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Bullying & Safeguarding: Protecting Children’s Rights

Bullying is repeated behaviour intended to hurt, intimidate, isolate or control another person. It can happen in school, outside school, online or through social groups.

About this guide

Bullying is repeated behaviour intended to hurt, intimidate, isolate or control another person. It can happen in school, outside school, online or through social groups.

If a child is in immediate danger, call 999. If you think a child is at risk of abuse or neglect, contact children's social care through the local council. If you think a non-emergency crime has been committed, contact police on 101.

1. Bullying

England: state schools must have a behaviour policy that includes measures to prevent all forms of bullying among pupils. Some conduct described as bullying may also be criminal, including violence or assault, theft, repeated harassment or intimidation and hate crime.

Bullying is repeated behaviour intended to hurt, intimidate, isolate or control another person. It can happen in school, outside school, online or through social groups.

Bullying may include:

  • Name-calling
  • Threats
  • Physical harm
  • Social exclusion
  • Rumours
  • Humiliation
  • Harassment
  • Damage to belongings
  • Online abuse
  • Discriminatory bullying

Useful links:

2. Disability Bullying

Disability discrimination is a separate legal issue. A disabled pupil does not need an EHCP before Equality Act protections or reasonable-adjustment duties can apply. In England, a school disability- discrimination claim can be made to the SEND Tribunal and normally must be received within 6 months of the alleged discrimination.

Disability bullying may involve targeting a child because of disability, SEND, medical needs, neurodivergence, communication differences, mobility, sensory needs or learning differences.

Examples include:

  • Mocking speech, movement or appearance
  • Excluding a child because of support needs
  • Taking advantage of vulnerability
  • Damaging equipment
  • Making jokes about disability
  • Online harassment
  • Refusing reasonable adjustments

Schools must consider equality duties and reasonable adjustments.

Useful links:

3. Racist Bullying

Safeguarding and discrimination: Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026 strengthened expectations on leaders to create inclusive, anti-discriminatory cultures and on practitioners to challenge racism and discrimination. Racist incidents may also engage school behaviour, safeguarding, equality and hate-crime routes depending on the facts.

Racist bullying includes behaviour targeting a child’s race, ethnicity, nationality, language, culture, religion or perceived background.

It may include:

  • Racist name-calling
  • Stereotyping
  • Exclusion
  • Racist jokes
  • Online hate
  • Religious or cultural harassment
  • Mocking language, hair, clothing or customs

Schools should record and respond to racist incidents seriously.

Useful links:

4. Cyberbullying

Online evidence warning: save ordinary messages, usernames, dates, URLs and screenshots where lawful and safe. However, if the material is a nude or semi-nude image of someone under 18, do not copy, forward or create extra copies of the image. Report it promptly to the school's Designated Safeguarding Lead and use appropriate police/CEOP/Report Remove routes.

Cyberbullying happens through phones, messaging apps, gaming platforms, social media, emails or online groups.

It may include:

  • Threats
  • Abusive messages
  • Sharing private images
  • Impersonation
  • Group exclusion
  • Fake accounts
  • Online rumours
  • Harassment
  • Pressure to share images
  • Hate speech

Practical steps:

  • Do not reply to abuse where possible
  • Screenshot evidence
  • Save usernames, dates and messages
  • Block and report accounts
  • Tell school if pupils are involved
  • Report criminal threats or image abuse to police

Useful links:

5. Peer-on-Peer Abuse

Current terminology: England's statutory safeguarding guidance commonly uses child-on-child abuse. This can include bullying, physical abuse, sexual violence or harassment, coercion, abuse in intimate relationships, online abuse and harmful sexual behaviour. Serious abuse should not be dismissed as “banter” or ordinary behaviour.

Peer-on-peer abuse means harm caused by another child or young person. It can include bullying, sexual harassment, physical abuse, coercion, exploitation, online abuse, intimidation or harmful sexual behaviour.

