Focus on Bullying: A Prevention Program for Elementary - Education

In a school free of bullying, language, race, cultural, and ethnic differences
are valued, and positive, socially responsible behaviour is emphasized.
As well, a school-wide plan is in place that details clear and consistent
behavioural expectations for all students, and encourages constructive
ways to solve problems. Consequences for bullying behaviour are clear
and consistently enforced. Children who bully are given opportunities to
make restitution to individuals, and to the school community. Bullying
is a learned behaviour, and it can be unlearned.
The safe and welcoming school protects the learning environment for
all students and integrates comprehensive programs to teach pro-social,
violence-prevention interpersonal skills across the curriculum. The provincially
mandated Personal Planning K-7 Integrated Resource Package
remains a powerful tool to examine issues of social and emotional
development. <strong>Focus</strong> on Bullying, as a resource for implementing the
personal planning curriculum, provides a series of Kindergarten to
Grade 7 lesson plans that provide all students in the school an opportunity
to explore their questions about bullying, learn to understand the
problem, and begin to reflect upon their own attitudes and behaviours
toward peers. <strong>Focus</strong> on Bullying also helps strengthen a positive school
culture by promoting a sense of belonging among students, and by
teaching students how and when to seek help from adults and other
children, thereby helping to create a school environment free of bullying.
The research on bullying-prevention programs is unambiguous. Schools
that implement a comprehensive program emphasizing a positive
school climate and challenging bullying behaviour of students can
make a difference.
Overview: Using this Resource
The purpose of <strong>Focus</strong> on Bullying is to assist schools in developing and
implementing a detailed action plan that strengthens the physical,
social, and psychological safety of schools and reduces the incidence of
bullying. The following table outlines the three main objectives of
<strong>Focus</strong> on Bullying and shows where in this resource the information for
achieving each objective can be found.
2 <strong>Focus</strong> on Bullying: A Prevention Program for Elementary School Communities