Bullying. No Way! Fact sheet   www.bullyingnoway.gov.au    
Signs of bullying

Each individual student who has been bullied or is bullying others will respond and act differently. A student's behaviours and moods can also change for a variety of reasons. However, the following are some signs that may indicate a student is experiencing bullying.

Signs a teacher may notice:
•	becomes aggressive and unreasonable
•	starts getting into fights
•	refuses to talk about what is wrong
•	school grades begin to fall.

Sometimes bullying can be less obvious. Signs can include:
•	student is often alone or excluded from friendship groups at school
•	student is a frequent target for teasing, mimicking or ridicule at school
•	change in the student's ability or willingness to speak up in class and appears insecure or frightened.

Signs a parent may report:
•	doesn't want to go to school
•	changes their method or route to school or are frightened of walking to school
•	changes in sleep patterns
•	changes in eating patterns
•	frequent tears, anger, mood swings
•	unexplained bruises, cuts, scratches
•	missing or damaged belongings or clothes
•	arriving home hungry.

Students who are more likely to be bullied are also more likely to:
•	feel disconnected from school and not like school
•	lack quality friendships at school
•	display high levels of emotionality that indicate vulnerability and low levels of resilience
•	be less well accepted by peers, avoid conflict and be socially withdrawn
•	have low self-esteem
•	be relatively non-assertive
•	be different in some way.

A student who bullies may:
•	repeatedly tease, imitate or make fun of the same targets
•	feel the need to dominate or control others
•	show no compassion for someone who's experiencing bullying
•	repeatedly exclude or ignore the same target
•	whisper behind their backs on a frequent basis.

Students who frequently bully others are more likely to:
•	feel disconnected from school and dislike school
•	demonstrate good leadership skills
•	demonstrate good verbal skills and ability to talk themselves out of trouble.

This information comes from a range of sources including:  
The Australian Psychological Society Tip Sheets http://www.psychology.org.au/publications/tip_sheets/bullying/#s9  
Working Together: A Toolkit for parents to Address Bullying http://behaviour.education.qld.gov.au/bullying-and-violence/schools/Pages/qsaav.aspx#toolkit