Australian Health Promotion Association

Louise Marsh, Rob McGee, Sheryl A. Hemphill and Sheila Williams

Introduction: Being bullied at school is a significant problem experienced by adolescents around the world,1-4 and its detrimental effects on health have been well documented.5-7 Changing technology has also opened up new ways of bullying, from texting on cell phones to videos on websites.8 To combat bullying, it is important that schools develop policies and programs to keep students safe. A recent review found that having an anti-bullying policy was an important element of a school-based anti-bullying program. More than one-half (59%) of the 44 programs evaluated included an anti-bullying policy, and this was significantly related to reduced bullying.9 The policies set out what is acceptable and what is not by clearly defining what constitutes bullying,10 thereby helping set the climate of the school in terms of acceptable behaviour.11 Further, policies which raise awareness of bullying and describe reporting procedures both empower school community members to report bullying incidents, and give the school data for monitoring progress. Knowing that support is in place to help victims and perpetrators may also encourage students to report bullying to adults.6

Two comprehensive studies have been conducted recently on the content of school anti-bullying policies, in Wales12 and England.13 Theto have a bullying policy and provided resources to support schools to develop such policies.14 For example, in Victoria, resources such as Safe Schools are Effective Schools: A resource for developing safe and supportive school environments are made available to schools.15 There is also a focus in Victoria on maintaining student engagement at school, and recent changes were made to policy so that all government schools must develop a student engagement policy.16 Consequently, principals generally have flexibility in deciding how to address problems within Victorian schools. To comply with the registration requirements of the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA), schools are required to have policies and procedures in place to provide students with a safe learning environment, including ensuring that students feel physically and emotionally secure. With respect to student safety in NZ, the National Education Guidelines and National Administration Guidelines direct schools to provide a safe physical and emotional environment for pupils,17 but they are not specifically required to have an anti-bullying policy. Every state school is governed by a Board of Trustees that manages the school in line with Ministry of Education Guidelines. While the Board sets goals and policies, the governance structure allows for variation in how schools might develop and implement policies. Some schools take a zero tolerance perspective on problem behaviours, using suspensions and expulsions, whereas other schools look for more innovative ways to keep students attached to school, through restorative practices and other processes.18 This study compares the content of anti-bullying policies in schools in NZ and Victoria. While policy similarities might be expected, given population sizes and cultural similarities between NZ and Victoria,19,20 it may be that Victorian policies will be more comprehensive given the guidelines that are in place for Australian schools. findings provide some indication of areas where policies might fall short. While most policies provided an adequate definition of bullying, many definitions were too broad, and often didn’t recognise that student-student bullying is different from other forms of  aggression. Definitions often omitted mentions of cyber-bullying, homophobic bullying, and bullying between students and staff. Most schools had strategies to deal with bullying, such as: counselling; peer mediation; imbedding anti-bullying messages in the curriculum; and making use of external agencies. The policies provided guidance for teachers on how to respond to incidents but often provided little information to other members of the school community including administrators, parents and students. Many failed to provide adequate information for parents of victims or perpetrators of bullying. Further, it was unclear how incidents were to be followed up, or how those involved in bullying would be supported. Neither study discussed whether the policies should extend beyond the school grounds, to travelling to or from school, or to cyber-bullying of classmates outside school hours.12,13

There have been no comparable studies of the content of policies relating to bullying in New Zealand or Australian schools. In Australia,the National Safe Schools Framework (2003) mandated all schools to have a bullying policy and provided resources to support schools to develop such policies.14 For example, in Victoria, resources such as Safe Schools are Effective Schools: A resource for developing safe and supportive school   environments are made available to schools.15 There is also a focus in Victoria on maintaining student engagement at school, and recent changes were made to policy so that all government schools must develop a student engagement policy.16 Consequently, principals generally have flexibility in deciding how to address problems within Victorian schools. To comply with the registration requirements of the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA), schools are required to have policies and procedures in place to provide students with a safe learning environment, including ensuring that students feel physically and emotionally secure.

With respect to student safety in NZ, the National Education Guidelines and National Administration Guidelines direct schools to provide a safe physical and emotional environment for pupils,17 but they are not specifically required to have an anti-bullying policy. Every state school is governed by a Board of Trustees that manages the school in line with Ministry of Education Guidelines. While the Board sets goals and policies, the governance structure allows for variation in how schools might develop and implement policies. Some schools take a zero tolerance perspective on problem behaviours, using suspensions and expulsions, whereas other schools look for more innovative ways to keep students attached to school, through restorative practices and other processes.18

This study compares the content of anti-bullying policies in schools in NZ and Victoria. While policy similarities might be expected, given population sizes and cultural similarities between NZ and Victoria,19,20 it may be that Victorian policies will be more comprehensive given the guidelines that are in place for Australian schools.

Issue Addressed: To undertake a detailed analysis of the content of anti-bullying policies in schools in New Zealand (NZ) and Victoria, Australia.
Methods: The content of anti-bullying policies from 253 NZ schools and 93 Victorian schools were analysed in terms of definitions of bullying behaviour; reporting, recording and responding to bullying incidents;  communicating and evaluating the policy; and outlining strategies for preventing bullying.
Results: There was a wide range in ‘policy scores’ between schools, and Victorian schools scored higher on nearly every area compared with NZ schools. In both regions, definitions rarely included bullying on the grounds of homophobia, religion or disability; or bullying between adults and students. Policies also lacked detail about the responsibilities of non-teaching staff in dealing with bullying, and rarely described follow-up after a bullying incident. Few policies explained how the policy would be evaluated, and many failed to mention preventive strategies.
Conclusion: This study highlights some important areas that are deficient in NZ and Victorian school anti-bullying policies, and emphasises the need for guidance on how schools can develop an effective anti-bullying policy. Having more comprehensive anti-bullying policies will give schools a much better chance of reducing bullying.
So what? Schools benefit from the provision of specific guidelines on how to develop effective polices to counteract bullying. A template for policy content, of the kind developed for this study, could be a useful resource in helping policy development in schools.

Health Promotion Journal of Australia 2011; 22: 172-7