Inclusion, Wellbeing and School Safety

Peer Bullying Prevention

Safe schools are built, not assumed.

Inclusion and DiversityParticipation in Democratic LifeErasmus+ KA1 Eligible

About This Course

Bullying affects a significant proportion of students across Europe, with lasting consequences for wellbeing, academic performance and mental health. Yet most anti-bullying interventions in European schools remain reactive, poorly evidenced and ineffective. They respond to bullying after it has happened rather than preventing it, and they focus on the individuals involved rather than on the school climate that allowed it to develop.

This course gives education professionals a thorough, evidence-based and practically focused grounding in bullying prevention. Participants explore what the research tells us about why bullying happens and what actually stops it, develop whole-school approaches grounded in positive school climate, and design interventions that address the social dynamics of bullying rather than treating it as an individual behaviour problem.

The course addresses both face-to-face bullying and the overlapping challenge of cyberbullying, and is aligned with the Erasmus+ priorities of Inclusion and Diversity and Participation in Democratic Life.

Who Should Attend

  • Classroom teachers who want to create safer, more positive classroom cultures
  • School counsellors and pastoral leaders with responsibility for student wellbeing
  • School leaders developing whole-school anti-bullying policies and cultures
  • Special educational needs coordinators working with students who are targeted
  • Any education professional concerned about the social climate in their school

Learning Outcomes

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

  • Explain the research on bullying, its causes, its effects and what the evidence says about effective prevention.

    Most school anti-bullying programmes do not work, and some make things worse. You will know which approaches the evidence supports and which it undermines, and be able to make an evidence-informed case to colleagues and school leaders for a whole-school approach grounded in positive school climate.

  • Apply whole-school approaches to building a positive school climate that prevents bullying from developing.

    Bullying is not primarily an individual behaviour problem. It is a social and systemic one. Schools where bullying is rare share specific characteristics: strong adult-student relationships, clear and consistently enforced norms, high levels of student belonging and a culture where bystanders feel empowered to intervene.

  • Use restorative approaches to respond to bullying in ways that repair harm and change behaviour.

    Punitive responses to bullying are consistently less effective than restorative ones. You will have a working knowledge of restorative approaches and specific protocols for using them to respond to bullying incidents in ways that address the harm done, the relationship damaged and the behaviour that caused it.

  • Address cyberbullying as part of a coherent, integrated approach to school safety.

    Online and offline bullying are increasingly the same phenomenon. Students who are bullied face-to-face are often also targeted online, and vice versa. You will have an integrated approach to both that treats them as aspects of the same social dynamic rather than separate problems requiring separate programmes.

  • Develop a comprehensive anti-bullying policy and staff training plan for your school.

    Policies that sit in a drawer do not prevent bullying. You will design a policy that is coherent, practical, consistently enforced and understood by students, staff and parents. More importantly, you will have a plan for making it real through professional development, clear procedures and regular review.

    Participation in Democratic LifeCouncil of Europe Education for Democratic Citizenship

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 - Understanding Bullying
MorningWhat bullying actually is and is not. Research on prevalence, causes and consequences across Europe. Why most anti-bullying programmes do not work.
AfternoonThe social dynamics of bullying: bullies, targets, bystanders and defenders. Why whole-school approaches outperform individual interventions.
Day 3
Tuesday - Whole-School Approaches
MorningBuilding positive school climate: the foundation of bullying prevention. What high-functioning, low-bullying schools do differently.
AfternoonStudent voice, empowerment and peer support programmes. How to develop students as active agents in school safety rather than passive recipients of adult protection.
Day 4
Wednesday - Responding Effectively
MorningRestorative approaches to bullying. Introduction to restorative conversations, circles and conferences. Practice with role-play scenarios.
AfternoonSupporting targeted students. What targeted students need from their teachers and schools. Rebuilding confidence, connection and safety.
Day 5
Thursday - Designing Your Approach
MorningParticipants develop a whole-school anti-bullying action plan and policy outline for their own context. Peer review.
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

Council of Europe Education for Democratic CitizenshipEuropean Education Area 2021 to 2030EU 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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