Treating bullying as everyone’s problem reduces incidence in primary schools

The largest trial of its kind in the UK has shown how a low-cost, structured, anti-bullying programme can improve social dynamics in primary schools and reduce victimisation.

The year-long trial of the KiVa school-based bullying prevention programme was implemented in over 100 primary schools in England and Wales and involved over 11,000 students.

It significantly reduced incidents of bullying and was equally effective across socio-economically diverse schools and from small rural schools to large, urban ones. The study was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

Children more empathetic towards victims

The KiVa programme focuses on the behaviour of all children and emphasises the role that bystanders can play. Children in schools that implemented the programme were 13 per cent less likely to report being bullied, compared to schools using standard procedures. 

The schools undertaking KiVa also reported that their children were more empathetic towards victims and that children's problems with their peers were reduced. Economic analyses by public health economists from Bangor University found that KiVa is also a low-cost intervention, which is particularly important given budget restrictions in schools.

Professor Judy Hutchings, from the Centre for Evidence Based Early Intervention at Bangor University, which led the multi-centre project, said: 

"Bullying in childhood is one of the biggest risk factors for later mental health problems in childhood, adolescence and beyond. Unfortunately, it is widespread in UK schools, and while all schools are required to have a bullying policy, it's rarely evidence-based. 

"The KiVa 'whole school' approach has had really significant effects on bullying in other countries because it focuses on everyone's behaviour, and removes the social rewards usually gained by the perpetrators."

The role of bystanders

The Finnish Kiusaamista Vastaan ('Against Bullying'), or KiVa, programme, is based on research that demonstrates that bystanders – children who are present, but not directly involved in bullying incidents – have a major role to play in defending the victim, making bullying less socially acceptable, and so reducing the motivation of bullies.

The research is the largest randomised controlled trial to date of the KiVa programme outside Finland, involving 118 schools across England and Wales. Half the schools adopted Kiva and half continued standard practice. 

Data was from surveys of pupils and teachers both before and after the trial, which ran for a full academic year. However, KiVa is designed to be embedded into ongoing school practice and many schools involved in the trial are continuing to use the programme. 

The schools on the KiVa arm of the trial set up fortnightly lessons for pupils which focused on recognising and responding to bullying and helping to support victims, following recommended actions.

Bullying pupils support victims

Rather than the traditional response of blame and punishment for the bully, the schools had individual discussions with the children involved and made sure that the bullying pupil committed to clear actions to support the victim.  

The results from the UK trial of 13 per cent reduction in bullying are less compelling than those from earlier studies in other European countries. However, the UK trial took place during the Covid-19 pandemic, which involved major classroom disruption for pupils and considerably higher levels of absenteeism, and researchers believe this may have affected the results. 

Lucy Bowes, professor of psychopathology at the University of Oxford, said:

"Being bullied may have devastating consequences for children and young people, including increasing the risk of mental health difficulties such as anxiety or depression, as well as poor school outcomes. This means that any improvement is worthwhile and even small percentage changes can have a substantial impact for those individual children and will cumulatively improve the situation in the school over time. 

"The Finnish data show year-on-year improvements over seven years for schools that continue with the programme. Addressing bullying in schools is a major public health concern, and evaluating anti-bullying programmes used in our schools is vital."

Reference

Bowes. L., Babu, M., Badger, J. R., Broome, M, R., Cannings-John, R., Clarkson, S.,  Coulman E.,  Edwards, R. T.,Ford, T., .Hastings R. P., Hayes, R., Lugg-Widger, F.,  Owen-Jones, E., Patterson, P., Segrott, J., Sydenham, M., Townson, J.,  Watkins, R.C., .Whiteley, H., Williams, M.E.,  the Stand Together Team and Hutchings, J., (2024) 'The effects and costs of an anti-bullying programme (KiVa) in UK primary schools: a multicentre cluster randomised controlled trial'. Psychological Medicine. Published online on 8 November 2024 DOI: 10.1017/S003329172400266