5.2) We understand bullying as a group behaviour, and respond by identifying and working with the wider group.

Rating description:

  • Fully met: Our school approaches bullying as a group behaviour and the response strategies include working with the wider peer group that may be influencing the bullying behaviour as well as with the individuals involved. These strategies are regularly reviewed.
  • Partially met: Our school understands that bullying can be a group behaviour and some of our response strategies include working with the wider peer group that may be influencing the bullying behaviour as well as with the individuals involved, however we mostly focus on the perpetrator/ victim dynamic, and/ or these strategies aren’t regularly reviewed.
  • Not yet met: Our response strategies don’t include working with the wider peer group that may be influencing the bullying behaviour as well as with the individuals involved. 

Why is this important? 

Bullying rarely happens in isolation; it is often bolstered by peer dynamics such as bystanders, reinforcers, and assistants. Recognising bullying as a group behaviour enables schools to look beyond individual incidents and understand the wider influences that allow it to continue. By identifying and working with the broader group, schools can shift unhelpful 'norms', build empathy, and encourage collective responsibility. 

This approach not only supports the pupil directly affected but also helps change the social environment that sustains bullying, reducing the likelihood of it recurring and promoting a safer, more inclusive school culture.

Top Tips:

  • The most important aspect of your response is securing the safety of those involved. It is then important to challenge the underlying behaviour of those involved in the incident and ensure it is constantly reviewed.
  • Don't wait until bullying incidents happen to start talking about the roles involved in bullying - make it part of the language in your school and use assemblies, form time and PSHE to introduce the roles. Developing a good understanding of roles could work as a preventative measure as well as an effective response approach. See resources below for activities you could use with pupils. 
  • When a confirmed bullying incident is reported, try to spend some time identifying what roles are at play when planning how you will work with the perpetrators - and remember that roles can shift and change depending on who is present etc. If you (or other staff) don't feel confident in your knowledge of the roles involved in bullying, ensure you spend time developing your understanding - see resources below. 
  • We recommend a social model approach to responding to bullying.

Resources and examples: 

Resources

  • We have information and resources about the roles involved in bullying, including lesson plans - access them here. We also have an explanatory video of the roles available for both pupils and staff here. 
  • You can further upskill your staff in their understanding of the definition and roles involved in bullying via Course 1 of our online training here. Also look out for our available live online training dates here.  
  • See our pages about responding to bullying for a variety of tools and information on the topic of responding to bullying. 
  • The principles of a trauma-informed approach can be helpful when planning responses to bullying. See DfE's working definition for more information. 
  • Some schools find that embedding the Zones of Regulation approach within school becomes a useful tool when responding to bullying incidents and discussing them with both the target(s) and the perpetrator(s). 

Examples

Please note that examples from primary and other school settings may still include some useful hints and tips you can adapt and apply for a secondary setting.

See below for quotes and pieces of advice from other schools:

  • "We have found that using restorative justice techniques has been very effective in reducing bullying behaviour - particularly by enabling pupils to understand each other's behaviour better and by providing pupils with the opportunity to find their own solutions to disagreements/differences of opinion."
  • "Rather than looking for retribution for the bullied pupils we focused very much that the focus needed to be on the perpetrators and getting to the bottom of their behaviour."
  • "Taking the students to a comfortable neutral location [a local coffee shop] was a really good idea. They were more open to listening to what each other had to say and to discussing what they could do to move forward."

Back to 5. Responding and intervention page

Note: the resources listed at the bottom of this page (below) have all been referenced in the text above.