ANTI-BULLYING TEAMS

ii Bullying is a significant societal problem in schools, having serious implications for both victims and perpetrators. While there have been many interventions developed to try and combat bullying in schools, many of these interventions are not formally evaluated. The current study evaluated an anti-bullying intervention that adopts a restorative approach that uses peer-led Undercover Anti-bullying Teams (UABTs) to combat bullying in the classroom. To evaluate this approach, the current study implemented the use of a pre-test/post-test experimental design in additional to qualitative interview data. The results suggest that following the intervention, there was a significant reduction in victimisation and a significant increase in students ’ perceptions of personal support from other students in the class. Additionally, a number of themes emerged to suggest feelings of “inclusion ” and “social support ” were helpful to reduce distress for victims, and to help them feel more confident in the classroom. Additionally, the central elements of “autonomy ” and “teamwork ” that are inherent in the UABT intervention were helpful for team members i