Bullying among children is a significant public health concern that affects school communities globally. However, most bullying interventions only occur when children enter primary school. It is therefore necessary to educate parents about bullying, so that they can intervene from an early age and support their children to overcome these behaviours. Parents also have a key role to play in developing the resilience of their children, to be able to cope with instances of bullying.
Today, most anti-bullying interventions are predominantly school-based, however research tells us that for an anti-bullying strategy to be effective, a ‘whole-school approach’ is required. It is for this reason that Sticks’n’Stones will develop a ‘whole-school’ programme for primary schools to empower pupils, teachers, school leaders and parents to tackle bullying and create healthy and safe school communities. This ‘whole-school’ model will include interactive pedagogic resources to be used in the classroom with children aged 8-12 years; CPD modules for primary teachers and leaders to complete and targeted digital resources and workshops for parents. With this approach, the project team believes that the Sticks’n’Stones project can have an impact on reducing the incidence of bullying in the primary schools where the project will be piloted.