Leicestershire Anti-Bullying Team
Safeguarding and Improvement Unit
Developing an Anti-Bullying Policy
Developing an Anti-Bullying Policy
What should be in a school policy?
Involve the whole school community in agreeing the definition of bullying that will be used in your school policy.
The Government defines bullying as:
‘Behaviour by an individual or group, usually repeated over time, that intentionally hurts another individual or group either physically or emotionally’
(DfE ‘Preventing and Tackling Bullying’ July 2011)
Include all forms of bullying as identified in the Department for Education ‘Preventing and Tackling Bullying’ guidance:
Bullying related to race, religion or culture, SEN or disabilities, appearance or health conditions, gender, sexual orientation, bullying of young carers, children in care or related to other home circumstances.
Identify the types of bullying: verbal, physical, indirect, cyber-bullying
For comprehensive details relating to policy content please refer to the content analysis tool available at
‘Bullying – A Charter for Action’
It is recommended that schools develop their anti-bullying policies in line with the principles set out in the Charter for Action (see useful resources)
The process of producing a policy
There are four key stages to producing a policy:
1 Awareness raising
Raise awareness about bullying, what it is, different types of bullying & agree a shared definition. Identify school priorities. Use discussion groups, questionnaires etc to consult & gather feedback.
2 Consultation
If a policy is to be successful the whole school community must have ownership of it.Consultation shows that the school believes in partnership and that every view is valued so ensure that consultation includes students, parents, school governors and all staff.
Research shows that policies developed and implemented by the whole school community will make a difference and will reduce the level of bullying.
3 Implementation
A range of proactive and reactive strategies will need to be developed relevant to the needs of the students and recognising the schools current state of development.
Proactive Strategies will provide opportunities for the school to develop a positive learning environment and reduce the opportunities for bullying to occur, be it through whole school initiatives, staff training, targeted strategies or publicity and awareness campaigns.
Re-active Strategies might include a statement in the Anti-Bullying Policy asserting that complaints about bullying will be taken seriously and will be dealt with impartially. Affirm that the school is a “listening school” and everyone will have an opportunity to be heard.
Identify agreed strategies/procedures on how to handle bullying incidents and outline a step by step account of how the school will respond to a bullying incident.
4 Monitoring, Evaluation and Review
Consider who will have key responsibility for bullying incidents?How will the information gathered be analysed? Who will be responsible for the process? When will policy be reviewed and updated?
Without data and evidence we cannot improve practice, refute criticism or defend ourselves against potential formal complaints and ultimately litigation.
For further information and supporting documents:
‘Developing an Anti-Bullying Policy’
Leicestershire Anti-Bullying Team October2011
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