Rating description:
- Fully met: All school staff understand the law relating to bullying, know when it is a safeguarding issue and know how to escalate a concern. This is fed back using annual staff surveys.
- Partially met: Some school staff understand the law relating to bullying, know when it is a safeguarding issue and how to escalate a concern. This is fed back using annual staff surveys.
- Not yet met: Most school staff do not understand the law relating to bullying, do not know when it is a safeguarding issue or do not know how to escalate a concern. This is fed back using annual staff surveys, or is not measured at all.
Why is this important?
Ensuring all school staff understand the law relating to bullying, recognise when bullying constitutes a safeguarding issue, and know how to escalate a concern is crucial for safeguarding pupils and upholding their rights. A clear understanding of legal responsibilities helps staff respond appropriately and in a timely manner, ensuring that incidents of bullying are addressed in line with school policies and legal obligations. This knowledge empowers staff to take decisive action, providing pupils with the protection and support they need, and contributing to a safer and more secure school environment.
Top Tips:
- The ABA legal briefing provides an overview of the law, and guidance which schools and other settings must have regard to.
- Online bullying and the Law - find out about the existing laws that can be applied to cases of online bullying and online harassment. Be mindful that online bullying seldom starts online, it is often an extension of bullying that began in-person. Use your reporting and recording systems to identify trends.
Resources & Examples:
Resources
- We recommend completing the Bullying and the Law CPD online training course to get a better understanding of the law regarding bullying.
- See other information about legislation and guidance for schools and other settings regarding bullying on our Bullying and the Law section of the website.
- Protecting children from bullying and cyberbullying - a summary of key legislation and guidance from the NSPCC.
- Safeguarding and child protection in schools - key information, training, and resources for schools from the NSPCC.
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.
- Primary School Case Study - on upskilling all school staff and ensuring they had more confidence in dealing with pupil behaviour and incidents.
Schools who took part in our previous programme said:
- "These ABA online modules are compulsory for staff to complete. It is part of our Safeguarding statutory 1 day training for all staff, as well as being part of our anti-bullying package."
- "Supporting briefing sessions undertaken as part of staff meeting cycle with a focus on e-safety. Links made to the law and wider concern issues such as sexting and people using such images to bully people/obtain a power balance within a relationship. Clear support and systems in place with regard to safeguarding including, reporting, tracking and monitoring."
- "The safeguarding and bullying policy states the law, when it is a safeguarding issues and how to escalate a concern. This was also reported in our outstanding OFSTED report."
Back to 6. Staff training and development page
Note: the resources listed at the bottom of this page (below) have all been referenced in the text above.