First, make it safe for them to tell you
Anti-Bullying Week runs from 16 to 20 November 2026, with the theme ‘Break the Silence’. It is a reminder that a child saying ‘I don’t want to go to school’ may be telling us something important, even if they cannot explain it neatly. Bullying can happen in class, on the journey home, in a football team, a group chat or an online game.
If your child tells you they are being bullied, it is normal to feel furious or protective. But your first job is not to march into school or threaten another parent. It is to keep your child talking. Find a quiet moment and say, ‘Thank you for telling me. I’m glad you did. You deserve to feel safe, and we will work out what to do together.’
Listen without turning it into an interrogation
Open questions are usually more useful than demanding a complete timeline. Try ‘What happened?’, ‘Who was there?’, ‘Has this happened before?’ and ‘What are you most worried will happen next?’ Let pauses happen. Some children talk more freely side by side on a walk or drive than across a kitchen table.
Do not suggest they are too sensitive or that it is simply part of growing up. Avoid an automatic ‘ignore it’ or ‘hit back’. If the behaviour is repeated, targeted or connected to an imbalance of power, it may be bullying. Even a single serious incident deserves attention. Children can experience discriminatory bullying related to disability, race, religion, sex or sexuality. They may be especially worried that speaking up will make things worse.
Make a record that helps, not a dossier of anger
Write down dates, places, exact words where possible and how each incident affected your child. Save relevant messages or screenshots without circulating them among other parents or children. Note who was told and when. This gives the school something specific to investigate and helps you recognise whether the situation is improving.
If bullying involves a phone or online game, help your child use reporting, blocking and privacy tools. Don’t immediately remove their whole online social life as a punishment for telling you. Discuss what makes them feel safer and whether evidence needs to be preserved before blocking.
Work with the school, and agree a follow-up
Contact the class teacher, form tutor or head of year calmly and promptly. Ask for the school’s anti-bullying policy and who will be the safe person your child can speak to during the day. Explain the facts and the impact: anxiety at drop-off, missing lessons or avoiding a particular route. Ask what actions are proposed, how your child will be protected during the process and when you’ll receive an update.
Keep correspondence factual. A response such as ‘We’ve spoken to the children’ is not a complete plan if your child still feels unsafe. Agree a review date, and use the school’s published complaints procedure if the problem persists. The process differs by school type and nation, so check the relevant rules rather than making legal threats from a social-media template.
The NSPCC guidance for families explains practical steps for conversations and school meetings.
If your child has bullied someone else
You may get a difficult call telling you that your own child has hurt another child. Responding well still matters. Make it clear the behaviour is unacceptable, listen to what happened, and work with school on accountability and repair. Avoid labelling your child a ‘bully’ for life; the focus should be changing actions and understanding harm, not shame.
Talk about group chats, bystanders, exclusion and what being an ally looks like. Ask what they could do differently next time. Children learn from how we handle conflict at home as much as from any school poster. If your child is repeatedly harming others, ask whether emotional, developmental or other needs also require attention without using those needs as an excuse.
What a useful school follow-up looks like
After reporting bullying, ask the school for a review point rather than waiting indefinitely. Make a note of who will contact you, which part of the day is most difficult for your child and what immediate safety measures are in place. You are not necessarily entitled to private details about another pupil’s discipline, but you can reasonably ask how your child’s wellbeing will be supported and how incidents will be monitored. A change of seating, supervised lunchtime or designated trusted adult may help, depending on the circumstances.
After the meeting, send a short email summarising what you understand was agreed, without making threats. Check with your child separately. They may say everything is fine because they are frightened you will escalate it. Ask which parts of school feel safer, not only whether bullying has ‘stopped’. If things worsen, use the complaints pathway, independent advice or safeguarding route appropriate to the situation. Keep the focus on evidence, safety and your child’s voice.
Rebuild confidence outside the incident
A child being bullied can start to think the bullying says something true about them. Avoid promising that all other children will suddenly be kind. Instead, help them reconnect with places and people where they feel capable: a hobby, safe friend, sports club, creative group or family activity. Let them choose. Confidence grows through experiences of belonging, not through being told to toughen up. Praise specific decisions, such as speaking up or asking for support.
Bullying can affect sleep, appetite, attendance and mood. If those changes continue, ask the school and GP what additional help is available. Reassure children that responsibility lies with the person choosing harmful behaviour. The child does not need to become more popular or change their identity to deserve safety. Continue ordinary family routines where possible so that bullying is something you are addressing together, not the only subject you ever talk about.
What the official 2026 anti-bullying campaign asks
The Anti-Bullying Alliance confirms 16 to 20 November 2026 for Anti-Bullying Week and the theme Break the Silence. Its official coordination covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland; schools and organisations elsewhere may use different campaign materials. The message is to make it easier for children to speak up, be believed and see adults take meaningful action. Read the 2026 parent and carer resources.
Bullying is not identical to every argument or one-off disagreement, but isolated incidents may still be serious. Ask about frequency, targeting, power imbalance, prejudice and impact without insisting that your child label the experience correctly first. If a young person describes threats, violence or sexual abuse, follow safeguarding or emergency procedures rather than waiting for a school anti-bullying review.
When to seek more help
If you suspect violence, threats, sexual exploitation, serious harassment or immediate danger, follow safeguarding routes urgently. In an emergency call 999. For a child who wants independent support, Childline is available on 0800 1111 and online. You can also seek support through your GP, school pastoral team or YoungMinds.
Do not wait for the national awareness week. The useful thing a dad can do today is make a private promise and keep it: ‘You can tell me when something is wrong, and I will listen before I act.’ For related guidance, see our guide to children’s first phones and boundaries.
General safeguarding information, not a substitute for professional child protection or legal advice.
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