Action. Use a non-hierarchical approach that demonstrates to the student a commitment to fair and reasonable treatment. For example:

• Use your sense or humour to distract and calm the student.
• Give a simple redirection or an opportunity to ‘self-correct’.
• Ignore rather than reprimanding or having the student ‘lose face’ in front of others.
• Notice ‘good’ or positive aspects of the student’s behaviour.
• Allow some student control by providing an ‘illusion of choice’, that is, provide two teacher preferred choices as options for the student to choose and act on one.
• Foreshadow that a warning may be given in a moment or two.
• Continue to demonstrate ‘respect’ for the student and ‘liking’ the student, but mention the positive behaviour you are looking for (e.g. listening, quiet working).
• Build on their special interest or strength by linking any request you make of them with their area of strength.

If the student is making serious threats of imminent violence, a senior staff member should call the police and child’s parents immediately if necessary.

• Implement a no-bullying message box to encourage students and parents to report bullying if they if they do not wish to approach a staff member. Locate the box near the administration area or library, to enable anonymous reporting of incidents. Students can deposit short, written messages about bullying or other things that worry them.

• Encourage bystanders to support a bullied student in appropriate ways. It may be unrealistic and potentially dangerous to encourage children to intervene directly. Emphasise safety and give students ideas about how to support a child or adolescent who is being bullied, without endangering themselves. For example, a bystander could say, ‘Stop it! You’re breaking a school rule. Leave Jack alone! Jack, come and play with us,’ or they could ask a teacher to intervene.

• Provide safe zones. Yard duty teachers can monitor students who feel unsafe in the yard by having clearly designated areas of refuge. Teachers should identify students who present in refuge areas and review their need for support. The welfare team or designated senior staff member should regularly review support for students who are frequent presenters to the school nurse, library, sickbay, quiet areas, other staff or the staffroom.

• Teach parents and teachers not to be bystanders. Often a parent may know first about a bullying incident though a family conversation at home. Inform parents of the need to contact the school immediately so the school can take responsibility for assisting students who are bullying to change their behaviours. Explain that parents should not approach the child’s family. Teachers must also not be bystanders for example, it is not acceptable to tell a bullied student not to worry ‘because the bully is leaving in two weeks time’.

Note. This strategy must be handled selectively and sensitively. There is no excuse for bullying, and the school must not tolerate it. The targeted student must not feel they are to blame if bullied. If appropriate the targeted student’s parent could be involved for issues such as poor personal hygiene or to assist in reinforcing positive coping strategies and building resilience.

Action. Work with another teacher or school professional, to explain to a bullied student that there may be things they can do to build peer acceptance. Discuss things that detract from greater peer acceptance such as poor hygiene, reacting to name-calling by lashing out, crying, yelling or throwing things, frequent complaining, constant calling out in class, dominating games or discussions, being a poor loser in games by screaming out frustrations or angrily walking off mid way through a game and deliberately kicking the ball over a fence to spoil the game for others.

Talk with the student about empowerment. While schools are making rules and encouraging bystanders to use assertive ‘power’ to help stop bullying, at times the targets of bullying may be able to change the way they react or respond to bullying, which can help it to stop. Discussion points may include:

• Being called names – use self-confident, strong thinking, speak assertively rather than aggressively or passively, play in safe zones if feeling uncomfortable or unsafe, develop a network of supportive friends, learn to cope with a ‘personal dig’, or a one off nickname or an infrequent tease. These verbal encounters, while unwelcome, can be part of the ebb and flow of daily life. However, if they are repeated then this bullying must be addressed and stopped.
• Being a complainer – take responsibility and stop blaming others, learn to ‘go-with-the-flow’, in games discuss briefly a dispute over a rule or decision but then accept that majority rules, explore faulty thinking and/or challenge negative thinking, join in and help or take responsibility for assisting with the smooth operation of an interest group e.g. chess club, choir or dance, rather than complaining and isolating yourself from others.
• Impulsive and annoying behaviour – ‘Catch yourself’ before making or doing an inappropriate sound or action, count backwards from five rather than acting on impulse. For younger students a positive behaviour chart to graph and promote pro social behaviours is a useful starting point. For older students suggest they identify peers who manage their behaviours well, and have them observe and copy these positive peer models. Learn ‘stop–think’ behaviour to reduce speaking or calling out.
• Dominating games or discussions – play by the rules, be a good loser and learn to enjoy participation over ‘winning at all costs’, take turns, reduce impulsive behaviour and practice emotional regulation (e.g. being annoyed or upset rather than angry), broaden talents and skills, co-operate with others, use ‘give and take’ and social graces to build social acceptance and friends, learn ‘stop–think’ behaviour and peer mediation and conflict resolution. See NSW Public Schools Peer mediation webpage or Kidsmatter.

Action. Remind the student that ‘put downs’, unwanted verbal remarks, name-calling, and insults are bullying behaviour that will not be tolerated. Indicate the consequences for continued bullying such as a warning, reflection sheet, restrictions on play area, detention or suspension. Implement a consequence that fits the circumstances and monitor the student.

Ask the student if people in their family use bullying as a means to get their own way, or solve problems?’ If not, where have they learnt this unacceptable behaviour? (e.g. older siblings and their friends? family friends? media? other sources?) Have the student identify the school values that are not being reflected by their words and actions. A good metaphor for these discussions is rules of games. For example the school rules may differ from those at home, just like the rules for football are different to those for tennis.

Ensuring the student’s physiological needs are met is usually something the school can, with a little creative thinking, partnering with parents, and/or resources from an external agency such as Good Shepherd or State School Relief Fund (Vic only), can assist with. Once addressed the positive impact on learning is often significant.

Action. Provide sleep or a rest period, food, clothing, access to showering where possible and if needed, with parent permission treat the student’s hair for nits and lice. Note, there may be a small group of students in the school who all need to be treated regularly for nits.

If the child is regularly coming to school tired, from late bedtimes or midweek ‘sleepovers’, the student may need to be picked up by a parent to go home to sleep. Ensure parents understand that students require 8 to 12 hours sleep depending on their age.

Action. The teacher or trusted adult meets with the student once or twice a week for 10 minutes or so on a consistent basis on a term-by-term basis to help with school based tasks.All staff involved with the student should maintain a consistent approach and communicate regularly with each other.