Bullies set out deliberately and repeatedly to hurt someone else who can't defend him- or herself. Bullying tactics range from physical abuse, such as kicking or punching, through name-calling and text or email abuse, to spreading malicious gossip.
Young people who are bullied often don't want to tell anyone about it. Someone who's being bullied might become anxious, find it hard to concentrate, pretend to be ill, start playing truant, change their journey to and from school, or cling to adults.
If you are being bullied, or someone you know is, it's really important to tell your school. They have a legal obligation to tackle bullying, and must have an anti-bullying policy and set of procedures in place.
If bullying is going on, as well as identifying and punishing the bullies, the school should support the pupil who has been bullied, and continue to monitor the situation closely.
There are lots of things that schools and pupils can do to prevent and tackle bullying. The Department of Children, Schools and Families website is packed with information:
www.dfes.gov.uk/bullying/
and you can download a specimen anti-bullying policy here:
www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/
atoz/a/antibullyingpolicy/
or find other sources of help in Find out more.
Watch Channel 4 Education programmes for free on your PC with Channel 4's on demand service 4oD.
Citizenship, PSHE and careers for 14-19s from 4Learning. Packed with interactive games and activities.
Index of Notes to support Channel 4 Learning programmes.
Full listings of Channel 4 Learning programmes for the week ahead.
