Considering a Strength Based Approach to Bullying

Barbara Batchelor (Article written for NZHEA magazine – Hauora Matters)

Recently (March 2009) the Office of the Children’s Commissioner published its findings on ‘School Safety: An inquiry into the safety of students at school’ When a report identifies research[1] that shows that within our New Zealand schools there are high levels of bullying compared to other countries as educators it is our responsibility to ensure that students are provided with a safe, supportive environment in which to learn.

Do we continue to look at ‘the glass half empty’ or ‘the glass half full’? There is no quick fix to this age old issue however it is the intention of this article to consider what strength based approaches schools could be using to ensure positive relationships within our schools. A strength based approach allows us to consider the positive factors both within the individual and the environment which support healthy development. The majority of our students have or are developing the skills that are required to develop positive, healthy relationships. With research showing that students learn from their peers[2] as well as other adults it is important that we create opportunities for positive interactions to occur.

The World Health Organisation’s Four-level, Whole-school Approach to School Change Model[3] is one way that schools can examine what they are already doing, including identifying where most of their efforts are targeted, and then consider where work is required to ensure a balanced approach to an issue such as bullying.

The widest part of the triangle represents what a school is doing to ensure a positive school culture in which all involved, students, staff, parents and other community members, feel valued, connected and secure. Of importance is how all members of the community relate to each other. Students learn from what is modelled to them and how in turn they treat others. It is not enough to ‘assume’ that you have a positive school culture. It is important that schools seek to find out, through consultation, whether all parties feel their environment is a caring environment in which they can learn.

Examples of possible action:

  • Consultation with all members of the community to determine what makes them feel valued, connected and secure
  • Identify what the school values and believes are the rights and responsibilities of all members and then ensure that these are congruent with the practices of the school
  • Action plan to support a recognised area requiring shift. Examples may include; opportunities for all students to be involved in leadership, opportunity for all cultures to share uniqueness, minority groups having a voice in decision making, professional development around staff resiliency, parent sessions for parents and caregivers on supporting their children in building positive relationships
  • Development of policies and procedures where all members of the community have opportunity for ownership

The second level of the triangle identifies the need for robust health education programmes which include relationships, stereotyping and discrimination, decision making, and inclusiveness. Whilst the learning area of Health and Physical Education within the New Zealand Curriculum, 2007 (NZC),[4]is an ideal place in which specific teaching and learning using strength based approaches can occur the NZC identifies within the Values that through students learning experiences, students will develop their ability to:

  • express their own values
  • explore, with empathy, the values of others
  • critically analyse values and actions based on them
  • discuss disagreements that arise from differences in values and negotiate solutions
  • make ethical decisions and act on them.

The Key Competencies of; thinking; using language, symbols and texts; managing self; relating to others; and participating and contributing are the competencies for which people live, learn, work, and contribute as active members of their communities. By creating learning experiences, formal and informal, which develop the Values and Key Competencies as well as the Vision and Principles of NZCwe are supporting students to build positive relationships based on tolerance and respect where difference is valued.

Examples of possible action:

  • Determine student needs through gathering data e.g. Student focus groups
  • Ensure that all students have opportunity for learning experiences, formal and informal, in which they can; develop positive relationships; where they know their rights and responsibilities and can act appropriately to support themselves and others during challenging times; and develop a sense of social justice.
  • Identify opportunities for students to build on from previous learning experiences
  • Professional development opportunities for staff ensuring they know and are using inclusive pedagogy
  • Use of Resource Teachers of Learning and Behaviour (RTLB’s) and Specialist Classroom Teachers (SCT’s)

The third layer of the triangle identifies that some students may require specific initiatives to ensure their wellbeing needs as well as others are being met.

Examples of possible action:

  • Peer mediation programmes
  • Peer support groups
  • Restorative conferencing
  • Counselling.

The smallest part of the triangle identifies the need for focused professional support that may be provided either within or outside of the school environment.

Examples of possible action:

  • Counsellors
  • Psychiatrists
  • Group Special Education
  • Youth Justice

In conclusion bullying is a complex behaviour and therefore requires a whole school approach with input from all involved. “Young people learn what is lived around them, for the most part through modeling, cultural practices, and direct experience. Positive youth development, then, depends on the quality of the environment - the available supports, messages and opportunities young people find in the people, places, and experiences in their lives” (Benard, 2004, p.40). [5] We need to ensure that our schools are caring communities where positive relationships are developed and valued.

[1] International Association for the Evaluation of Education Achievement (2008). Trends in International mathematics and science study. (TIMSS 2006/07). Available from and

[2] Alton-Lee, A. (2003). Quality teaching for Diverse Students in Schooling: Best Evidence Synthesis. Ministry of Education, Wellington

[3]Taken from; Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand (2001) Guidelines for Mentally Healthy Schools. A resource to assist schools in the implementation of Mental Health initiatives in the school community

[4] Ministry of Education (2007). The New Zealand Curriculum. Learning Media, Wellington

[5]Benard, B. (2004) Resiliency: What We Have Learned. WestEd, San Fransisco.