Better data gathering needed to help prevent bullying in schools, says official report

Around 22% of 13- to 14-year-olds in Ireland are thought to have experienced bullying, including both online and offline.

Ireland needs to collect more robust national data to help understand, prevent, and respond to school bullying, according to new Irish research analysing international education systems.

The study by University College Cork (UCC) and the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) calls for a new national bullying report, and a data collection and monitoring system, to "greatly improve" prevention and targeted supports for bullying.

The report, which was funded by the Department of Education, examined how Scotland, Norway, France, and Finland collect, analyse, and use information on bullying.

Bullying is recognised as a significant barrier, both here and internationally, to equitable, high-quality education, the report notes, and many countries have introduced national anti-bullying strategies and policies in response. 

However, without stronger statistical evidence, "it remains difficult to draw clear conclusions about the most promising approaches to reducing bullying and its consequences".

In Ireland, past studies have found more than one in five (22.4%) primary school students, and 11.8% of post-primary students, report victimisation through bullying.

"Forms of cyberbullying and blended bullying — where online harassment is often intertwined with offline victimisation — are now captured in prevalence rates of bullying," the report states. 

Data from the National Advisory Council for Online Safety suggests that 17% of 9- to 17-year-olds, and 22% of 13- to 14-year-olds, have experienced bullying, including both online and offline.

The prevalence of bullying is also "significantly higher" among marginalised and minority student groups. Students from poorer families, migrant, and gender non-conforming students are more vulnerable to bullying behaviour. 

What's your view on this issue?

You can tell us here

Ireland has made progress in understanding and addressing bullying, the report notes. The current national policy, Cineáltas, states that all incidents of bullying should be reported at school level.

The department’s inspectorate also plays a key role in supporting schools to prevent and address bullying through school self-evaluation advisory visits and programmes of inspection, the report notes. 

However, a large-scale, independently conducted survey of student experiences, repeated at regular intervals, could provide Ireland with robust information on the prevalence and nature of bullying. 

This is similar to the approach adapted in Finland. 

Dr Caoimhe Dempsey, co-author of the report, said Ireland has made important progress in understanding bullying in schools. 

"The next step is to ensure that we have the evidence needed to understand how experiences of bullying are changing over time and, crucially, to evaluate whether policies and interventions are making a difference,” she said.

Education minister Hildegard Naughton said: "I welcome this report, which was commissioned by my department, as it demonstrates how other countries are gathering national data to understand the prevalence of bullying behaviour in schools. 

"We will carefully consider its findings as we continue to implement Cineáltas.”