Rising Bullying Rates in Welsh Secondary Schools: Key Findings and Strategies for Change

The School Health Research Network (SHRN) which is a collaboration between Public Health Wales, Cardiff University and Welsh Government, administers one of the biggest surveys of school pupils in the UK and asks questions on a range of topics including mental well-being, substance use, and school life. Conducted every two years, the latest survey was completed by nearly 130,000 learners in years 7 to 11, within 200 maintained secondary schools across Wales. This blog outlines the survey’s key findings in relation to bullying and explores strategies to address these concerning trends.

Key Findings on Bullying from the School Health Research Network Survey.

The rates of bullying have increased in all groups in secondary schools spanning gender, age, year group and family affluence. This is the case for students who reported to having been bullied, and those who reported to bullying others as well.

• In 2023, 37.5% of students reported that they had “been bullied,” an increase from 32.4% in 2021.
• The percentage of young people who reported “bullying others” rose from 14.6% in 2021 to 19.4% in 2023. 
• Reports of cyberbullying also increased, from 18% in 2021 to 21% in 2023.

Gender 

The findings of this survey suggest that students who don't identify as male or female — are affected by bullying at higher rates.

Gender breakdown of students reported having been bullied in the past couple of months 2017-2023 

• A higher proportion of girls (41%) than boys (33%) reported having been bullied. However, a slightly higher proportion of boys (21%) had taken part in bullying when compared to girls (18%).
• Students who identified as neither a boy nor a girl were most likely to report having been bullied, with nearly 66% of these students reporting that they have been bullied.  However, it must be noted that students who stated that they identified as neither a boy nor a girl constituted only around 1.5% of the sample, thereby making the estimates for the group less precise than for other subgroups.

Family Affluence Scale 

The data on family affluence and bullying showed some evidence of a social gradient, indicating that bullying rates varied based on levels of family wealth. 

• Students from less affluent families reported higher rates (43.6%) of having been bullied than those from medium (38.7%) or high affluence families (34.8%)
• A higher proportion of students from less affluent families (22.3%) had also taken part in bullying when compared to students from medium (19.6%) and high affluence families (18.4%)

Social Isolation 

Another key finding of the survey is that there been a decrease in the number of young people who can count on their friends for support when things go wrong.  Just 60% of young people in the survey said that they were able to count on their friends when compared to 67 per cent in 2017. This trend is particularly apparent in the older age groups, and among boys.

What is the way forward?

A Whole-School Approach: 

Addressing these troubling trends requires a cohesive, collective, and collaborative whole-school approach to anti-bullying. The results of our United Against Bullying programme, a whole-school anti-bullying programme, show that bullying levels reduced in schools that took part, particularly for at-risk pupils such as those with SEND or those receiving free school meals. The programme also had a positive impact on overall pupil wellbeing. Lorna Bennett, a Consultant in Health Improvement for Public Health Wales​ has confirmed that “Public Health Wales is working with schools in Wales to embed the Whole School Approach to Emotional and Mental Well-being, which is designed to help schools support the mental health and well-being of children and young people, including preventing and tackling bullying”. It is crucial that this initiative is fully implemented and supported, with anti-bullying measures being explicitly integrated into this whole-school approach. 

Addressing the Intersection between poverty and bullying

The findings of the SHRN indicate that bullying rates were higher for students from less affluent families. There is not enough research on the specific mechanisms that drive the relationship between poverty and bullying. In addition to having more data on this issue and supporting initiatives that better understand the mechanisms at play, the Anti-Bullying Alliance believes that the practical suggestions made by Children in Wales to address bullying and poverty are a great way forward. These include

• Banning non-uniform days
• Raise awareness and build compassion for teachers and pupils in poverty
• Ensuring school uniforms are all made from the same ‘cheap supermarket’ rather than expensive brands

You can read more poverty and bullying over here: Why are we not talking about bullying and poverty?

Enhancing media literacy to tackle Cyber-Bullying 

• The results of the SHRN survey show that the proportion of students who have been victimised by cyberbullying as well as those who have engaged in cyberbullying, has increased since 2021. Rather than discouraging the use of the internet altogether, cyberbullying can be addressed through the provision of appropriate levels of support to enable young people to acquire the skills needed to be safe online. Studies have demonstrated that enhancing students’ media literacy and digital citizenship can help build resistance to bullying, misinformation and disinformation amongst school students. 
• Further, initial Teacher Training should cover anti-bullying skills, including anti-cyberbullying training. Teachers and school staff need to better understand the social media platforms that their pupils are using in order to feel confident to facilitate discussions and deal with issues regarding the digital environments and digital habits of their students. 

Celebrating difference within schools

The findings of the SHRN survey suggest that students who identify outside the traditional gender binary are affected by bullying at higher rates. It is important that schools celebrate the differences amongst its community. This would include teaching pupils about different races, cultures, gender identities, and having positive images of LGBT people, and women. Further, in line with a whole-school approach to anti-bullying, it would be important for anti-bullying policies to be foregrounded on the experiences of the students, which can be better understood by annual pupil surveys. These can provide insights into the steps can be taken to meet the specific needs of children questioning their gender identity.

Finally, another key finding of the survey was that these rising rates of bullying coincide with a growing sense of social isolation in schools, as fewer young people reported feeling they can rely on their friends. ​ Research has shown that friendships act as a protective factor from the lasting effects of bullying. Hence, creating positive peer relationships is important, and a major step towards this is to ensure that there is a proactive approach to raising awareness of differences amongst peers and celebrating these differences. Further, the Anti-Bullying Alliance has detailed examples of peer support schemes that can help students feel less isolated. 

You can read our ABA Wales Policy Recommendations here