Anti-Bullying Week: Bullying in schools plummets
New research from the Department for Education reveals that approximately 30,000 fewer year 10 pupils are being bullied in 2014, compared to 2005.
According to data gathered in 2005, 41% of young people in year 10 said they had been bullied in the last 12 months. The figure dropped to 36% in 2014.
The types of bullying included in the study were:
- name calling (22%)
- social exclusion (15%)
- robbery (1%)
- threats of violence (14%)
- actual violence (10%)
- cyber-bullying (11%)
The DfE notes that the most significant decrease in bullying is in both threats of violence and actual violence: “threats of violence used to affect 1 in 5 young people in 2005, and affected closer to 1 in 7 in 2014”.
However, the figures chart the rise of the new category of cyber-bullying; while the research conducted in 2005 did not include questions about cyber-bullying, 11% of the latest cohort said they had experienced it.
When asked why they think bullying occurs, both male and female pupils believe looks are the main reason, but a big proportion of those surveyed remain uncertain.
On a regional level, the percentage of young people reporting bullying in the last year reaches 39%. The highest figures were recorded in the South West (42%), followed by the East Midlands (40%). London ranks at the bottom of the list with only 32%.