Bullying should be taken seriously. Children and young people need to know that they are being heard, their feelings matter and their issue will be investigated respectfully and with priority.
Your first response to someone who tells you they are involved in bullying can make a difference to the outcome.
Young people often tell their friends first and only go to a trusted adult for help as a last resort.
This can mean that when a student does tell a teacher about bullying, it may already be serious and part of a bigger story that has continued for some time.
When bullying is reported, school staff should follow their school's policy and procedures.
Learn what bullying is and what it is not. Understanding the
definition of bullying is the first step in preventing and responding to bullying. 'Bullying' is a word that is used for behaviours that are not actually bullying. These other behaviours can be just as serious but may require different responses.
If a student reports bullying to you
- Reassure them that you will try to
help them.
-
Avoid minimising the issue or saying dismissive things that imply the issue is not important.
- Find a
suitable place to talk or make a time to discuss the problem privately.
- Ensure that your
voice is calm and your body language is open as you listen.
-
Listen without interrupting, using only encouraging questions or sounds to show you are listening.
- Only after you have
heard their whole story should you ask specific questions if you need more details.
- If they haven't already told you, ask the student
when, how and where the bullying happens, including:
- what words have been said or written
- has anyone been physically hurt and how
- who is usually around
- who else have they told about this
- if it is happening online, ask if there is any evidence of what has happened.
- Ask questions to help you
distinguish between single incidents of conflict and an ongoing pattern of bullying.
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Write down the information or ask an older student to write down the details themselves and give it to you.
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Reassure the student it's never okay to be bullied.
- Reassure the student it is
not their fault that the other person is behaving in such a way.
-
Praise the student for speaking out, acknowledging that talking about it takes lots of courage.
- Ask the student what
they want you to do and whether they want you to do anything at this stage.
- If they want your assistance to stop the bullying, tell them you will follow
your school's policy for investigating and responding to their report.
- Reassure them that the school takes this seriously and
advise when you will get back to them.
- Ask the student if they
feel safe in the short term in case you need to take preventative safety measures.