3.3 Raising awareness with a whole school approach

Evidence now shows that bullying is not a problem of individuals, but a systematic problem that occurs because of what happens in the wider social environment. This means that schools need to develop a whole school approach, which focus on a range of elements to prevent and respond to bullying. What do we actually mean by a whole-school approach? A whole-school approach covers all aspects of the school experience, including policies, culture and classroom practice. Effective bullying prevention strategies require a broad range of activities that promote a positive, inclusive learning environment and involves all staff, students, boards, parents and the wider community.



KiVa, the innovative research-based antibullying program developed in Finland, is operating at both universal and indicated prevention levels. The following video explains the key elements of the program.

• Setting your anti-bullying school policy: giving direction and guidance to the whole school community in preventing and tackling any type of bullying behaviour is a first step towards ensuring safety at your setting.
• Training: making sure that students, school staff and parents are aware of this policy and are frequently updated on new risks and challenges related to the topic is required.
• Ensuring a safe and secure school network: using a filtering/monitoring tool allow educators to be aware of what sites students visit when using school-issued devices and Internet services, and ensure access is used for educational-purposes only.

• Create an inclusive classroom climate: the class syllabus should recognize the need for accommodations and the course content should consider that the perspectives of diverse groups are being represented.
• Setting ground rules for class discussions: create an inclusive atmosphere and signal that you are open to the ideas of your students, that’s a key to their engagement in learning.
• Violation of rules: consider the violation of rules as a teaching opportunity for all. Don’t ignore it, stay calm and model the behaviour you would like students to use.
• Frequent audit of the school’s safety measures: the process of monitoring, reviewing and evaluating the school’s safety standards should happen systematically to ensure that the last version of the agreed policy covers all the needs of the school.

Activity

Whole school approach: How to?

Let’s assume that you want to move forward to implement a whole school approach to preventing/combating bullying and promoting a safe, inclusive and accepting school climate. How would you proceed? Which are the essential elements and steps you need to consider for a successful implementation of a whole school approach?

Teachers and the principal board together with experts can set up the goals how to implement   prevention of bullying. Provide the help to the students and the teachers if they ask for help or some additional training. Moreover, they can set the rules and go strictly to it. Inform the students and parents about it.

Conducting training sessions for teachers and parents on how to fight bullying and parents' participation in establishing the rules of conduct necessary to prevent bullying in schools with the help of specialists, teachers and educational counselors. Raise the skills of mutual respect among students by giving activities within the classroom to support it, develop communication strategies and cooperation among students.