Research on the prevalence of bullying during home-to-school transport is limited. However, existing studies suggest that it occurs nearly as frequently as online bullying and can have a significant impact on children and young people.
Bullying happens on home-to-school transport. Our Anti-Bullying Week 2020 poll of 2,000 children and young people found that 33% said they had been bullied in the last six months. Of those that had been bullied, 26% said that the bullying had taken place on home to school transport.
You can find the results of our Anti-Bullying Week 2020 poll here.
The Vodden Reports
The Vodden Report represents a body of research that has been undertaken to explore experiences of bullying on school buses. Led and co-ordinated by Paul Vodden, a dedicated campaigner to highlight the issues surrounding bullying on dedicated school buses, the project aims to highlight the issue of bullying on school buses. Their latest research project ‘The Vodden Report 3: An Agenda for change” was launched on the 16th September 2019.
You can read the 'The Vodden Report 3: An Agenda for change' here.
In this study which surveyed 94 school bus and coach drivers, 67.4% reported witnessing bullying on their buses. However, despite this high prevalence, only 21% had received any guidance or training on how to handle bullying or behavior issues.
Statutory guidance for local authorities 2023
You can read the statutory guidance here.
The revised Home-to-School Travel guidance clarifies the responsibilities of local authorities in preventing bullying on home-to-school transport and states that local authorities should collaborate with schools to promote good behaviour on school travel, and ensure that drivers and passenger assistants receive any training they need to manage children’s behaviour while travelling.
Schools have the power to sanction pupils for misbehaviour outside the school premises to such an extent as is reasonable, including for misbehaviour which takes place on school travel. Moreover, schools’ behaviour policies should set out what the school will do in response to poor behaviour and bullying which occurs off the school premises and is witnessed by a staff member or reported to the school, including the sanctions that will be imposed on pupils.
Local authorities and schools should work together to:
- set high expectations for children’s behaviour on school travel and ensure they are communicated clearly to parents and children;
- ensure arrangements are in place to report and manage incidents of unacceptable behaviour;
- work with operators to put in place measures to manage unacceptable behaviour where it occurs.