12%

7%

10%

5% 5%

5%

2% 3%2%

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

6th-7th 8th-9th 10th-12th

Students Involved in Incidents of Bullying, 1999 (Figure 1)

Male

Female

Total

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey,

January-June, 1999.

USA Survey of Bullying

Victims

The Bullies

“Scottish Action against Bullying”

Bullying in Sheffield, England

Sometimes

Once a week ormore

No Bullying

Whitney, I. & P.K. Smith 1993, ‘A Survey of the Nature and Extent of Bullying in Junior/Middle and Secondary Schools’, Educational

Research, Vol 35, pp. 2-25.

Research has highlighted the frequency of bullying in schools and although figures vary according to the definitions of bullying used, it is estimated that around; 75% of school children report having been bullied, 50% identify it as a problem8% experience persistent, serious harassment.

1 PK Smith & S Sharp. School bullying: insights and perspectives. UK: Routledge: 19942 D Olweus. Bullying at school : the basic facts and an effective intervention programme. Journal of Child Psychology, Psychiatry & Allied Disciplines, 1994; 35: 1171-90.3 K Williams et al . Association of common health symptoms with bullying in primary school children. British medical Journal, 1996; 313: 17-19.

Young Carers’ Project, Dundee, 1992-1993

1. Feelings of incompetence & unattractiveness.

2. Difficulty forming good relationships.

3. Often lead less successful lives.

4. Suffer academically.

5. Poor health.

6. Higher rates of truancy.

7. Less focus on their school work.

8. Feelings of: anger, fear, alienation, shame, depression, and disempowerment.

1. Confident Bullies.

Strong, aggressive. Quite well liked.

2. Anxious Bullies. (18%)

Less popular & less secure.

3. Bully/Victims.

Usually unpopular.

1. Passive Victims

Anxious. Low Confidence. Less friends.

They don’t provoke & don’t defend.

2. Provocative Victims

Tend to cause irritation & tension in those around.

3. Bully/Victims

Provoke aggression and instigate aggression on others.

1. Conscious act of aggression or manipulation. It’s designed to cause harm!

2.The people who do the bullying have more power. (This could be physical or social power.)

3. It is often organised, and usually repetitive.

4.Relies on on-lookers – who do nothing.

At all schools . . . wherever you go - around the world.

Wherever groups of people are together! E.g. at work.

Why is it worse, when it happens at school?

1. Physical Bullying

For Example:

Biting, hair pulling, hitting, kicking

pinching, pushing, scratching,

Spitting.

2. Verbal Bullying

For Example:

Name calling, threats, racist remarks,

teasing, cruel comments, spreading

rumours

3. Silent Bullying

For Example:

Mean faces, rude gestures, manipulating,

ruining friendships, ignoring, writing notes,

“leaving out”

Is there a difference between the way boys & girls bully?

1. We don’t have bullying at our school.

2. Being bullied is character building. You must learn to stand up for yourself.

3. Can’t you take a joke! We were only having fun!

4. They got what they deserved. They asked for it!

5. Teachers know how to handle it. It’s their job!

6. Bullies are thick kids from dysfunctional families picking on academic nerdy kids.

7. It should be handled the way we dealt with it when we were young.

8. Everything unkind that happens to my child is bullying.

The Bully In the Mirror

“The Anti-Bullying Handbook”, by Keith Sullivan

1. Whole school approach

2. Intentional. Developmental.

3. Teacher development

4. Programmes must be; consistent,

thorough & well-maintained.

1. Training for all . . .

Prepare for the event!

How to recognise it. What to do.

2. One on one time – talking to children.

3. Awareness. Effective supervision.

4. Circle Time

5. Emphasis on co-operative learning.

6. Sociometry.

7. Role play.

8. Training of; peer partners, peer mediation,

9. Specific Programmes; ‘Kia Kaha’, ‘On the Bus’,

‘Cool school’s Programme’, ‘The P.E.A.C.E. Pack’, ‘Shared Concern’.