United Against Bullying Plus (UAB+) is our FREE whole-school anti-bullying programme for secondary schools, delivered in partnership with Kidscape and funded by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF).
The UAB+ Programme
This pilot programme took place 2023-25.
The bespoke nature of this two-year pilot programme (2023/24 - 2024-25) aimed to benefit the entire school but focuses on Year 8 (into Y9) pupils. Schools on the programme were supported over these two academic years to develop an innovative whole-school approach to reducing bullying, and deliver direct interventions to support children most at risk of perpetrating, and experiencing bullying.
Participating schools received access to a 360° whole-school audit tool and action plan, an online pupil wellbeing and bullying questionnaire, and a range of support from ABA and Kidscape, including:
- an anti-bullying expert assigned to the school for two years to provide tailored support;
- a range of CPD anti-bullying training courses for all school staff including a face to face inset day training;
- workshops for pupils who have been bullied and their parents/carers;
- a package of support for those perpetrating bullying; and
- support for improved parent/carer communication.
Watch this video below of the UAB+ Celebration Event, recorded as part of Anti-Bullying Week 2025, to hear from our partners Kidscape and 2 of the school who completed the UAB+ programme:
Please also watch the video below to hear from some of our UAB+ schools and hear about some of the practice improvements they have implemented as part of the programme. This was recorded during Anti-Bullying Week, November 2024:
Please also watch the below video to hear from one of our UAB+ schools speaking at our parliamentary event during ABW24 on the impact that taking part in the programme has had on their anti-bullying work:
Evaluation
The pilot evaluation was led by the Anna Freud Centre. The research team was led by Tanya Lereya and Emily Stapley, who are both experienced in conducting research on bullying, mental health, and wellbeing, including in a school context. They are supported by an experienced and multi-disciplinary steering group, and research assistants.
The evaluation was a mixed methods IPE in 15 secondary schools that aims to investigate the feasibility of implementation, evidence of promise, and readiness for trial of the programme. The evaluation took place over two academic years and focused on the cohort of pupils who started in Year 8 at the beginning of the evaluation.
An evaluation report will be published in Spring 2026.