Schools should respond through safeguarding procedures, not treat serious abuse as ordinary behaviour.

Useful links:

6. School Safeguarding

England – 1 September 2026: Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026 comes into force on 1 September 2026. Until 31 August, schools and colleges continue using the 2025 version.

Schools must have safeguarding arrangements to protect children from harm.

Parents and carers can ask:

  • Who is the Designated Safeguarding Lead?
  • What is the safeguarding policy?
  • What action has been taken?
  • How will the child be kept safe?
  • Has the concern been recorded?
  • Has outside support been contacted?
  • What is the review date?

Useful links:

7. Child Protection

Section 47 – significant harm: where a local authority has reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm, section 47 of the Children Act 1989 requires enquiries to decide what action is needed to safeguard or promote the child's welfare.

Child protection is action taken when a child may be suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm.

Concerns may include:

  • Physical abuse
  • Emotional abuse
  • Sexual abuse
  • Neglect
  • Domestic abuse exposure
  • Exploitation
  • Online abuse
  • Serious bullying
  • Harmful sexual behaviour
  • Radicalisation risk

If worried, contact children’s social care through the local council.

Useful links:

8. Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse includes persistent behaviour that harms a child’s emotional wellbeing, confidence, identity or sense of safety.

It may include:

  • Humiliation
  • Threats
  • Intimidation
  • Isolation
  • Constant criticism
  • Manipulation
  • Exposure to domestic abuse
  • Severe bullying
  • Discrimination
  • Coercive control

Children affected by emotional abuse may show anxiety, withdrawal, anger, sleep problems, school avoidance, low confidence or changes in behaviour.

Useful links:

9. Online Safety

School filtering and monitoring: DfE's filtering and monitoring core standard was updated on 25 August 2026. Schools and colleges have safeguarding responsibilities online as well as offline and should have appropriate filtering and monitoring arrangements.

Online safety includes protecting children from harm through phones, social media, gaming, websites, livestreaming and messaging apps.

Risks may include:

  • Cyberbullying
  • Grooming
  • Sextortion
  • Harmful content
  • Image sharing
  • Scams
  • Online hate
  • Radicalisation
  • Exposure to sexual or violent material

Parents and carers can:

  • Talk calmly and regularly
  • Use privacy settings
  • Agree screen-time boundaries
  • Check age ratings
  • Encourage reporting
  • Avoid blaming the child
  • Save evidence if harm occurs

Useful links:

10. Reporting Concerns

Immediate danger: call 999. If a crime has been committed but there is no immediate danger, police can be contacted on 101. If a child may be at risk of abuse or neglect, contact children's social care through the local council.

Report concerns urgently if a child is unsafe.

Routes include:

  • Call 999 for immediate danger
  • Contact school safeguarding lead
  • Contact local authority children’s services
  • Contact police for crime, threats or sexual offences
  • Contact NSPCC for advice
  • Use CEOP for online sexual abuse or grooming concerns

Useful links:

11. Anti-Bullying Support

Support may include:

  • School anti-bullying policy
  • Pastoral support
  • Safeguarding referral
  • Counselling
  • SEND review
  • Reasonable adjustments
  • Restorative work where safe
  • Behaviour plans
  • Police involvement where criminal behaviour occurs

Useful links:

12. Legal Rights

Different legal routes can overlap. A serious bullying incident may engage the school's behaviour policy, safeguarding duties, Equality Act protections, SEND duties, criminal law and data-protection rules at the same time. The correct escalation route depends on the type of harm and the decision being challenged.

