Making bullying everyone’s concern reduces rates in English and Welsh primary schools – new research
This article by Judy Hutchings, Professor of Clinical Psychology, Director Centre for Evidence Based Early Intervention, in ȫƱ is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
Bullying in schools is widespread, and it has consequences that can last through childhood and into adulthood. Research has found that children who are frequently bullied are , and being bullied in childhood has been linked with a as an adult.
Bullying is preventable, but schools need more help in tackling it. While schools to have an , rates remain high. A from charity the Anti-Bullying Alliance found that nearly a quarter of the over 65,000 children surveyed said they had been frequently bullied in the previous few weeks.
Generally, school policies seek to address the issue of how to tackle bullying when it occurs. However, there is evidence to suggest that an approach that encompasses the whole school to prevent bullying, as well as clear strategies to address confirmed bullying, are most effective.
Our research has tested the effectiveness of one of these whole-school approaches, the Kiva programme. This was a study with more than 11,000 children and found a 13% reduction in reported rates of bullying.
The or “Kiva” programme was developed by researchers in Finland with government funding. Kiva is built on the , which emphasises the significant roles played by bystanders in supporting or standing against bullying.
Bystander behaviour
This goes beyond seeing bullying as something that happens between a bully and their victim to also include those who help bullies, audiences that reinforce the bullying, silent observers who behave as if unaware of what is happening and those who help victims. The programme aims to change bystander behaviour towards helping victims, and stop bullying being a way for bullies to gain social status.
A of more than 8,000 students in Finland showed significantly reduced bullying and victimisation among students aged seven to 11, including reduced cyberbullying. It also showed reduced rates of anxiety and depression. Since 2009, the programme has been across Finland.
Our research has focused on exploring the effectiveness of the Kiva programme in the UK. Kiva was introduced to Wales in 2013; our study, carried out in 2021 and 2022 with 118 primary schools across Wales and England, is a rigorous evaluation of its effectiveness in the context of the UK school system.
We compared the Kiva approach with existing school practices to address bullying. Schools in Wales, Birmingham, Oxfordshire and Devon were randomly allocated to deliver Kiva or to continue with their usual practice.
The children at schools taking part in the Kiva trial had 20 45-minute lessons using this approach across the school year, which involved presentations, role play and group work. These class lessons cover how to make school a happy place, and to identify and stand against different forms of bullying. They also had access to educational online games to play at school and at home.
Staff members r