or to raise awareness of inappropriate behaviour, you can contact the Health and Wellbeing Team in confidence.

The library has a number of resources on bullying/anti-bullying, how to tackle it (in school settings and elsewhere), effective strategies and prevention methods. Below are a few examples of books and journal articles that you may find useful.

Cowie, H., Tenenbaum, H. and Jones, F. (2019) Emily is being bullied, what can she do? a story and anti-bullying guide for children and adults to read together. London ; Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Cowie, H. and Myers, C.-A. (2018) School bullying and mental health: risks, intervention and prevention. London ; New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

McNamara, B. E. (2013) Bullying and students with disabilities: strategies and techniques to create a safe learning environment for all. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin

Smith, P. K. (2014) Understanding school bullying: its nature & prevention strategies. Available at: https://site.ebrary.com/id/10881268

Smith, P. K. (2019) The psychology of school bullying. Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY: Routledge

Hutchings, J. and Clarkson, S. (2015) ‘Introducing and piloting the KiVa bullying prevention programme in the UK’, Educational & Child Psychology, 32(1), pp. 49–61.

Smith, P. K. et al. (2012) ‘A content analysis of school anti-bullying policies: a follow-up after six years’, Educational Psychology in Practice, 28(1), pp. 47–70. doi: 10.1080/02667363.2011.639344.

Use the library catalogue and Discover to locate further books, ebooks and journal articles on bullying, cyberbullying and prevention methods and strategies.

This search covers prevention of bullying in secondary schools/ education from 2010-present. This is a basic starting point and you can further adapt this search to your own needs