Addressing Bullying and Intimidation in Education

This course allows for acquisition of deeper knowledge underlying issues leading to bullying and intimidation how they impact on students.

Bullying prevention is a growing research field that investigates the complexities and consequences of bullying. About 20% of students ages 12-18 experienced bullying nationwide.

The European Anti-Bullying Network (EAN) was set up in 2014 and comprises 22 members (civil society organizations, public institutions and schools) from 15 European countries, actively involved in and committed to the combat against bullying and cyber bullying.

The various definitions of bullying are subject to academic controversy, but all steadily contain a series of characteristics:  a physical, psychological and/or verbal intimidation or aggression, based on an unequal power balance between the person(s) displaying a behaviour of bullying and the victim, real or perceived as such, inflicted by repetition, with the intent to harm and/or frighten the victim.

Politically there is discussion whether bullying is to be considered as one of the expressions of violence or a distinct phenomenon, requiring distinct policies and public attention.

As a result of its research EAN signals the active involvement of itself and its members in the EU supported Anti Bullying Certification (ABC) Project, aimed at the development of a certification process to support schools in bringing about an effective anti bullying policy, which stimulates the school’s ownership of measures how to deal with bullying: schools are to make the appropriate specific policy choices themselves.

The certification process also involves self-assessment by the school and external audit, and ultimately leads up to the award of a label. EAN considers that this ABC process is bound to provide a concrete and practical way forward to pursue the objective of certification in the spirit of the recommended ‘whole school approach’.

Educators have a key role in taking this strategy forward and embedding good practice throughout educational establishments.

The course will offer substantial help and benefit to a wide range of individuals, such as. school principals, (directors) heads of department, teaching and lecturing staff, researchers, psychologists as well as those working with specific projects and initiatives.

Moreover, the course offers the opportunity to consider interventions and approaches to support, and the strategic view on addressing bullying and intimidation in Education at all levels.

This course has been developed by our team of expert trainers, due to popular demand arising from our popular ‘Identify Barriers to Learning’ and Mental Health training, which focuses on specific challenges presented in today’s educational establishments.

 

MAIN AIMS

  • To understand how to develop comprehensive school policies and strategies to instil a non bullying culture in schools.
  • Acquire deeper knowledge underlying issues leading to bullying issues and how they impact on students.
  • Understanding the dynamics of groups and impacts on personal identity in today’s society
  • Clarify and understand the role of the Educator in supporting interventions.
  • Identify support strategies for classroom settings and working with risk.
  • Identification and interventions for changing and modern day issues in the classroom
  • To recognise the ‘dos and don’ts of addressing bullying in the classroom
  • How to work with Parents and external teams

 

WHY ABIE?

Bullying is a complex notion and takes various forms, such as physical violence, verbal intimidation and relational aggression. In general, physical bullying seems to be somehow on the decrease, unlike emotional bullying. Over the last couple of decades, cyber bullying has emerged and taken worrying proportions, as a direct consequence of lightning-fast developments of technology and marketing in the digital world and, hence, the near to unlimited access of children to digital communication means.

An additional challenge is that cyber bullying is even more difficult to detect than classical forms of bullying and that it is far more invasive into the victim’s life, as it is continuous and capable of reaching a vast audience very quickly.

There is a movement to broaden the notion of bullying from its individual and small group dimension to include gender, cultural and political differences as a driving force for large group physical, verbal, or relational aggression, such as exclusion and slandering.

A recent study performed in the framework of the EU funded programme “European Campaign against Bullying” shows that 51% of students have experienced bullying in Lithuania, 50% of students in Estonia, 43% in Bulgaria, 31% in Greece, 25% in Latvia and 15% in Italy. The numbers are astounding and indicative of the growing dimension of bullying phenomenon in EU communities today.

Within its policy framework the EAN requires – school networks and individual schools:

  • to develop anti-bullying policies in the form of long-term and sustained prevention programs based on a whole-school approach, involving not only students and educative staff, but also parents, who are proven to be a crucially important factor for success, *
  • in this spirit of a ‘whole-school approach’, to embrace the notion of certification of schools, based on an evaluation of the establishment and effective implementation of a code of conduct to stamp out bullying from the school environment, including cyber bullying among students when physically away from the school premises.
  • to explore the potential for guidelines for social safety and inclusion in schools, agreed on by Member States, strengthening the strategies to combat early school leaving, gender-based violence and social exclusion.
  • To have regard to legal and social strategies to implement European values. In the European union there is a substantial budget for anti-bullying projects, which will only grow with the expansion of the Erasmus+ program.

