What the law says about bullying

Every school must have measures in place to deal with all forms of bullying. You can ask to see their anti-bullying policy for more information.

Bullying in itself is not a specific criminal offence in the UK, but some types of bullying are illegal.

This includes bullying that involves:

• violence or assault
• theft
• harassment and intimidation
• threatening behaviour
• sending abusive emails or text messages
• hate crime.

More information about bullying and the law can be found on the Anti-Bullying Alliance website.

Should I involve the police?

This is what the Metropolitan Police say about involving the police in cases of bullying.

Can the police come into school or college and arrest bullies?

This doesn’t usually happen because most schools have measures in place to tackle bullying early. If they work together, pupils, teachers and parents are much better placed to prevent bullying than the police.

What if the bullying is serious and involves physical assault?

In some circumstances, the school may call in the police. This is generally as a last resort or because something very serious has happened.

If a young person is continually getting involved in bullying behaviour including violence, theft or harassment, they may be given an Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO).

Anyone – a teacher, parent or pupil – can make a complaint about bullying to the police if they feel it’s serious. In most cases, we recommend you try talking to your teachers or another responsible adult first.

The Equality Act 2010 in England, Scotland and Wales makes it illegal to discriminate against, harass or victimise a person because of their disability. The Public Sector Equality Duty, which came into force in April 2011, requires public bodies (local authorities and schools) to have due regard to the need to:

• eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited under the Equality Act
• advance equality of opportunity between disabled people and non-disabled people
• foster good relations between disabled and non-disabled people.

This means that consideration of equality issues must influence local authorities and schools when they make decisions about how they act as a responsible body, how they develop, evaluate and review policy and how they design, deliver and evaluate services.

For more detailed information on the Equality Act, download the NDCS factsheet Discrimination and your deaf child's rights: How the Equality Act protects deaf children.

You can find more information about the Equality Act in our Parenting and Family Life section.