UK teens face higher school bullying

As reported by The Standard, a global education study reveals UK students experience more bullying, threats, and vandalism at school compared to the worldwide average, with one in five reporting frequent teasing, prompting concerns about school safety

An international education report reveals UK students feel more unsafe at school than the worldwide average, and are more likely to see fights and experience threats and vandalism at school. But there was no difference in levels of the most serious types of violence, including gangs and knife crime at schools in the UK compared to the average worldwide.

The results were published as part of the highly anticipated Pisa (programme for international student assessment) rankings, which compare the performance of 15-year-olds in 81 countries. They reveal:

*One in five UK students said other pupils make fun of them a few times a month or more, compared to a 12 per cent average globally.

*In England just 66 per cent of pupils said they “never or almost never” experienced other pupils leaving them out of things on purpose, compared to 77 per cent on average worldwide.

*Similarly, the majority of pupils in England who never experienced physical bullying such as being hit or pushed around by other pupils was 78 per cent – but the worldwide average was 88 per cent.

English pupils were also more likely to say they had been involved in physical fights at school or experienced other pupils taking away or destroying things that belonged to them.

The report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said: “On average pupils in England were more exposed to bullying at school than on average across OECD countries.”