"I know bullying happens in our schools. This school has openly acknowledged that it happens and made positive
steps to do something about it."

...Parent

Ours is a large suburban secondary school close to the boundary of a capital city. Our anti-bullying work is directed towards improving social skills and relationships among students.

Where It Began... Our school community has acknowledged that bullying is a social issue and mental health risk that could not be ignored. Our whole school approach already included a range of immediate and problem-solving strategies. Our aim was to build on these by developing resilience and positive relationships among all students.

Getting Started... We believed that addressing bullying through the curriculum and changing the focus of existing programs and resources would best achieve our goals and reach most of the school community.

As part of this approach, we established positive links and cooperation with a range of support agencies and organised interagency personnel to locate at the school.

How We Went About It... The core of our intervention lies in the classroom where the topic of bullying and the development of healthy, respectful relationships are included in everyday lessons. Skills development and support programs for groups of students who are at risk of bullying or being bullied support this intervention. Here are some of our strategies.

• Each term we run a Girls Program to build self-esteem through the development of positive self-image, health-promoting behaviours and effective problem-solving strategies.
• People Understanding Boys group (PUB) focuses on supporting boys in Years 8 and 9 who may be at educational risk.
• Multicultural Days celebrate and explore the diversity of our school community.
• Peer Support Students are a group of Years 9 and 10 students trained in basic active listening skills by Kids' Helpline counsellors.
• Student Activity Centre (SAC) is a friendly space for students who are vulnerable during morning tea and lunch periods. Board games, computers, help with assignments and support are available for whoever needs it.
• Our Conflict Resolution Officer runs mediation sessions for students in conflict as well as teaching anger management and coping strategies for individuals.
• We share a healthy relationship with local community agencies and are able to refer students and their families who would benefit from intervention.
• All Year 9 students participate in a personal safety and self-esteem program addressing the issue of violence.
• Elapse is a behavioural management strategy for Year 8 boys with difficult behaviours. This weekly group uses group discussion and experiential learning.
• All Year 8 students watch Sticks and Stones. This is a dramatic representation that highlights complex issues in conflict resolution and violence. We use it to initiate conflict resolution strategies.
• Fair Go is a program that exposes students and staff to anti-bullying strategies through interactive dramatic workshops and teaching units. It is usually presented to all Year 8 students towards the end of 1st term.
  

What We Are Learning... Data collected by our Conflict Resolution Officer shows student suspensions for physical assault have dramatically decreased over the past 6 years. These figures can only improve as we put in place more strategies that take a whole school approach to an issue that does affect the whole school.

What's Next... We are constantly reviewing and reflecting upon our programs.

"People who do get picked on do not have to put up with it. They need to tell the school Conflict Resolution Officer, the Guidance Officer or a teacher. They are there to help us."

...Student, Year 10

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