Over the past few years, we’ve worked with thousands of schools and settings through our United Against Bullying and United Against Bullying Plus whole-school anti-bullying programmes. These initiatives were designed to identify and embed what truly works in anti-bullying practice, helping schools and settings strengthen their approach through shared learning, meaningful interventions, and tailored support.
“The foundations of success are clearly laid, and now we have a platform to build on next year.”
— ABA Programme School
As we collaborated with schools and settings across the country, common themes began to emerge—regardless of size, location, or context. These insights highlighted the need for clear, practical guidance that could support any school or setting who want to address bullying effectively, but are uncertain where to start.
Drawing on the rich insights from case studies, pupil questionnaires, and in-depth conversations accumulated throughout our anti-bullying programmes, we distilled this collective experience into five essential Anti-Bullying Foundations, which serve as a guidance and a solid starting point for impactful anti-bullying work.
Anti-bullying work spans across all areas of the whole-school or setting approach, and there is a multitude of actions that schools and settings can take to tackle bullying. While the five foundations aren’t the only things that schools and setting can do, they outline the core elements that need to be done right throughout the whole-school/ setting to ensure that any further anti-bullying initiatives have greater chances of success and long-term impact.
“You’re not going to create a school where bullying doesn’t exist. I think the first step to being engaged in good anti-bullying practice is acknowledging that it’s a problem in your school.”
Name
— ABA Programme School
Our Anti-Bullying Foundations
- Establish a shared definition of bullying. Clearly understood and consistently applied by all staff, young people, and parents & carers.
“There are some really obvious things that we thought we were doing that we probably weren't. One of them would be just having a definition [of bullying] that everyone understands, and that includes students and parents. […] Parents can sometimes struggle to accept if something's relational conflict or bullying, and having a definition that's really straightforward is very, very helpful.”
— ABA Programme School
Find our bullying definition resources here.
- Develop a robust anti-bullying policy. Share it regularly with the whole community, and name a senior member of staff as anti-bullying lead (and lead governor for schools).
"It is vital to have a whole school consistent approach with all of our Anti-Bullying and Behaviour Policies that every member of staff adheres to. Revisiting these policies regularly is key so that they do not become stagnant."
— ABA Programme School
Find out more about anti-bullying policies here.
- Provide anti-bullying training to all. Ensure all staff (including non-teaching staff) are provided with regular anti-bullying CPD and ensure it’s built into staff induction.
“The training of staff has been fundamental, but not just training one off – regular training for all staff.”
— ABA Programme School
Access our free online CPD training courses here.
- Embed a respectful culture. Foster belonging, inclusion, and fairness; value every voice (young people, parents, and staff); and prioritise kindness.
“A big driver for our curriculum actually came from the children, and them saying that ‘British Values’ is not good enough. We shouldn't be tolerating each other. We should be valuing each other. We should be celebrating each other.”
— ABA Programme School
Find our anti-bullying prevention resources here.
- Set up an effective reporting system. Ensure it is widely promoted and consistently used by all; and proactively use the data, along with annually gathered views from young people, to inform and improve the anti-bullying strategy.
“The biggest factor for us has been having a really effective reporting and recording method, students having multiple ways that they can report, and those multiple methods all being pulled through data set […] The reporting the recording is the key thing to get right because it informs everything else that you can do as a result of it.”
— ABA Programme School
Find out more about reporting and recording bullying here.
Download our Anti-Bullying Foundations poster
These foundations represent a whole-school or setting-wide approach and are grounded in real-world experience and evidence. For them to be effective, they need to be consistently adopted and embedded across the entire school or setting community.
As foundational elements, they create a strong base upon which additional anti-bullying work and initiatives can be built. Once embedded, they provide the structure to help schools and settings not only respond effectively to incidents of bullying, but also foster a culture where bullying is far less likely to thrive.
By adopting these five foundations, schools and settings are empowered to reduce bullying, nurture a culture of respect, kindness and belonging, and improve the wellbeing of every pupil.
“We are more frank about bullying in the school. Students are acutely aware of what bullying is and what impact it has on others. Students know exactly who they need to talk to about incidences of bullying they have experienced, and know that steps will be taken to address this. We know we are kind. We know our students support each other. This has a bigger input on our students, and have made for a happier more content student body. They know they will be supported.”
— ABA Programme School
Hear from one of our United Against Bullying Plus programme schools on the impact of embedding some of these foundations in this video, recorded during our Anti-Bullying Week 2024 event in Parliament: