A whole school approach to anti-bullying is cohesive, collective and collaborative action in and by a school community that has been strategically constructed with school leadership to reduce bullying and respond to it appropriately.
There is evidence that a ‘whole school approach’ (Cambridge Education, 2005) where the whole school community, including the pupils, teachers, support staff; parents and board of governors, are involved in confronting the issue of bullying is the most effective approach to tackling bullying in school.
A strategic whole school approach tackles bullying from many angles across the school and includes:
- senior leadership and pupil and parent voice thread throughout
- a strong whole school anti-bullying policy
- underlying values and school ethos
- cross curricular approach
- training and staff development
- prevention strategies
- reporting and response strategies
A whole school approach, along with school leadership, needs to be monitored and reviewed on a regular basis.
As part of the All Together programme ABA is producing a whole school audit and action planning tool to help schools asses their practice from a whole school perspective. You can join the programme today to access the tool. You can also have a look at the Kiva Programme - another whole school programme.