A survey to mark this year’s Anti-Bullying Week finds that 26% of teachers say that banter is a “serious problem” in their schools.
However, at the same time, 84% of around 900 teachers surveyed said that they have not received any training on responding to often challenging situations involving “banter”.
The research by Nottingham Trent University found that the biggest problem for teachers (84% in the survey) is knowing when banter has crossed that line to become bullying behaviour.
Of the respondents, 64% said they had no school policy on this issue and 62% agreed that the line between banter and bullying was often “fine and subjective”.
In a separate study, researchers at Goldsmiths, University of London, found that 1 in 4 children (23%) report being frequently bullied face-to-face. This figure rises to 29% for children with SEND and 28% for disadvantaged pupils. The research involved around 65,000 pupils and 1 in 20 (5%) said they were being frequently bullied online.
The study also found that 6% of the pupils admitted to often bullying others.
Anti-Bullying Week takes place this week (November 13-17) and its theme is Make a Noise, encouraging children and young people – as well as adults themselves – not to stay silent about bullying.
The initiative is coordinated in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by the Anti-Bullying Alliance and a range of resources are available to support schools’ anti-bullying work.
Martha Evans, director of the Anti-Bullying Alliance, wrote in SecEd recently outlining eight key elements that help teachers to identify banter that has crossed the line. These eight elements, which are expanding upon in the article, are:
- The topic.
- The relationship with the person.
- Where the banter is happening.
- Whether the banter is repeated.
- The intent behind the banter.
- The size of the audience.
- The reactions of the target.
- Interpreting the online world.
Speaking this week, Ms Evans said: "Banter is a fun part of communication, but too often bullying behaviours are dismissed as ‘just banter’. Recognising the fine line between banter and bullying is crucial for the development and emotional wellbeing of our children.
“We want to see schools having these conversations with pupils. We must empower educators with the confidence to support children, fostering an environment where every child's voice is heard and respected and we hope Anti-Bullying Week can help achieve this."
Professor Lucy Betts from Nottingham Trent University added: “Our research has shown that there is a fine and subjective line between banter and bullying. In most cases, sharing jokes and banter with friends can be fun and can help strengthen these friendships.
“However, when the banter stops being funny or when it crosses the line of acceptability, these behaviours may become bullying. Therefore, we are delighted to have had the opportunity to work with the Anti-Bullying Alliance to develop resources for Anti-Bullying Week.”
- For more details and to access anti-bullying resources, visit https://anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/anti-bullying-week-2023-make-noise-about-bullying/school-resources