Bullying has historically been a significant concern in schools, and it remains so today. Simply put, bullying can seriously and negatively affect students’ mental and emotional well-being. It’s crucial that teachers equip students with the techniques, skills and understanding to navigate social challenges – both for themselves as well as noticing and acting positively towards their peers – and foster a supportive environment. 

Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education plays a vital role in this effort, offering a structured approach to addressing bullying by teaching students essential life skills they can use in their daily school life. Read on throughout this article and explore how PSHE can be an effective tool in combatting bullying in primary schools.

What is PSHE education?

PSHE education is a comprehensive programme designed to develop students’ personal and social skills, health awareness and economic understanding. It encompasses a wide range of topics, including emotional wellbeing, relationships, health and citizenship, equipping students with the knowledge and skills needed to lead healthy, safe and responsible lives throughout school and after entering the ‘real’ world. The early fostering of these skills means that PSHE lays the groundwork for students to develop empathy, self-awareness and resilience. Schools looking to implement or enhance their PSHE programmes can find valuable resources and support at Muse Wellbeing, which offers tailored lesson plans and guidance for educators on any number of topics related to PSHE which can be used in a variety of circumstances and educational settings.

Is bullying still a problem in primary schools?

Despite increased awareness and anti-bullying initiatives, it persists as a problem in many primary schools across the UK. Bullying can take various forms, including physical and verbal. With the proliferation of the internet and student access to messaging apps, cyberbullying often takes centre stage when it comes to bullying. Bullying of all kinds can lead to severe and lasting effects on a young person’s mental and emotional health. Students who experience any kind of bullying, whether it’s for a short or long time, or briefly or consistently, are at higher risk of developing anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem, which can impact their academic performance and overall wellbeing during their time at school. Recent data indicates that approximately 1 in 6 children aged 5 to 16 in the UK are likely to have a mental health problem, emphasizing the long-standing issues that can persist well into adulthood

The rise and increased prevalence of digital technology has introduced a major new dimension to bullying which is called cyberbullying. With cyberbullying, students may face harassment and intimidation online from their peers or others. The increased time spent online and prevalence of cyberbullying has made this a critical moment for the necessity for schools to adopt a proactive approach to helping students understand respectful communication and digital citizenship. Addressing bullying effectively requires PSHE programmes – and schools more broadly – to adopt a comprehensive strategy that involves not just responding to incidents but also educating students on how to build healthy relationships and manage conflicts, whether these arise in the physical world or online.

Addressing bullying through a PSHE and well-being curriculum

A comprehensive and effectively delivered PSHE curriculum is one of the most efficient ways to address bullying in schools. By incorporating lessons on emotional literacy, empathy and conflict resolution, PSHE classes help students understand the impact of their actions with regard to others and develop the skills needed to foster a positive and inclusive classroom and school environment. The following are several key strategies for addressing bullying through PSHE:

1. Promoting empathy and understanding. PSHE lessons can help students understand different perspectives and the impact of their actions on others, whether they were done intentionally or unintentionally. Encouraging students to participate in activities such as role-playing, group discussions and storytelling assist students in stepping into others’ shoes, fostering empathy and reducing the likelihood of engaging in bullying behaviour. Teaching students to recognise and respect differences is a crucial step towards creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and bullying is brought down to a minimum or eliminated entirely.
2. Teaching assertiveness and resilience. PSHE education provides students with the tools to assert themselves in a positive and respectful manner to students and adults alike. Active participation in lessons on assertiveness and self-confidence empowers them to stand up against bullying, whether it’s happening to them or to their peers. Additionally, learning resilience helps students cope with negative experiences, build the emotional strength to recover from setbacks and find the confidence within themselves to stand up to others, either for themselves or on behalf of others. By equipping students with these skills, PSHE contributes to a safer and more supportive school environment, as well as helping the students enter adulthood with a sounder mind and confidence.
3. Addressing digital citizenship and online safety. With the rise and increasing prevalence of cyberbullying, it is absolutely essential to include digital citizenship and online safety in the PSHE curriculum. Responsible online behaviour, the consequences of cyberbullying and protecting one’s privacy online are critical components of modern anti-bullying education, which help prevent bullying in digital spaces. PSHE lessons can cover topics such as recognising and reporting cyberbullying, understanding the importance of their digital footprint and promoting respectful communication online.
4. Creating an open dialogue and reporting culture. PSHE lessons incorporating the wellbeing components discussed in this and our other articles can help establish a school culture where students feel safe to speak up about any instance of bullying troubling them. By creating an open dialogue about the issue, students learn that it’s okay to seek help and report bullying to trusted staff or peer support (if the school has a peer support system). Schools can use PSHE sessions to teach students about such support systems available, such as school counsellors or peer support groups. This transparency helps remove the stigma around recognising and reporting bullying and encourages a school-wide community approach to addressing the issue.

Encouraging a whole school approach

Addressing bullying through PSHE is most effective when it’s one part of a whole-school approach that involves teachers, parents and students working together towards the goal of addressing and, hopefully, eliminating bullying in whichever form it appears. 

Schools should ensure that the principles taught in PSHE classes are reinforced throughout the entire school environment, including in other lessons, extracurricular activities and reflection in visible and well-known school policies. Teachers can model respectful behaviour and intervene promptly when bullying occurs, while parents can be informed about the school’s approach to bullying and how they can support their children at home and in the digital space.

By integrating PSHE education into a broader strategy of anti-bullying and promoting wellbeing, schools can create a consistent and comprehensive approach to preventing and addressing bullying in all its forms. The approaches seen in this article and many others by us not only help reduce the occurrence of bullying but also foster a school culture that promotes kindness, respect and inclusion.

David Morris is the director of Muse Wellbeing.