Building respectful schools: addressing polarisation and bullying in schools

Disinformation, hostility on social media and widening socioeconomic gaps have made polarisation in educational settings a serious issue. Pupils’ capacity to participate in thoughtful, polite conversation is impacted by these rising tensions.

Bullying and violence remain a widespread problem in schools, and can have a significant negative impact on young people’s academic achievement and general wellbeing.

To tackle these issues, it is essential to understand their underlying causes, including socioeconomic inequities, a lack of mental health assistance, hate speech and stereotyping.

Depolarising dialogue in education

Developing pupils’ media literacy and critical thinking abilities is a first step toward civil discourse. Teaching pupils to assess the accuracy of internet sources and identify the negative consequences of stereotyping can reduce the use of discriminating and conflicting language. Encouraging free-flowing, organised class debates on contentious subjects can help provide pupils with the skills they need to handle delicate situations in a healthy way.

Teachers need the right tools and techniques to be able lead difficult discussions, ease tensions and help pupils understand different points of view from their own. In our webinar on ‘Depolarising dialogue: how to defuse tensions in education’, experts proposed strategies, such as restorative circle talks and multicultural exchange programmes, to help pupils develop empathy and understanding.

Addressing bullying and violence in schools

Establishing an inclusive school atmosphere in which kindness and respect are core principles is an important way to address and prevent bullying . Pupils can acquire empathy, self-control and conflict resolution skills through evidence-based practices such as social-emotional learning. Cooperative strategies that involve teachers, parents and children can also help create a unified front against bullying.

The COFACE Families Europe e-learning course on school bullying management is an example of how to provide educators with practical training in recognising and handling bullying so as to create safer and healthier workplaces for everyone.

Our webinar on ‘Addressing bullying and violence in schools: identifying root causes and discussing effective solutions’ focused on the importance of research-backed techniques for decreasing school violence. It also offered participants effective tactics to mitigate bullying, based on real-world examples.