If, despite all your efforts to keep your email address, social network profile or mobile number private, a student contacts you and begins to bully you - or if you become aware of inappropriate online content about you, including photos or videos, that have been published without your permission - you need to take action immediately.
The following steps are based on guidance provided by the education union ATL:
Step 1: Save any emails/IMs/text messages or print out/take a screen shot of the content on the internet as evidence.
Step 2: Report the incident to a senior manager (eg head teacher) at your school - they should conduct a prompt investigation.
Step 3: If the investigation finds that a student (or group of students) has been cyberbullying you, they should be disciplined in line with the school's disciplinary procedures and asked to remove or amend the content in question. School guidelines should be followed in terms of informing the student's parents.
Step 4: If the student(s) refuses to remove or amend the content in question or if you are concerned about "cached” or stored content on the internet, the senior manager (or you) should contact the internet, social networking or mobile provider to ask them to investigate and take action.
Step 5: If the student's posting or behaviour is considered to be threatening and/or intimidating, the senior management should - with your consent - report the matter to the police.
Step 6: Your senior management team should offer you adequate emotional and practical support during the process - if they don't, contact your teaching union for assistance.
Dealing with cyberbullying is far from straightforward, but you can rest assured that many of the leading internet, social networking and mobile providers will help you in your investigations.
In many cases, cyberbullying is in breach of their terms and conditions and/or community guidelines and they will take the appropriate action against the perpetrator.
Many of them have formal reporting routes and can give you guidance on retaining evidence and containing incidents, for example, and they also work closely with the government, law enforcement agencies and charities to ensure that cyberbullying is dealt with appropriately.
You can find their contact details here.
Where can I find out more?
Refer to your school's Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) and Anti-Bullying Policy.
- Speak to your school's e-safety co-ordinator and anti-bullying co-ordinator.
- Read about real-life examples of cyberbullying incidents against teachers and get advice about what action to take if something similar happens to you here.
- Refer to the DCSF's ‘Cyberbullying: Supporting School Staff' guidance, developed in association with Childnet .
- Contact your union to discuss the action they are taking on the issue of cyberbullying against teachers. You can find contact details for the UK teaching unions here.
- If you don't feel that you have the tools or confidence to deal with cyberbullying, speak to your manager about your training and development needs.
- You might also be able to get support from your local authority and anti-bullying agencies such as the Anti-Bullying Alliance.