Children and young people may have rights relating to:

  • Safe education
  • Protection from bullying and harassment
  • Protection from discrimination
  • Reasonable adjustments for disability
  • Safeguarding and child protection
  • Protection from online abuse
  • Support for mental health impact
  • SEND support where bullying affects learning
  • Complaints and accountability routes

Relevant legal areas may include:

  • Equality Act 2010
  • Children Act safeguarding duties
  • Education law
  • Human rights law
  • Data protection law
  • Criminal law where threats, assault, hate crime or image abuse occur

Useful links:

13. Evidence Standards

Do not preserve illegal imagery by making extra copies. For online sexual-image incidents involving a person under 18, record the account name, platform, URL, date/time and surrounding non-image messages where safe, but do not forward, print or screenshot the sexual image itself. Seek safeguarding advice immediately.

Good evidence helps schools and agencies act quickly.

Keep:

  • Dates and times
  • Names of people involved
  • Witness details
  • Screenshots
  • Messages
  • Photos of injuries or damaged belongings
  • Medical notes
  • School emails
  • Behaviour records
  • Incident reports
  • Police reference numbers
  • Safeguarding records where shared
  • Timeline of concerns
  • Impact on attendance, learning and wellbeing

A good report should explain:

  • What happened
  • When it happened
  • Who was involved
  • Whether it has happened before
  • What evidence exists
  • Impact on the child
  • What protection is needed
  • What outcome is requested

Do not delete online evidence before saving copies.

14. Accountability & Complaints

Ofsted is not the individual safeguarding appeal body. Ofsted considers complaints about matters affecting a school more widely. Individual child-protection concerns should go to children's social care or police, while school complaints, discrimination claims and SEND routes have their own processes.

If the school response is not adequate:

  1. Report the concern in writing.
  2. Ask for the anti-bullying or safeguarding policy.
  3. Ask what action will be taken to keep the child safe.
  4. Ask for a named staff contact.
  5. Keep a timeline.
  6. Escalate to the headteacher.
  7. Use the school complaints policy.
  8. Escalate to governors, academy trust or local authority.
  9. Contact Ofsted only where concerns relate to wider safeguarding or school standards.
  10. Seek legal or specialist advice for discrimination, SEND, safeguarding or serious harm.

Useful links:

15. Quick Help Directory

Immediate Danger

999

Report Child Abuse to Local Council

https://www.gov.uk/report-child-abuse-to-local-council

Bullying at School

https://www.gov.uk/bullying-at-school

School Complaints

https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-school

Keeping Children Safe in Education

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2

NSPCC

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/

Childline

https://www.childline.org.uk/

CEOP Online Safety

https://www.ceop.police.uk/Safety-Centre/

Report Harmful Content

https://reportharmfulcontent.com/

Anti-Bullying Alliance

https://anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/

Kidscape

https://www.kidscape.org.uk/

Report Hate Crime

https://www.gov.uk/report-hate-crime

Equality Advisory Support Service

https://www.equalityadvisoryservice.com/

SEND Support

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-guide-for-parents-and-carers https://www.ipsea.org.uk/ https://contact.org.uk/

Key Message

Bullying, abuse and safeguarding concerns should never be dismissed as “normal school life.” Children and young people deserve safety, dignity and protection. Families should report concerns early, keep clear evidence, ask for written action plans and escalate where necessary. Schools and agencies should act in a child-focused, lawful and transparent way to prevent harm and support recovery.

Current safeguarding update • 2026

Important Safeguarding Changes & Guidance in 2026

Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026

The new statutory guidance applies in England from 1 September 2026. It sets out the safeguarding duties schools and colleges must follow for children under 18.

KCSIE 2026

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026

Updated on 18 March 2026. The revised statutory guidance strengthens expectations around anti-discriminatory practice, racism, coercive control, child sexual abuse, teenage relationship abuse and multi-agency child protection.

Working Together 2026

Online Filtering & Monitoring

DfE's filtering and monitoring core standard was updated on 25 August 2026. It says schools and colleges should provide a safe digital environment with appropriate filtering and monitoring.

Filtering & Monitoring Standard

Wales – New Bullying Guidance

Welsh Government published updated statutory Challenging bullying and harassment guidance in May 2026, covering prejudice-related bullying, online bullying, prevention, response and accountability.

