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    ABA & Our Work

    The Anti-Bullying Alliance is a coalition of organisations and individuals that are united against bullying.

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    United Against Bullying (UAB) Programme

  • Tools & information
    • What is bullying?
      • The ABA definition
      • Baiting
      • Banter
      • Tools about the definition of bullying
      • False friendships
    • All about bullying
      • A whole-school and setting approach
        • Ten key principles
        • The curriculum
          • England
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        • Top tips for teachers
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        • Peer support strategies
          • What are peer support schemes?
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            • Change Starts With Us: Creating solutions with young people
            • Examples of peer support schemes
        • What is a whole-school or setting approach?
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      • At risk groups
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        • Racist and faith-targeted bullying
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          • Prevalence
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          • What does the Law say?
        • Looked after children and bullying
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          • What can schools and other settings do to support looked after children?
        • SEN & Disability
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        • Young carers and bullying
          • What can schools and settings do to help young carers?
          • Young carers and bullying
        • Appearance-related bullying
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      • Bullying and the Law
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        • Keeping Children Safe in Education
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        • Understanding online bullying
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        • Online bullying and SEN/disability
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      • Prevalence and Impact
        • Focus on: Bullying
        • Prevalence of bullying
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        • Reporting and recording bullying
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        • Recording bullying - effective practice
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        • A social model approach
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        • Children who bully
          • How many children bully and what do we know about them?
          • Supporting children who bully others
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          • Restorative practice - dispelling the myths
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          • What is restorative practice?
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        • What is sexual and sexist bullying?
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        • Sources of information, advice and support
        • My child has been accused of bullying others
        • How can I help my child if they are being bullied?
        • Spotting the signs that my child is being bullied?
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      • Making a complaint about bullying
      • Were you bullied as a child? Or are you being bullied at work?
      • Interactive anti-bullying information tool for parents and carers

    Tools & information

    In this section, you will find links to all things bullying including the definition of bullying, research, our online CPD training and lot more about preventing, recording and responding to bullying of children and young people.

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    • What is bullying?
    • All about bullying
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    Free CPD online training

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    Prevalence and impact of bullying

  • Anti-Bullying Week
    • Anti-Bullying Week: Make A Noise
    • Odd Socks Day
      • What is Odd Socks Day?
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      • Andy and the Odd Socks
      • Odd Socks Days gone by...
    • School Resources
      • Secondary School Pack
      • Primary School Pack
      • Ysgolion yng Nghymru / Schools in Wales
        • Pecyn Ysgolion Cynradd [2023] / Primary School Pack (2023)
        • Pecyn Ysgolion Uwchradd (2023) / Secondary School Pack (2023)
        • Diwrnod Sanau Od (2023) / Odd Socks Day (2023)
      • BBC Teach Lesson
      • Twinkl and ABA resources
      • VotesforSchools Resources for Anti-Bullying Week 2023
      • Make a noise about bullying - The Premier League classroom resources
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    • Previous years
      • Anti-Bullying Week 2022: Reach Out
      • Anti-Bullying Week 2021: One Kind Word
      • Anti-Bullying Week 2020: United Against Bullying
      • Anti-Bullying Week 2019: Change Starts With Us
      • Anti-Bullying Week 2018: Choose Respect
      • Anti-Bullying Week 2017: All Different, All Equal
      • Anti-Bulling Week 2016: Power for Good
      • Anti-Bullying Week 2015: Make a Noise about bullying
      • Anti-Bullying Week 2014: Let's stop bullying for all
      • Anti-Bullying Week 2013: The future is ours: safe, fun and connected
      • Anti-Bullying Week 2012: We're better without bullying

    Anti-Bullying Week 2023: Make A Noise About Bullying

    ABA are official organisers of Anti-Bullying Week and Odd Socks Day in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Anti-Bullying Week 2023 took place from Monday 13th - Friday 17th November. The theme was Make A Noise About Bullying. The week kicked off with Odd Socks Day on Monday 13th November, where adults and children wore odd socks to celebrate what makes us all unique.

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    Odd Socks Day

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    Get Involved

    Our purpose at ABA is to unite against bullying. Please get involved - in any way you can - to support us.

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Mental Health

There is a strong link between mental health and bullying. As the diagram below shows, young people who have experienced bullying are more likely to experience mental health issues and those who have mental health issues are more likely to be bullied.

