New report finds that almost one in four pupils say they are frequently bullied at school
Almost a quarter of pupils report being frequently bullied with those with SEND or living in poverty at increased risk.
Research involving more than 44 000 children and young people has been published by the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA) to mark Anti-Bullying Week 2024, which took place earlier this month.
The study was carried out between May and September 2023 and asked children and young people aged 5 to 18 years about their experiences of bullying.
Of the respondents, 72% said they had experienced some form of bullying, while 23% said they were frequently being bullied, rising to 29% for pupils with SEND and those in receipt of free school meals.
The research found that 23% of the respondents had experienced some form of cyber-bullying, with 6% saying they were being frequently cyber-bullied.
The findings also revealed that 37% of the respondents admitted to having bullied others, with 7% admitting that they frequently bully others, while 2% admitted to frequently cyber-bullying others.
Broken down by phase, 25% of secondary-aged respondents said they were frequently bullied compared to 22% of primary school pupils.
Types of frequent bullying reported by the children in the survey included hitting, pushing or kicking (37%), name-calling (48%), being excluded from social groups (31%), and saying mean things about the person (55%).
The report found a distinct link between bullying and pupils' enjoyment of school. It states: ‘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 are significantly more likely to report poor wellbeing – with those who bully the most likely to report poor wellbeing.’
The ABA is using the research findings to call for a new requirement on schools to designate a member of staff as an anti-bullying lead and for a named governor to be responsible for whole-school anti-bullying strategy.
It also wants to see anti-bullying training for all school staff including mandating it as part of initial teacher training and the charity is recommending the introduction of a duty to record bullying incidents to help schools develop targeted interventions. There has been no government-funded anti-bullying support for schools since March 2024, when funding for the United Against Bullying programme was ended. The ABA also points out that government anti-bullying guidance has not been updated since 2017.
Martha Evans, director of the ABA, said: ‘These findings reveal worrying levels of bullying in England, but with whole-school anti-bullying initiatives, supported by skilled staff and strong leadership, we can make a real difference – boosting achievement, attendance, wellbeing, and belonging, especially for children with SEND and those in poverty, breaking down barriers so that every child has the chance to succeed. We urge the new government to act now.’
Anti-Bullying Week 2024 began on Monday, November 11, and this year's theme was ‘Choose Respect’.
The ABA has created free resources for schools and parents to help empower children and young people to not resort to bullying, even when we disagree.
For details of the work of the ABA, visit https://anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk.
To download the report Bullying, school experiences and wellbeing: A picture of pupil experience in 2023, visit: https://tinyurl.com/3yr98vuz.
The impact of affordable food clubs on nutrition and wellbeing
Findings from a UK survey on the power of Affordable Food Clubs have been published by the University of Lincoln. The report, Feeding Hope: The Impact of Affordable Food Clubs on Nutrition and Wellbeing, sheds light on the benefits of food clubs for people in need of help to feed their families.
The authors say Affordable Food Clubs have emerged in communities across the UK as a new form of food aid, providing people with access to a weekly nutritious food shop, at a fraction of the cost of items in a regular supermarket.
The clubs are membership based, enabling lower income households to stretch their budgets further each week. A fee is paid for shopping, at a much-reduced price through membership, and shoppers can choose the products they need from a wide selection of fresh, ambient, chilled, and frozen goods, the report says.
The use of these networks recognises people's need for a sense of agency and dignity. Alongside purchasing their weekly shop, they can access support services in a welcoming environment, which helps them to build relationships with local organisations that provide specialist help with budgeting.
Almost 2500 participants were drawn from 68 Affordable Food Clubs across the country. The study found that members reported significant improvements in their lives, from general health, nutrition, to finances, with 98% of respondents stating they can now afford to eat more balanced meals.
Three-quarters of club members have increased their consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, while 71% reported that they cook more meals at home. Access to a wider range of services, such as financial advice or employment support, participation in numerous activities, which include cooking classes and tasting sessions, and savings on essential items have also contributed to a reported 74% improvement in overall wellbeing. The authors add: ‘These outcomes are particularly significant in the face of rising living costs and ongoing economic challenges. Affordable Food Clubs have proven their ability to make a lasting and meaningful impact on people's diets, effectively breaking the constraints imposed by poverty.’
Children's health risks becoming an afterthought, warn charities
A coalition of charities and Royal Colleges is warning that children risk becoming an afterthought in action to tackle waiting lists, with no clarity on how major new investment in the NHS will be spent on children's health services. In their Roadmap for the Healthiest Generation of Children Ever, the Health Policy Influencing Group is calling for all NHS funding announcements to be explicit about the proportion of spend allocated to children. They say the autumn Budget failed to deliver on this front. To read the report in full visit: https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/news-events/news/record-high-over-400000-children-waiting-treatment-amidst-child-health-crisis.
News in brief
Antibiotic-resistant infections continue to rise, the UK Health Security Agency said. National surveillance data show that there were an estimated 66 730 serious antibiotic-resistant infections in 2023, compared to 62 314 in 2019. The majority of infections in the last 5 years (65%) were caused by E. coli.
Men often struggle with the transition to fatherhood amid a lack of information and emotional support targeted to their needs, suggests a review. Greater focus is needed in clinical practice, antenatal services, and research on men's unique experiences of the perinatal period, which encompasses pregnancy and the first 12 months after the birth, say the researchers. View the study results here: https://bmjopen.bmj.com/lookup/doi/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-078386.
Analysis of National Child Measurement Programme data by the Institute for Public Policy Research shows that the number of children affected by obesity in the poorest areas evolved over the life of the last government. The data showed children in the most deprived parts of England are twice as likely to have obesity than children in the least deprived areas. This gap has widened since 2009/2010 when children in the most deprived areas were 1.7 times more likely to be living with obesity. See page 148 in this issue for more details about the new data.