Persistent bullying is one of the worst experiences a child can face

How can it be prevented? Peter Smith, Professor of Psychology at the University of Sheffield, directed the Sheffield Anti-Bullying Intervention Project, funded by the Department for Education.

Here he reports on his findings

A.

Bullying can take a variety of forms, from the verbal -being taunted or called hurtful names - to the physical - being kicked or shoved - as well as indirect forms, such as being excluded from social groups. A survey I conducted with Irene Whitney found that in British primary schools up to a quarter of pupils reported experience of bullying, which in about one in ten cases was persistent. There was less bullying in secondary schools, with about one in twenty-five suffering persistent bullying, but these cases may be particularly recalcitrant.

B.

Bullying is clearly unpleasant and can make the child experiencing it feel unworthy and depressed. In extreme cases, it can even lead to suicide, though this is thankfully rare. Victimised pupils are more likely to experience difficulties with interpersonal relationships as adults, while children who persistently bully are more likely to grow up to be physically violent, and convicted of anti-social offences.

C.

Until recently, not much was known about the topic, and little help was available to teachers to deal with bullying. Perhaps as a consequence, schools would often deny the problem. 'There is no bullying at this school' has been a common refrain, almost certainly all true. Fortunately, more schools are now saying: There is not much bullying here, but when it occurs we have a clear policy for dealing with it.'

D.

Three factors are involved in this change. First is an awareness of the severity of the problem. Second, a number of resources to help tackle bullying have become available in Britain. For example, the Scottish Collllcil for Research in Education produced a package of materials, Action Against Bullying, circulated to all schools in England and Wales as well as in Scotland in summer 1992, with a second pack, Supporting Schools Against Bullying, produced the following year. In Ireland, Guidelines on Countering Bullying Behaviour in Post-Primary Schools was published in 1993. Third, there is evidence that these materials work, and that schools can achieve something. This comes from carefully conducted 'before and after I evaluations of interventions in schools, monitored by a research team. In Norway, after an intervention campaign was introduced nationally, an evaluation of forty-two schools suggested that, over a two-year period, bullying was halved. The Sheffield investigation, which involved sixteen primary schools and seven secondary schools, found that most schools succeeded in reducing bullying.

Questions 31-34

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Write the con·ect letter in boxes 31-34 on your answer sheet.

31. A recent survey found that in British secondary schools

     A. there was more bullying than had previously been the case.

     B. there was less bullying than in primary schools.

     C. cases of persistent bullying were very common.

     D. indirect forms of bullying were particularly difficult to deal with.

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32. Children who are bullied

    A. are twice as likely to commit suicide as the average person.

    B. find it more difficult to relate to adults.

    C. are less likely to be violent in later life.

    D. may have difficulty forming relationships in later life.

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33. The writer thinks that the declaration 'There is no bullying at this school'

    A. is no longer true in many schools.

    B. was not in fact made by many schools.

    C. reflected the school's lack of concern.

    D. reflected a lack of knowledge and resources.

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34. What were the findings of research carried out in Norway?

    A. Bullying declined by 50% after an anti-bullying campaign.

    B. Twenty-one schools reduced bullying as a result of an anti-bullying campaign

    C. Two years is the optimum length for an anti-bullying campaign.

    D. Bullying is a less serious problem in Norway than in the UK.

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