Bullying and School Helplines
Bullying is rarely a single incident. It is repeated, deliberate behaviour that hurts a child physically or emotionally, and it can happen in person, online, or both. Schools in England have a legal duty under the Education and Inspections Act 2006, reflected in Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025 (KCSiE 2025), to have a behaviour policy that prevents bullying among pupils. If you are not sure how serious a situation is, or you need to escalate beyond the school, the helplines below offer practical, confidential advice for parents, carers, and young people.
Immediate danger — call 999
If a child has been physically attacked, is making threats of self-harm or suicide because of bullying, or you are worried about their immediate safety, call 999. For urgent mental health support, the child can text SHOUT to 85258 or call Childline on 0800 1111.
What to report
- •Repeated name-calling, exclusion, or humiliation by classmates
- •Physical bullying — pushing, hitting, taking belongings
- •Online bullying that continues out of school hours and into evenings or weekends
- •Discrimination, including racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, or faith-based bullying
- •A school that has not responded to a bullying complaint, or has dismissed it
How to report
BullyingUK — Family Lives helpline
When to use
When you want practical advice for parents, carers, or young people about any kind of bullying
How to contact
Call 0808 800 2222 (free, Mon-Fri 9am-9pm, Sat-Sun 10am-3pm) or use the email and live chat at bullying.co.uk. Run by the charity Family Lives.
What to expect
Trained advisers will discuss what is happening, talk through options, and help you prepare for a meeting with school. They can also support a child directly.
Kidscape — Parent Advice Line
When to use
When a parent or carer wants tailored advice about how to handle a bullying situation, including suggested wording for school letters
How to contact
Call 020 7823 5430 (Mon-Tue 9.30am-2.30pm; check website for current hours) or visit kidscape.org.uk for resources and ZAP assertiveness workshops for children.
What to expect
Kidscape advisers help parents work through next steps with the school, including how to raise concerns formally and what the school's duties are.
Anti-Bullying Alliance — signposting
When to use
When you need to find local anti-bullying services, school resources, or guidance for SEND or disabled children
How to contact
Visit anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk. The Alliance is hosted by the National Children's Bureau and signposts to its member organisations and toolkits.
What to expect
The Alliance does not run a helpline but provides curated resources, including guidance during Anti-Bullying Week each November.
Childline — for the child themselves
When to use
When the child wants to speak to someone in confidence
How to contact
The child can call 0800 1111 (free, 24/7), or use 1-2-1 chat at childline.org.uk. They can also post anonymously on the Childline message boards.
What to expect
Childline counsellors will listen without judgement and help the child decide what they want to do. They will only share information without permission if there is a serious risk to life.
School complaints route — escalation
When to use
When the school has not resolved a bullying concern through its anti-bullying or behaviour policy
How to contact
Stage 1: write to the class teacher or head of year. Stage 2: write to the headteacher requesting a formal response under the school's complaints policy. Stage 3: write to the chair of governors (or academy trust). Stage 4: if a statutory duty has been breached, complain to the Department for Education (state schools and academies) or the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (maintained schools) where relevant.
What to expect
Schools must respond in line with their published complaints policy. KCSiE 2025 makes clear that bullying — including online bullying between pupils — is a safeguarding issue when it puts a child at risk of harm, and must be handled accordingly.
NSPCC Helpline — when bullying becomes a safeguarding issue
When to use
When bullying involves abuse, sexual harassment, or harm severe enough to be a safeguarding concern
How to contact
Call 0808 800 5000 (free, 24/7) or email [email protected].
What to expect
Advisers can help you decide whether to escalate to children's services, police, or the local authority, and can make a referral on your behalf.
Evidence checklist
Gather this information before or during your report. Do not delay reporting while collecting evidence — but preserve what you can.
- A dated diary of incidents — what happened, where, who was involved, who witnessed it
- Screenshots of any online messages or posts, with usernames and timestamps visible
- Copies of any communication with the school — emails, letters, meeting notes
- The school's anti-bullying policy and complaints policy (published on the school website)
- Any medical or pastoral notes about the impact on the child's wellbeing
- Names of other children who may also be affected
What to say
You do not need to use a script, but this template may help if you are nervous about making the call. Adapt it to your circumstances.
"I am calling about ongoing bullying of a child aged [age] at [school name] in Year [X]. It started around [date] and involves [brief description — name-calling, exclusion, online messages, physical incidents]. The child mainly involved is [first name or initial]. I have raised this with [class teacher / head of year / headteacher] on [date] and the response was [summary]. I would like advice on what to do next."
What happens next
Most bullying situations are resolved at school level once they are formally raised. The school should apply its behaviour and anti-bullying policy, speak to the children involved, and put a monitoring plan in place. If a school does not respond appropriately, the complaints escalation route ends with the governing body and, where statutory duties are not being met, the Department for Education, Ofsted (for systemic safeguarding failures), or the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. Throughout, helplines such as BullyingUK and Kidscape can support the family.
What not to do
- ✗Do not contact the other child's parents directly without involving the school — this can escalate the conflict
- ✗Do not encourage the child to fight back or retaliate online
- ✗Do not minimise what the child describes — children often understate how bad bullying is
- ✗Do not move the child schools as a first response unless the school is unable to keep them safe — explore the complaints route first
- ✗Do not name and shame the other child publicly on social media
Frequently asked questions
The school says bullying is 'just banter' or that it happens outside school
KCSiE 2025 and the Department for Education's behaviour guidance make clear that schools should respond to bullying between pupils where it affects pupils' wellbeing or the school environment, even if some incidents happen online or out of school hours. You can ask the school to point you to the relevant section of its anti-bullying policy and escalate if needed.
Does my child need to speak to police?
Not always. Bullying itself is not a single criminal offence. However, threats of violence, harassment, hate crime, malicious communications, or sexual harassment can be reported to police on 101 (or 999 if urgent). Helplines like BullyingUK can help you decide whether the situation has crossed a criminal threshold.
What if the situation feels urgent right now?
If a child is in immediate danger, call 999. For non-emergency police matters, call 101. BullyingUK (0808 800 2222), Kidscape (020 7823 5430), Childline (0800 1111), and the NSPCC helpline (0808 800 5000) all offer support. For a decision tree, see /tools/reporting-route-finder.
Sources and further information
- BullyingUK (Family Lives) — Family Lives
- Kidscape — Kidscape
- Anti-Bullying Alliance — National Children's Bureau
- Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025 — Department for Education
- Preventing and Tackling Bullying — Department for Education
This guidance is for informational purposes. It is not a substitute for emergency services or professional safeguarding support. If a child is in immediate danger, call 999 (UK) or 911 (US) now.
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Last reviewed: 2026-06-14. This page provides general educational information, not legal or professional safeguarding advice. UK helplines and legislation may change — verify current details with the relevant organisation.