Bullying at School: What Parents Can Do, Step by Step, and What the Law Makes Schools Do
Bullying at school is something every school in England has a legal duty to prevent and deal with, and that duty is your strongest lever as a parent. Maintained schools must build anti-bullying measures into their behaviour policy; academies and independent schools must run an effective anti-bullying strategy. What helps most is a written record, a clear request and a known route if the school does not act. This page covers all three, plus where the police, the council and the Department for Education come in.
What counts as bullying
The Department for Education’s advice for schools, Preventing and tackling bullying, defines it as behaviour by an individual or group, repeated over time, that intentionally hurts another individual or group either physically or emotionally. It notes that bullying often involves an imbalance of power and is frequently motivated by prejudice: race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, special educational needs or disability, or because a child is adopted, in care or a young carer.
It covers cyberbullying through messages, social media and gaming, including images and video. A one-off fight or falling-out is not bullying in that sense, but a school still has to deal with it under its behaviour policy, and one serious incident can be enough to involve the police.
What the law makes schools do
- Maintained schools: section 89 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 requires measures to encourage good behaviour and prevent all forms of bullying among pupils. They must be part of the behaviour policy and communicated to pupils, staff and parents.
- Academies, free schools and private schools: the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 require the proprietor to make sure bullying is prevented so far as reasonably practicable, by drawing up and implementing an effective anti-bullying strategy.
- Equality Act 2010: schools must not discriminate against, harass or victimise pupils, and state schools must meet the Public Sector Equality Duty. Prejudice-based bullying sits squarely within this.
- Safeguarding: where there is reasonable cause to suspect a child is suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm, bullying must be treated as a child protection concern under the Children Act 1989 and referred to the council’s children’s social care.
Read the school’s behaviour policy before you meet anyone. Most schools publish it on their website. It tells you what the school has promised to do, and quoting it back is far more effective than a general complaint.
Step 1: keep a record
Start a simple log: date, time, place, what happened, who was involved, who saw it, and how your child was affected. Screenshot messages and posts with the date and the sender’s name visible before anything is deleted. Keep notes of every conversation with the school too. A dated record turns “my child is unhappy” into specific incidents the school can investigate.
Ask your child what they want to happen. Many children fear that reporting will make things worse, so agree the next step together where you can.
Step 2: talk to the class teacher or form tutor
Most bullying is resolved here. Ask for a meeting rather than a corridor chat. Bring the log, explain what has happened, and ask three things: what the school will do, who will be in charge of it, and when you will hear back. In secondary schools the head of year or pastoral lead is often the right person after the tutor.
Avoid approaching the other child or their parents yourself. It rarely helps and can leave your child in a worse position at school.
Step 3: put it in writing to the headteacher
If nothing changes within the time agreed, write to the headteacher. Keep it short: the incidents with dates, what was agreed at the meeting, what has happened since, and what you are asking for now. That might be a safety plan, changes to seating or supervision at break, a named adult your child can go to, or sanctions under the behaviour policy. Email is fine and gives you a dated copy.
Step 4 and 5: the formal complaints procedure
Every school in England must have a complaints procedure, usually on its website. Use it if the head’s response does not resolve things. The final stage at most state schools is a panel of governors or trustees, which hears from you and the school. Our page on how to complain about a school walks through the stages and timescales.
Step 6: the Department for Education
For maintained schools, academies and free schools, you can complain to the DfE once you have completed the school’s procedure. You can go to the DfE sooner if a child is not getting an education, has been exposed to harm, or the school is stopping you from following its procedure. The DfE checks whether the school handled the complaint properly; it cannot order an apology or compensation.
For private schools, the DfE does not investigate individual complaints, but it can act as regulator, including arranging an emergency inspection, where there is a serious failure on pupil welfare.
Bullying outside school and online
A lot of bullying now happens on the bus, in town or on phones in the evening. Sections 90 and 91 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 let schools discipline pupils for behaviour off the premises where that is reasonable, such as on school or public transport, outside local shops or online. Any sanction is carried out at school or on a school trip. If the school says it is “not a school matter”, check what its behaviour policy says about conduct outside school.
For cyberbullying, report and block on the platform as well as telling the school, and keep the screenshots first.
When to involve the police or the council
Bullying is not itself a criminal offence, but some of what happens can be: assault, theft, threats, harassment under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, hate crime, or sending grossly offensive or threatening messages under the Malicious Communications Act 1988 and the Communications Act 2003. Call 999 if a child is in immediate danger and 101 otherwise. If you think a child is at risk of serious harm, contact your local council’s children’s services.
If your child stops going to school
Do not simply keep your child at home without telling the school. Unexplained absence can lead to attendance action, including fines, under the rules in our page on school attendance rules. Tell the school in writing that bullying is the reason, ask for a meeting about a safe return, and ask your GP for help if your child’s health is affected.
Changing schools
If the situation cannot be fixed, you can apply for an in-year place at another school through your council or the school, depending on local arrangements. Our page on in-year school admissions explains how that works. A school that is full can refuse, but you can appeal, and documented bullying at the current school can form part of your case.
If your child has SEND
Disabled children and those with special educational needs are bullied more often, and the school’s duties under the Equality Act and the Children and Families Act 2014 sit alongside its anti-bullying duties. Discrimination claims about a disabled child can go to the SEND Tribunal within six months. See SEND rights at school for the detail.
Sources: DfE, Preventing bullying (updated 9 July 2026), including the advice Preventing and tackling bullying; GOV.UK, Complain about a school; Education and Inspections Act 2006, section 89. Checked 26 October 2026. Back to the Schools Insight homepage.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do first if my child is being bullied at school?
Write down what has happened, with dates, names and any screenshots, then contact your child’s class teacher or form tutor and ask for a meeting. Follow up in writing so there is a dated record of what you reported and what the school agreed to do.
Does a school have to act on bullying?
Yes. Section 89 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 requires maintained schools to have measures to prevent all forms of bullying as part of their behaviour policy, and academies and independent schools must have an effective anti-bullying strategy under the Independent School Standards.
Can a school deal with bullying that happens outside school?
Yes, where it is reasonable. Sections 90 and 91 of the 2006 Act let schools discipline pupils for behaviour off the premises, such as on the school bus, at the shops or online, although any sanction is carried out at school.
Is bullying a crime?
Bullying is not a specific offence in the UK, but some of it can be: assault, harassment, threats, hate crime and sending grossly offensive or threatening messages are all offences. Report those to the police on 101, or 999 in an emergency.
Who can I complain to if the school does nothing?
Use the school’s formal complaints procedure first, which usually ends with a governors’ panel. If that does not resolve it, a state school complaint can go to the Department for Education, which checks whether the school followed its procedure properly.
Can I move my child to another school because of bullying?
Yes. You can apply for an in-year place at any school through your council or the school, depending on local arrangements. There is no guarantee of a place at a full school, but bullying evidence can be relevant if you need to appeal.