Addressing Concerns of Bullying Type Behaviour

When a concern involving bullying-type behaviour is reported, school staff must follow the statutory response flow to ensure a consistent and legally compliant approach:

• Information Gathering: Collect details about the reported concern and review previous records to identify any patterns or history.
• Documentation: Initiate a Bullying Concern Assessment Form (BCAF) Part 1, and store it securely in digital format.
• Assessment: Designated staff assess the concern against TRIP criteria or one-off incidents.
• Policy Alignment:
  • If the concern meets the criteria, staff follow procedures outlined in the school’s Addressing Bullying-Type Behaviour Policy BCAF Part 2 will be completed identifying methods and potential motivation.
  • If it does not meet the criteria, staff refer to other relevant pastoral policies such as SEND, Safeguarding, Positive Behaviour etc.
• Monitoring and Support: Track and evaluate progress for all pupils involved—whether experiencing or displaying bullying type behaviour—in line with the SEND Code of Practice.
• Ongoing Review: Regularly assess the effectiveness of support plans, interventions, and BCAF documentation (Parts 3 & 4), in collaboration with pupils and their parents/carers to ensure agreed outcomes are achieved.

The Addressing Bullying in Schools Act (NI) 2016 places a duty on a school’s Board of Governors to secure measures to prevent bullying type behaviour.

The Board of Governors of a grant-aided school must:

1. Ensure that policies designed to prevent bullying involving a registered pupil at the school are pursued at the school; and
2. Determine the measures to be taken at the school (whether by the Board of Governors, the staff of the school or other persons) with a view to preventing bullying involving a registered pupil at the school.

 (i) on the premises of the school during the school day;

(ii) while travelling to or from the school during the school term;

(iii) while the pupil is in the lawful control or charge of a member of the staff of the school;

or

(iv) while the pupil is receiving educational provision arranged on behalf of the school and provided elsewhere than on the premises of the school.

Where concerns related to bullying-type behaviour originate beyond the school environment, schools are expected to take reasonable and proportionate steps to address any associated difficulties. This principle is reinforced in legislation and reflects existing safeguarding responsibilities.

While it is not the role of schools to investigate incidents that occur outside school hours or to police the wider community, appropriate external agencies—such as the PSNI and Children and Young People’s Services—remain the lead responders in such cases.

However, when external incidents begin to affect a pupil’s Social, Behavioural, and Emotional Wellbeing (SBEW), and subsequently their ability to engage in education, schools must respond in a supportive, solution-focused manner. This includes following the statutory response flow and applying relevant pastoral policies to ensure pupils receive the care and support they need

Support plans (e.g. BCAF, SBEW Plan, PLP/IEP, PEP, Calm Plan, RRAP, RAMP) should be aligned and complementary to ensure coherence and prevent duplication.

The Act does not require repetition for behaviours to be defined as bullying type behaviours.

When bullying type behaviours occur through electronic communications, ‘repetition’ can take place through the unwanted repeated viewing and sharing of a post, even if there is only one post.

Schools have the discretion to include one-off acts of bullying type behaviour in their policy, provided that if it stipulates that one-off incidents, in certain circumstances, will be treated as such.

When alleged incidents are not deemed to be bullying type behaviour, schools should use relevant pastoral and/or SEND Policies to support those involved. For example; Positive Behaviour, SEND, Child Protection, Pastoral Care etc.