Inclusion, Wellbeing and School Safety

Cyber Bullying and Digital Safety

Online harm is real harm. Schools need to respond.

Inclusion and DiversityDigital TransformationErasmus+ KA1 Eligible

About This Course

Cyberbullying is not a new form of an old problem. It is a qualitatively different experience: always on, inescapable at home, potentially visible to a limitless audience and leaving a permanent digital record. For young people who are targeted, it can be among the most isolating and damaging experiences of their lives. For schools, it presents challenges that traditional anti-bullying approaches are simply not equipped to handle.

This course gives education professionals a current, comprehensive and practically focused grounding in cyberbullying and digital safety. Participants explore the specific characteristics of online harm, develop strategies for prevention and response that account for the unique nature of digital environments, and build the digital literacy and confidence to address these issues effectively with students, parents and colleagues.

The course connects to DigComp 3.0 Area 4 on Safety, the EU Strategy for a Better Internet for Kids, the Digital Education Action Plan and the Erasmus+ priorities of Digital Transformation and Inclusion and Diversity.

Who Should Attend

  • Teachers and school counsellors dealing with cyberbullying incidents
  • ICT coordinators and digital safety leads
  • School leaders developing digital safety policies
  • Pastoral staff responsible for student wellbeing online and offline
  • Any teacher who wants to address online safety more confidently

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course participants will be able to:

  • Explain the specific characteristics of cyberbullying that distinguish it from face-to-face bullying and require different responses.

    Cyberbullying is persistent, pervasive and permanent in ways that face-to-face bullying is not. A cyberbullied student cannot leave it at school gates. A single incident can reach an audience of thousands. These differences require genuinely different responses, not just the same anti-bullying approach applied to a screen.

  • Apply evidence-based prevention strategies that address the online social dynamics behind cyberbullying.

    Prevention is more effective than response. You will have a range of prevention approaches that address the social norms, bystander behaviour and digital citizenship practices that either enable or prevent cyberbullying.

  • Respond effectively to cyberbullying incidents including evidence preservation, reporting and support for affected students.

    When a cyberbullying incident is reported, teachers often feel uncertain about what to do. You will have a clear, step-by-step protocol for responding: how to gather evidence, which authorities to involve, how to support the targeted student and how to address the behaviour of those responsible.

  • Teach digital citizenship and online safety in ways that are age-appropriate and genuinely effective.

    Online safety education that consists of warnings and rules is consistently ineffective. You will have a range of approaches that develop genuine digital citizenship competences: the ability to make good decisions online, to support peers who are targeted and to seek help when needed.

  • Develop a school-wide digital safety policy that addresses cyberbullying as part of a coherent online safety framework.

    You will develop a policy outline that addresses cyberbullying within a broader framework of digital safety and citizenship, covers the responsibilities of students, staff and parents, and provides clear procedures for reporting, responding and preventing recurrence.

    Digital Transformation PriorityEU Strategy for a Better Internet for Kids

A 7-Day Professional Development Experience

The Sude Nexus programme combines five days of intensive professional training with a structured arrival day and a cultural excursion day. The outline below gives a general sense of the week. We are always open to tailoring the programme to your needs.

Day 1
Sunday - Arrival and Welcome

Participants arrive at their chosen destination and are welcomed by the Sude Nexus local team. Check-in to accommodation, welcome pack distribution and an informal welcome dinner. A brief orientation walk introduces the city.

Day 2
Monday - The Landscape of Online Harm
MorningWhat cyberbullying is, what it is not and what the research tells us about its prevalence, causes and consequences. How online harm differs from offline harm.
AfternoonThe platforms and the behaviours: where cyberbullying happens and how it works across different digital environments from messaging apps to social media to gaming.
Day 3
Tuesday - Prevention and Digital Citizenship
MorningBystander intervention in digital spaces. Why online bystanders are often complicit and how to develop a culture where students intervene rather than watch.
AfternoonTeaching digital citizenship. Age-appropriate approaches to online safety education that develop genuine competence rather than rule-following.
Day 4
Wednesday - Response and Support
MorningResponding to cyberbullying incidents: evidence, reporting, authorities and pastoral support. Step-by-step protocol for teachers and school leaders.
AfternoonSupporting targeted students and addressing perpetrator behaviour. Restorative and therapeutic approaches in the cyberbullying context.
Day 5
Thursday - Policy and Whole-School Approach
MorningDeveloping a school digital safety policy. Participants work on policy outlines for their own context.
AfternoonAction planning and farewell dinner.
Day 6
Friday - Action Planning and Sharing
MorningParticipants develop their personal and institutional action plan. Structured peer review and feedback.
AfternoonPresentations, certificates and farewell. Participant presentations, certificate ceremony, evaluation and farewell dinner.
Day 7
Saturday - Cultural Excursion and Departure

Guided cultural excursion to a key landmark of the destination. Participants travelling home are free to depart after breakfast.

This outline is a starting point, not a fixed schedule. Contact us to discuss how we can tailor this programme for your institution.

EU Policy Alignment

Erasmus+ 2026 Horizontal Priorities

EU Competence Frameworks

EU Policy Initiatives

EU Strategy for a Better Internet for KidsDigital Education Action Plan 2021 to 2027EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child 2021 to 2025
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Available Locations and Dates

This course is available across all 13 Sude Nexus destinations. Check the dates page for current availability.

Check Dates and Availability

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