 

WHO TO ATTEND?

  • Teachers, Head Teachers and Directors (primary & secondary)
  • Lecturers
  • Psychologists
  • Policy makers
  • Trainers (formal & non formal education)
  • Parents

 

METHODOLOGY OF THE COURSE – ADDED VALUE

The course methodology will ensure the active involvement of the participants in all phases, that is, prior, during and after the delivery of the course. More specifically, upon confirmation that the course will take place, the participants will receive preparatory material (if needed), which will cover all important concepts to be presented during the delivery of the course. The participants will have the opportunity to exchange feedback with the organiser of the course, ShipCon, and the trainer as well as to request any clarification related to the content of the course.

The methodology of the training is based on a combination of three important elements:

  • Provision of knowledge required (theory)
  • Use of training tools, such as case studies, videos, games, animations & exercises (practice – hands on experience)
  • Feedback/reflection (review)

During the delivery of the course, the participants will receive material, which will cover the content to be presented in all five (5) days of the seminar. The material will be presented in a form of Power Point (PPT) presentations, videos & animations. Moreover, the active involvement and hands on experience of the participants will be secured through various training tools, such as case studies, worksheets, scenarios & exercises. These training tools are necessary to ensure that the theoretical knowledge gained by the participants can be used in real life scenarios; an important aspect & added value for any training course.

At the final day of the course, the participants will have the opportunity to reflect on the information received and the experience gained in the specific field of study. Moreover, the participants and their institutions will be encouraged to be members of ShipCon ‘Network of Excellence’, an international hub and forum for entrepreneurs & innovators to exchange ideas, novel concepts/approaches & best practices in the area of environment and education.

 

BENEFITS TO PARTICIPANTS – SKILLS & COMPETENCES

The course provides an in depth knowledge of the notion of bullying from its individual and small group dimension to include gender, cultural and political differences as a driving force for large group physical, verbal, or relational aggression.

By the end of the course, delegates will be capable to:

  • Develop anti-bullying policies in the form of long-term and sustained prevention programs based on a whole-school approach
  • Stamp out bullying from the school environment, including cyber bullying
  • Understand the need for strategic approaches and developing action plans
  • Strengthen the strategies to combat early school leaving, gender-based violence and social exclusion.
  • Work with Parents and external teams to address bullying in educational environment

The participants will:

  • Explore the potential for guidelines for social safety and inclusion in school
  • Become aware of legal and social strategies to implement European values
  • Understand the dynamics of groups and impacts on personal identity in today’s society

CERTIFICATIONS AWARDED

  • Certificate of attendance & certificate of competence (skills & competences required – Europass CV)
  • Europass mobility certificates– to be issued by the applicant’s National Authority (NA)

PROGRAMME OF THE TRAINING ACTIVITIES (DAY BY DAY)

Day 1  

  • To understand the profile of Bullying and Intimidation in the classroom – the many forms of bullying
  • Causation in diverse modern society, risk factors and impact on youth involved.
  • Statistical evidence across EU partner countries
  • The key findings of bullying.
  • The role of the Educator in addressing bullying and intimidation.

Day 2

  • Privacy and confidentiality – age and legal implications
  • Identifying signs, symptoms, and trigger areas
  • To understand school / class culture and its impact.
  • Understand best practise in bullying prevention and response.
  • Identify specific responses in translating bullying response and best practise into policy and practise.
  • Managing sensitivities- how to work with highly sensitive people and/or those with dissenting views.

Day 3

  • To examine contributory Student behaviour
  • To examine contributory Teacher behaviour
  • Understand the triangle of
  • Characteristics of Bullies and Victims
  • Components of Power and Control
  • The importance of Emotional Intelligence

Day 4        

  • Support, intervention, and Legal implications
  • Talking with Students about mental well – being
  • Examine the impact of social media on personal development.
  • Risk Identification and support strategies
  • Activities to ‘tease out’ the difference between bullying and management assertiveness. 
  • Resolution, conflict, and negotiation.

DAY 5      

  • Informing and Supporting Parents
  • Initiatives related to student behaviour.
  • Approaches to promoting mental well – being in the classroom.
  • Development of meaningful family, school, and community relationships
  • Developing Strategy
LOCATIONDATESSTATUSREGISTRATION
BARCELONA – SPAIN20.10.2025 – 24.10.2025CONFIRMEDregister
PALERMO – ITALY20.07.2026 – 24.07.2026CONFIRMEDregister
LIMASSOL – CYPRUS07.12.2026 – 11.12.2026CONFIRMEDregister