Bullying and cyber-bullying
Bullying and cyber-bullying involves an abuse of power where it is difficult for those being bullied to defend themselves.
The Department for Education defines bullying as: “Behaviour by an individual or group, usually repeated over time, that intentionally hurts another individual or group either physically or emotionally.”
It can be inflicted on a child by another child or by an adult. It is often motivated by prejudice against particular groups, for example on the grounds of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or because a child is adopted or has caring responsibilities.
It can take many forms, but the four main types are:
- Physical – for example, hitting, kicking, shoving, theft;
- Verbal – for example, threats, name calling, racist or homophobic remarks;
- Emotional – for example, isolating an individual from activities/games and the social acceptance of their peer group; and
- Cyber-bullying – the misuse of new technology to bully others, for example bullying via text messages or the internet.
Link to Bullying chapter of the Procedures Manual
Link to NSCP E-Safety resources as part of the Procedures Manual
Link to Bullying and cyberbullying research resources on the NSPCC website
Last updated: 12 July 2023