Wales 2026 Bullying Guidance
Which route?

Bullying, Safeguarding, Crime or Discrimination?

The same incident can fall into more than one category. Identifying the route helps families report it to the body that has power to act.

Bullying / Behaviour

Repeated intimidation, humiliation, exclusion or other bullying behaviour should be reported under the school's behaviour and anti-bullying policies.

Bullying at School – GOV.UK

Safeguarding / Child Protection

Where there is abuse, exploitation, serious violence, sexual harm, coercion or a risk of significant harm, contact the Designated Safeguarding Lead and, where required, children's social care or police.

Report Child Abuse

Disability Discrimination

Disability-related bullying or a school's failure to make reasonable adjustments can engage the Equality Act. In England, school disability claims normally have a 6-month tribunal time limit.

Disability Discrimination Route

Crime / Hate Crime

Assault, violence, theft, repeated harassment or intimidation and hate crimes can be criminal. Call 999 for immediate danger or police 101 for non-emergency crime.

Report Hate Crime
Child-on-child abuse

When Harm From Another Child Becomes a Safeguarding Issue

Current safeguarding guidance recognises that children can abuse other children both in person and online. This can include bullying, physical harm, sexual harassment or violence, coercion, abuse in teenage relationships, exploitation and harmful sexual behaviour.

Do not dismiss serious behaviour as “just banter”, “part of growing up” or a friendship problem. Where the behaviour is abusive or creates a safeguarding risk, the school's child-protection procedures should be used.
Online sexual harm

Nudes, Sexual Images, Grooming & Online Exploitation

Incidents involving nude or semi-nude images of children need a safeguarding response. UK Council for Internet Safety guidance for education settings covers risk assessment, safeguarding, handling devices and imagery, recording and involving other agencies.

Do not forward or make new copies of sexual images of a child. School staff should immediately refer such incidents to the Designated Safeguarding Lead. Parents and young people can use CEOP for online sexual abuse or exploitation concerns, and under-18s can use Report Remove to seek removal of sexual images or videos of themselves from the internet.
Significant harm

Children's Social Care & Section 47 – England

Child protection is different from an ordinary school complaint. Where there is reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm, the local authority has a duty under section 47 of the Children Act 1989 to make enquiries.

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026 says section 47 enquiries are led by local-authority children's social care, with police, health, education and other relevant practitioners contributing to the multi-agency assessment.

School complaints

If the School Does Not Respond Properly – England

Most school complaints should first use the school's own complaints procedure. However, serious child-protection concerns should not wait for a lengthy school complaint if a child is currently unsafe.

School Complaints Procedure

Every school in England must have a complaints procedure. Keep written complaints, decision letters and notes of meetings.

State School Complaints

Department for Education

DfE can consider certain complaints where the school's procedure was mishandled or blocked, a child is not receiving education, or a child has been exposed to harm.

Complain to DfE

Ofsted

Ofsted considers complaints about matters affecting a school as a whole. It cannot resolve an individual dispute or change the outcome of a school's complaint. Safeguarding concerns may be referred to police or social services.

Complain to Ofsted

Police / Children's Social Care

Use police or children's social care where the issue is crime, abuse, neglect, exploitation or immediate safeguarding risk rather than waiting for the school complaint process.

Report Safeguarding Concern
UK nations

Bullying & Child Protection Across the UK

Education and child-protection systems are devolved. The detailed KCSIE, Children Act section 47 and DfE complaint information above is primarily for England.

England

Use Keeping Children Safe in Education and Working Together to Safeguard Children, together with school policies and local safeguarding arrangements.

England Safeguarding

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has separate school safeguarding guidance and the Addressing Bullying in Schools Act (Northern Ireland) 2016. Schools must maintain anti-bullying policies and records under that framework.

NI Safeguarding Guidance NI Anti-Bullying Framework
Official sources

Key Official Safeguarding, Bullying & Reporting Sources

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