‍Definition

The Diana Award defines bullying behaviour as

"repeated, negative behaviour that is intended to make others feel upset, uncomfortable or unsafe."

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Types of bullying behaviour - VIP

Verbal bullying is the repeated, negative use of speech, sign language, or verbal gestures to intentionally hurt others, e.g. using hurtful words, discriminatory or offensive language, or swear words.

‍Indirect bullying is the repeated, negative use of actions, which are neither physical nor verbal, to intentionally hurt others e.g. spreading rumours, purposefully excluding another person, damaging or stealing someone’s property, or cyberbullying.

‍Physical bullying is the repeated, negative use of body contact to intentionally hurt others, e.g. kicking, punching, slapping, inappropriate touching, or spitting.

Cyberbullying is the repeated, negative use of technology to intentionally hurt others e.g. posting unwanted pictures or messages, accessing another person’s account without permission, creating fake accounts to impersonate or harass someone, and sharing other people’s private information online.

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How can I tackle bullying behaviour?

Bullying behaviour remains prevalent amongst young people and is a serious concern for students, staff and parents. Nearly half of young people express they have experienced bullying behaviour in the last 12 months and around two-thirds report seeing someone else experiencing bullying behaviour at school (Department for Education, 2017). If not dealt with effectively, it can have long-term negative consequences on health and wellbeing (Wolke & Lereya, 2015). All bullying behaviour can have a serious negative effect on young people, so it is important to by an Upstander (not a bystander) when you see bullying behaviour taking place.

At The Diana Award, our Anti-Bullying Ambassador Programme uses a peer-led approach, empowering young Anti-Bullying Ambassadors to support their peers through a variety of ways, including raising awareness. You could also offer drop-in sessions for anyone in your school who may be experiencing bullying behaviour to speak to you about how they’re feeling. You could also work with your school to develop an online reporting system.  

Whichever method you choose, ensure that your school has a robust and easy reporting system for incidents of bullying behaviour which allows staff to monitor trends. The school should also monitor whether different groups of students, e.g. BAME, young carers or LGBTQ+ students, are facing a disproportionate amount of bullying behaviour.

Further Support_

Read our Guide to Anti-Bullying to find out more about how you can tackle bullying behaviour.

The Diana Award Crisis Messenger provides free, 24/7 crisis support across the UK. If you are a young person in crisis, you can text DA to 85258. Trained volunteers will listen to how you’re feeling and help you think the next step towards feeling better.

Do you want Anti-Bullying Ambassadors in your school?

The Diana Award Anti-Bullying Ambassadors are young people who are trained by us to tackle the attitudes, behaviour and culture surrounding bullying behaviour through peer-led campaigns.  

Find more information about our free training and check here for free resources.