Bullying in School

Research into bullying owes a substantial debt to the work of several Scandinavian pioneers, most notably Heinemann (1973), Olweus (1974), Pikas (1976, 1989), Roland (1983, 1988) and Roland and Munthe (1989). They have given us theoretical perspectives and models of working which have been only slowly influencing UK practitioners. Tattum (1988) has made the point that, in contrast, in the UK bullying has received scant attention from national and local authorities or from the teachers' unions. Schools have given it a low priority compared with disruptive behaviour and truancy. In the UK research into the problem has lagged far behind the lead offered by Pikas and others. There have been some attempts to place it on the national agenda (Orton, 1982) but UK efforts have been patchy. In spite of the debt, the Scandinavian research has left us with certain difficulties. These include both the theoretical models and the contrast in emphasis on work with victims and bullies rather than on the school as a whole. This paper considers both of these issues but concentrates on the broader perspective to intervention which has characterized the UK position and which is increasingly influencing work in Scandinavia.