School bullying is a problem that has had an impact on most of us. We know it can have long-term harms, we know it needs to be curtailed, but how? Cyber-bullying is a novel issue on the rise, and the topic is particularly pertinent in the UK where rates of bullying are greater than in other European countries. Different interventions have been trialled, from whole-school policy, through conflict resolution training, to teaching of wider social skills. Writing in the Lancet, Bonell et al report on a cluster randomised trial across 40 English schools, commencing in year 7, using the 'Learning Together' intervention that had aspects of each of these.1 It involved a facilitated school action group, staff coaching in 'restorative practice' and embedding emotional skills in the curriculum. The restorative practice aspect specifically facilitates victims communicating harms endured, and bullies acknowledging and amending their behaviour; it is increasingly used more globally to reduce antisocial behaviour, but had not been subjected to rigorous evaluation in schools.
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