Launching our updated Bullying Information Toolkit for Parents and Carers

Published

11 Mar 2025

No parent or carer wants to see their child suffer at the hands of bullying, yet many families find themselves struggling to get the right support when it happens. Understanding your child’s rights and knowing how to navigate school systems can feel overwhelming—but you don’t have to do it alone.

Our new Bullying Information Toolkit for Parents and Carers is designed to empower parents and carers with clear, practical guidance on how to advocate for their child. It covers everything from working with schools to understanding legal protections and making formal complaints if needed. This is not a legal document, but an essential resource to help you take informed action.

Below, we’ve included an extract detailing school responsibilities across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland—helping you understand what schools are required to do to prevent and tackle bullying in each part of the UK.

Find more information and advice for parents & carers here

England

  • Schools in England are required by law to determine measures to encourage and promote good behaviour and prevent all forms of bullying amongst pupils (Section 89, Education and Inspections Act 2006).
  • Maintained Schools in England must have a behaviour policy in place that includes measures to prevent all forms of bullying among pupils (often this is provided in the form of an anti-bullying policy). This policy is decided by the school, and it must be shared with all teachers, pupils, and parents. (Section 89, Education and Inspections Act 2006).
  • Academies, Free Schools and Independent Schools are required to ensure that an effective anti-bullying strategy is drawn up and implemented. (The Independent School Standards Regulations 2010).
  • The Department for Education (DfE) in England has produced guidance for all schools, which outlines their duties towards preventing and tackling bullying in schools. You can view that guidance here. 
  • Schools must have a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and Child Protection Policy.
  • Schools must ensure everything they do is carried out with a view to “safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children who are pupils at the school” (Education Act 2002, Section 175). This means they may need to address bullying as a child protection concern, “where there is reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm” (Section 47 (1)(b), Children Act 1989).
  • Schools have a responsibility to “identify concerns early, provide help for children, promote children's welfare and prevent concerns from escalating” (Keeping Children Safe in Education, DfE). They also have the responsibility to take appropriate action to promote the welfare of a child in need of additional support, even if they are not suffering harm or are at immediate risk, and work alongside social services, the police, health services and other services to ensure the safeguarding and promotion of child welfare.
  • All schools must follow anti-discrimination law contained within the Equality Act 2010. This means schools and school staff must act to prevent discrimination, harassment and victimisation within the school or setting. 
  • Schools have the powers to intervene in bullying incidents outside of the school ground including on home-to-school transport, in the community and online. The Department for Education’s guidance for preventing and tackling bullying states that “where bullying outside the school is reported to school staff, it should be investigated and acted on” (Preventing and tackling bullying guidance for schools, DfE 2017).
  • Headteachers of relevant schools have the legal power to discipline their pupils for bullying incidents that occur outside of schools premises, as described above. The headteacher is only permitted to discipline the pupil to a reasonable extent, in line with the school’s discipline policy.
  • Where bullying might be taking place online, school staff also have the specific power to search for and delete inappropriate images/files on electronic devices, including mobile phones (Education and Inspections Act 2006, which has been increased by the Education Act 2011).

Wales

  • Schools in Wales are required to promote positive behaviour and prevent bullying (School Standards and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013). 
  • Governing bodies of maintained schools in Wales must develop behaviour policies, which must include anti-bullying measures (Section 89 of the School Standards and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013). The policy should be publicly accessible and involve pupils, staff, and parents in its creation.
  • Schools in Wales must also align with the Welsh Government’s Rights, Respect, Equality Guidance, which provides statutory guidance on tackling bullying in schools. Schools are required to assess their policies and practices against this guidance. You can view that guidance here. 
  • School staff must safeguard and promote children’s welfare. Bullying must be addressed when there is a "reasonable cause to suspect significant harm or risk of harm" to the child (The Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014).
  • Governing bodies and headteachers are required to promote the welfare of children (Section 175, Education Act 2002) and must act accordingly to investigate and respond to bullying.
  • Schools must appoint a Designated Safeguarding Person (DSP) to oversee safeguarding and child protection issues (Keeping Learners Safe Guidance). This individual must ensure compliance with safeguarding legislation, such as the Education Act 2002 and the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014.
  • All schools must also follow anti-discrimination law contained within the Equality Act 2010. This means schools and school staff must act to prevent discrimination, harassment and victimisation within the school or setting. 
  • The Education Act 2002 empowers schools to take action when bullying outside of school impacts pupils’ welfare. Welsh Government guidance (e.g., Rights, Respect, Equality) also encourages schools to tackle bullying online or in the community.

Scotland

  • Schools in Scotland are required to secure adequate and efficient education, which includes promoting positive relationships and addressing bullying (The Education (Scotland) Act 1980).
  • Scottish schools must adhere to Respect for All: The National Approach to Anti-Bullying for Scotland’s Children and Young People, a framework requiring all schools to implement anti-bullying measures. You can view that framework here. 
  • Schools are required to act in the best interests of children. This includes identifying risks to a child’s well-being, such as bullying, and working to resolve them (Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014).
  • Schools must also comply with Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) principles, which include addressing bullying as a safeguarding issue.
  • Scottish schools must have a Named Person for every child, who can support families in raising concerns, including issues related to bullying (Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014).
  • All schools must also follow anti-discrimination law contained within the Equality Act 2010. This means schools and school staff must act to prevent discrimination, harassment and victimisation within the school or setting. 
  • While there is no specific legislation for handling bullying outside school, the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 gives schools the power to promote positive behaviour in various contexts. The Scottish Government’s Anti-Bullying Guidance encourages schools to address incidents of online bullying or harassment that occur outside of school.

Northern Ireland

  • All grant-aided schools in Northern Ireland have a duty to address bullying. Schools must have a written anti-bullying policy that outlines how they will prevent and respond to bullying. Schools are also required to record all incidents of bullying and to ensure these are reviewed regularly (Addressing Bullying in Schools Act (Northern Ireland) 2016).
  • Schools in Northern Ireland are required to safeguard and promote the welfare of children (Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995). Bullying may need to be treated as a child protection issue if it involves significant harm or risk of harm.
  • Schools must follow guidance issued by the Department of Education (NI), such as the Safeguarding and Child Protection in Schools Guidance (2020).
  • The Equality Act 2010 does not apply in Northern Ireland, but the Northern Ireland Act 1998 (Section 75) places a duty on public authorities, including schools, to promote equality of opportunity across multiple protected grounds (e.g., disability, race, gender).
  • It is unlawful for schools to discriminate against pupils with disabilities, including failing to address bullying related to a pupil’s disability (Special Educational Needs and Disability (Northern Ireland) Order 2005, or SENDO).
  • All schools must have a Designated Teacher for Child Protection (Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 2003). This individual is responsible for ensuring safeguarding policies are followed, including handling bullying concerns.
  • While the Addressing Bullying in Schools Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 focuses on bullying within the school context, schools are encouraged to address online and community bullying where it affects pupils’ well-being. The Department of Education (NI) also recommends that schools consider incidents outside school that impact pupils’ safety or education.

If you are interested in finding out more about bullying and the law, visit our website page here.