It's essential that the whole school community understands what cyberbullying is, what measures are in place to prevent it and, if it does take place, what action should be taken.
Your school should provide detailed guidance on cyberbullying, including the bullying of teachers in this way, in its Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) and Anti-Bullying Policy.
The former DCSF recommended that schools focus on five key areas when devising and implementing their anti-bullying strategy:
- Understand and talk about bullying with the whole school community.
- Update policies and practices so that they take account of cyberbullying - this will include your Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) for ICT equipment at school.
- Make it easy for students and teachers to report cyberbullying incidents.
- Promote the positive use of technology - make the most of opportunities in the curriculum (eg PSHE, ICT and Citizenship classes) and support nationwide campaigns such as Anti-Bullying Week.
- Evaluate the impact - as the digital landscape changes so fast, make sure that you measure the success of your strategy and update policies regularly.
You can find full details of these five areas in the Department for Education Cyberbullying Guidance and you might also find the film ‘Let's Fight It Together' useful .