Free cyberbullying resources for teachers

Following research by YoungMinds and The Children’s Society, we look at some resources that teachers can use to talk to their students about cyberbullying.

YoungMinds and The Children’s Society, have carried out a survey of children and young people aged 11-25 to hear about their views and experiences of cyberbullying. Their survey found that:

At UKSIC we have created many adaptable and practical resources for teachers and other educators to effectively prevent and respond to bullying online. Targeted at different ages and groups of young people, these engaging free resources aim to empower young people to create kinder online communities and how they can report if they experience or witness cyberbullying.

For use with pupils aged 11-14 years old

Childnet, as part of their work in the UK Safer Internet Centre, have create a practical online safety PSHE toolkit with films and lesson plans to explore online issues with pupils aged 11-14 years old. This toolkit is a PSHE Association Quality-Assured Resource and has sections on peer pressure and cyberbullying.

Throughout the toolkit there are films, lesson plans, guidance and worksheets. The Crossing the Line toolkit is aimed at secondary school student, however the videos used throughout are rated PG and there are activities within the toolkit which are signposted as being suitable for younger years.

For school staff

Childnet’s cyberbullying guidance is designed to support schools in preventing and responding to cyberbullying.  This resource gives clear guidance for school staff and comprises of four main sections;

This guidance has been shaped by a range of experts in this area who formed part of an Advisory Board, as well as the voice of young people on this subject area.

Advice for headteachers and school staff

Non-statutory advice from the Department for Education, for head teachers and school staff, on how to protect yourself from cyber bullying and how to tackle it if it happens.

For students, teachers, parents and carers

Enable is a pan-European anti-bullying programme, aimed at developing social and emotional learning skills as a means of building resilience in young people, so that they can better understand and become more responsible and effective for their on and offline social interactions.

Packs for use with 3-11 year olds, 11-19 year olds and parents

Our Safer Internet Day 2016 education packs tackle the issues around online hate. These resource packs are tailored for different ages, there is a pack for 3-11 year olds (primary) and 11-19 year olds (secondary), as well as the parent and carer pack, and Welsh translations of each.

These packs provide lots of great ideas to help schools, youth groups, libraries and other organisations talk about online hate.

For all year groups

SWGfL (South West Grid for Learning) has created free digital literacy and citizen schemes of learning. These include medium term plans, individual lesson plans and links to resources and activities. These are designed to empower pupils and students to think critically, behave safely, and participate responsibly in our digital world.

There are specific lessons and activities on cyberbullying on the Digital Literacy website.

For use with 11 to 15 year olds, adaptable for KS2 students

Childnet’s award winning film, Let’s fight it together, helps sensitise people to the hurt and pain that can be caused by cyberbullying. The film shows ways in which cyberbullying can occur, who it involves, how it can affect different people, and what can be done to prevent and respond to it.

The Lets fight It Together film is designed to be used with 11 to 15 year olds, however many KS2 teachers are now also using the film with their classes.

For use with 7-11 year olds

These films follow the adventures of Captain Kara and her SMART crew as they navigate the online world.

The SMART rules are designed to teach primary school pupils about the things they should remember when going online. The T in SMART stands for Tell, meaning that young people should tell an adult if they are concerned about anything that they see online.

To be used with children aged 3 to 7 year old

Help arrives just in time for Digiduck® when faced with a difficult decision. This book allows you to follow Digiduck® and his pals in this story of friendship and responsibility online.

The Digiduck® collection has been created to help parents and teachers educate children aged 3 – 7 about how to be a good friend online.  The collection now includes a book, PDF and interactive app.

To be used with children aged 3 to 7 year old

Smartie the Penguin is an online safety story for 3 to 7 year olds. In the presentation you and your students can learn Mummy Penguin’s song and help teach Smartie about online safety issues such as cyberbullying.

To be used with deaf young people

The UKSIC and Childnet’s Be Safe and Smart Online is a set of resources created in partnership with The National Deaf Children’s Society. They are designed to help and support deaf young people and their parents, carers and teachers to help and remind them how to stay safe online.

To be used with young people with autism spectrum disorders

Childnet have created the STAR toolkit to give practical advice and teaching activities to help educators explore online safety with young people with autism spectrum disorders in Key Stage 3 and 4.

The STAR toolkit covers the areas of: safe, trust, action, and respect. The respect section looks at being kind online and the importance of being a considerate online citizen.

For professionals working with young people

The Professionals Online Safety Helpline was set up in 2011 to help the children’s workforce with online safety issues.

The POSH Helpline can help with any online safety issues, including;- privacy, online reputation, gaming, grooming, cyberbullying, sexting and inappropriate behaviour on social media.

As the only helpline in the UK solely dedicated to supporting the children’s workforce, POSH are unique in their relationships within industry. They have direct channels to escalate concerns to social media companies and many websites. The helpline is available Monday to Friday 10am – 4pm. You can call them on: 0344 381 4772 or email: helpline@saferinternet.org.uk

The Anti-Bullying Alliance is a coalition of organisations and individuals working together to stop bullying and create safer environments in which children and young people can live, grow, play and learn. 

The Mix is a support service for young people, offering help on whatever challenge young people are facing, such as mental health, money, break-ups and drugs.

Childline is a free confidential helpline for anyone under 19 in the UK with trained counsellors are here to support with a range of issues. Call 0800 1111

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