Health and Wellbeing

Strategies for Schools

Two high school boys sitting with teacher and open books

Responding to bullying and unacceptable behaviour can be challenging – for students, teachers, school leaders and also for parents/carers. The best outcomes are likely to occur when all parties work together to manage these situations.

There is no clear answer about the best actions students can take when they are being bullied or unacceptable behaviour is directed towards them. It can be very difficult for students to stop it on their own. Some suggested responses to students when they ask for help in the first instance are:

  • ‘Try asking them calmly and politely to stop and then increase this to telling them firmly and loudly to stop.’
  • ‘Consider putting on a “protective shell” by acting unimpressed. If you feel up to it, make a funny comment.’’
  • ‘Keep notes (what, who, where and when) and make sure they know.’
  • ‘Talk to a friend and ask for support and ideas about what you could do to solve the problem’.

If these strategies do not work, other strategies should be utilised as soon as possible. Following are some prevention and intervention strategies that are currently being used in Victorian government schools. Schools should determine the most appropriate programs to reflect the needs of the school community.

Assertiveness training

Responding assertively to an incident of bullying or unacceptable behaviour requires the student to be respectful towards themselves and others equally. Central to responding assertively is the student having confidence in themselves and their abilities and knowing their basic human rights. Teachers can help students to practice these behaviours though classroom-based role-plays, where the students identify assertive, aggressive and passive behaviours.  

For more information, see: Assertiveness for Children (http://www.kidscape.org.uk/assets/downloads/assertivenessforchildren.pdf)

Bystander training

A popular strategy in the prevention of bullying and unacceptable behaviour is bystander training. This form of prevention strategy trains bystander students to behave in a supportive way to students who are being bullied or harmed, and to intervene where feasible.  Bystander training should build students’ skills and enable them to challenge the actions of those inflicting the harm.

Bystander action is particularly effective in incidents of cyberbullying, such as sending a supportive email or message to the person being bullied.  A useful resource is Bullying Solutions: Evidence-based approaches to bullying in Australian Schools, McGrath, H. and Noble, T. (eds) (2005), Pearson Education, Sydney.

Restorative practices

Restorative practices are used by many schools to respond to incidents of bullying and unacceptable behaviour in order to repair harm to relationships.  Restorative practices involve the development and enhancement of relationships in schools and teaching conflict resolution and other problem-solving skills. Three specific restorative practices are:

  • Small group conferences with a small group of students or an individual student who have been involved in an incident of harm that is determined to have a less serious impact.
  • Classroom conferences involve a whole class in addressing issues that have affected student wellbeing and teaching and learning in the classroom.
  • Community conferences are conducted by a trained facilitator and bring together, in the wake of a serious incident of harm, the wrongdoer and the student being bullied or harmed, as well as their families and appropriate school personnel.

Friendly Schools and Families Program

The Friendly Schools and Families program aims to assist with the design, development, implementation, dissemination and evaluation of social skill-building and comprehensive anti-bullying programs in schools. It provides templates to evaluate current anti-bullying policy and practice, review action taken, identify areas that may require further attention, and help schools engage in evidence-based activities to reduce bullying. Support and guidance can also be accessed through the program.

For more information about this program, see: Friendly Schools (www.friendlyschools.com.au)

Buddy systems

Buddy systems can help to promote friendship and support between older and younger peers through regular collaboration, which also fosters a sense of whole-school community. The key characteristic of most buddy systems is the participation of older students in positive, supportive, structured and facilitated one-on-one relationships with younger students. Buddy systems can create feelings of connectedness that enable both older and younger ‘buddies’ to bond more closely with their school within a psychologically safe environment, thereby increasing the likelihood of more positive school behaviour and less bullying or unacceptable behaviour.

School-wide - positive behaviour support

The purpose of School-wide – positive behaviour support (SW-PBS) is to establish a school climate in which appropriate behaviour is the norm for all students. SWPBS is an evidence-based approach which promotes proactive and explicit teaching of behavioural expectations and rewarding students for following them rather than waiting for misbehaviour or unacceptable behaviour to occur before responding. It provides schools with a school improvement framework which focuses on data and enquiry to drive continuous improvement in the school’s behaviour management processes and policies.  SW-PBS is currently being implemented in some schools in Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania. 

For more information, see: 

You Can Do It! Education

You Can Do It! Education is a system for helping children to develop social, emotional and behavioural wellbeing. You Can Do It! Education involves a number of educational programs based on research which identifies the necessary foundations for all children to possess in order for them to achieve and experience social, emotional and behavioural wellbeing. 

For more information, see: You Can Do It! Education (www.youcandoiteducation.com)

More information

For further information about evidence-based strategies to respond to bullying and unacceptable behaviour, see: Bullying. No Way! (www.bullyingnoway.com.au/ideasbox/things-work/info-manage-2-1.shtml)