Take part in our free CPD online course on mental health and bullying. 

Info graphic showing the cycle of mental health and bullying

In 2015 we worked in partnership with YoungMinds to raise awareness of the impact of bullying on mental health.

  • We launched a new short guide for GPs on the subject of bullying in partnership with YoungMinds.

  • We also published Focus on Bullying and Mental Health which looked at all the research relating to bullying and mental health

We know that bullying can have a detrimental impact on children and young people's mental health. We also know that children and young people with mental health issues are more likely to be bullied..

What is mental health?

The importance of physical health to our everyday wellbeing is usually well known and readily identified by most people. Understanding how certain behaviours and experiences can have positive or negative influences on our physical health is learnt from a young age – for example children are often taught that smoking is bad for your health and can cause lung damage. In contrast, understanding that certain behaviours and experiences can have positive or negative influences on our ‘mental health’ is much less recognised and acknowledged. The phrase ‘mental health’ is often interpreted in a negative manner to refer to mental health problems or difficulties. It is important to recognise that ‘mental health’ can be both a negative and a positive state:

 

Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully and is  able to make a contribution to his or her community 

Promoting Mental Health: Concepts, Emerging Evidence Practice

World Health Organisation (2005)

Just as our physical health fluctuates, and can be affected by various environmental or personal factors, so can our mental health. Like the causes of physical health problems, mental health difficulties can result from factors that include: genetics; brain damage or injury; substance abuse; and chemical imbalances. Unfortunately, society can be less understanding where mental ill health is concerned, and people can be less sympathetic and supportive when compared to physical health issues.

Key findings of our consultation with young people 

  • Bullying has a significant effect on children and young people’s mental health, emotional well-being and identity.

  • Bullying which is not responded to effectively can cause children and young people to develop other coping strategies such as self-isolation or self-harm; and cause significant disruption to their ability to engage with school, learning and their wider relationships.

  • Children and young people with mental health or emotional and behavioural difficulties need support for their mental health needs in school in a way that is non-stigmatising and involved collaboration between school staff and the young people themselves.

  • Schools need to ensure that young people feel able to talk about bullying and how it affects their emotional well-being.

  • Disruptive behaviour can be an expression of difficulties or distress, and schools need to be mindful of this.

  • There needs to be recognition and support for the emotional needs of children and young people who are being bullied and who bully others.

  • Do not underestimate the importance of effective listening when responding to reports of bullying.

In 2022, we summarised the findings from the first collection of our pupil bullying and wellbeing questionnaire which forms part of our United Against Bullying programme. Those findings told us that: 

  • Pupils who report being bullied, either face to face or online, have poorer experiences at school than those not being bullied. 
  • Pupils who report bullying others, either face to face or online, are the most likely to report poor experiences at school. 
  • Pupils at secondary schools are significantly more likely to report having poor school experiences than primary, infant and other schools. 
  • Both pupils that are bullied and those that report bullying others are significantly more likely to report that they don't feel they belong at school, they don't get on with their teachers, they don't feel safe at school and they don't like going to school. 
  • Pupils who have been bullied and those who bully others (both face to face and online) are significantly more likely to report poor wellbeing - with those who bully the most likely to report poor wellbeing. 
  • Pupils at secondary school have the poorest wellbeing compared to those at primary, infant and other schools. 

You can read the full report from our 2022 findings here. 

Resources for download

Focus on: Mental health briefing

Anti-Bullying Alliance (2015)

Supporting bullied children: Advice for GPs

Anti-Bullying Alliance (2015)

Mental Health and Bullying - guidance for schools

Anti-Bullying Alliance (2013)

Mental Health and Bullying Presentation - for schools to use

Anti-Bullying Alliance (2013)

Mental Health and Bullying - the views of young people

Anti-Bullying Alliance (2013)

External Resources

YoungMinds
Partnership for Well-being and Mental Health in Schools
NSPCC
The Mental Health Foundation
Talking to Parents or Carers About A Pupil's Mental Health
Stem4 Education
BBC
Mentally Healthy Schools
Mindfulness in Schools Project
Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2017

NHS Digital

Tools & information

  • What is bullying?
  • All about bullying
    • A whole-school and setting approach
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    • Preventing bullying
    • Reporting and recording bullying
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    • Sexual and sexist bullying
    • Working with parents and carers
  • Free CPD online training
  • Advice and support
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