The schools where teachers stamp out bullying – and those where they do not

November 7, 2026 — 7:00pm

Teenager Esther Abram wore a hat to school for years to hide her hair loss from chemotherapy, but the taunting she received became unmanageable.

Abram’s diagnosis of a rare brain cancer initially triggered a flood of sympathy from peers. But she said some at the outer-suburban private school began to spread suspicions about her illness and question the special consideration and prolonged absences she was granted.

“People would pick on me because I had a hat,” Abram said. “I had special consideration to go home early, and teachers wouldn’t always be supportive of it. From there it probably just got worse.”

Above all, she remembers the isolation: “If you don’t have anyone to talk to at school, it doesn’t feel like a safe place.”

In year 9, she refused to attend class and moved to her local public school in the north-eastern suburbs, where she still encountered bullying but had the support to stop it.

“The teachers helped me through everything,” said Abram, who completed year 12 last year. “I guess they dealt with it a lot more than my previous school.”

The Age has analysed the 2025 student survey results at more than 300 Victorian public secondary schools to compare two results: how students rate the school’s management of bullying, and how connected they feel to their school.

The analysis shows there is a strong correlation between these two measures. They almost always rise or fall in tandem – revealing the damaging effect mismanagement of bullying has on school culture, and the positive outcomes schools can achieve when students feel connected through a sense of belonging and support.

Statewide, the majority of students say they don’t directly experience bullying. Still, they express a lack of confidence in secondary schools’ management of bullying, with students on average scoring schools 50.8 out of a possible 100. Similarly, students give schools an average score of 49.8 for connection.

David Loader, a former principal of 32 years who now chairs the Institute for Educational Reform tasked with examining why students report low engagement in years 7 to 9, said the poor survey results indicated “failure” of the education system to connect with students.

“Bullying is very deep-seated and very hard to address,” he said, citing bullying outside of school on social media. “But you can create an engaging culture where it’s not acceptable.”

A strong school culture where students feel they belong helps catch bullying before it escalates, says Masa Popovac, senior lead for digital safety and wellbeing at child safety charity the Alannah and Madeline Foundation.

“On the surface it might look minor – an eye roll, an exclusion or a put down – but when you address those sorts of ‘gateway behaviours’, it prevents things from escalating,” she said.

“It’s having those trusted adults. You check in about concerns students might have. And it’s often where students feel heard, and there’s student participation and voice that’s embedded in those environments.”

Ian Findley, a former Melbourne school chaplain who has written two books on bullying, says he was bullied as a child and acted as a bully as well – experiences he’s reflected on to address countless bullying cases.

In schools, he used a restorative justice approach, saying to the bully he needed their help to resolve the situation.

“We empower the bully, but we’re also directing them. Human psychology is if they can avoid consequences they will try to resolve it,” he said. “But if it continues, we would refer them to mental health services or specialists in child behaviour or anger management.”

Yuille Park Community College, Alamanda K-9 College, the Nossal High School, the Victorian College Of The Arts Secondary School score among the highest for students being connected and perceiving their schools as successfully managing bullying.

Students give the highest scores to Cranbourne West Secondary School for managing bullying (94.4) and feeling connected (99.2).

The school’s principal Rob Duncan said the school closely followed wellbeing practices and, after incidents of bullying in toilets at other schools, employed staff to clean them and ensure they were safe. “It’s a good preventative measure, I often think it’s the best money we’ve ever spent.”

The school has introduced AFLW and cheerleading programs for girls to improve student connection scores, after survey results revealed girls felt less connected than boys.

“It’s often just finding that thing that the kids will genuinely feel connected to and then, through that, they become connected to the people.”

An Education Department spokesperson said results from the Attitudes to School Survey helped schools understand students’ experiences and where improvements could be made.

“We know that to achieve success at school, students need to feel a strong connection to their peers and teachers. They also need to feel safe and that school is a place where they belong,” they said.

Jackson Graham is an education reporter at The Age. He was previously an explainer reporter.Connect via email.

Craig Butt is the National Data Editor of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X, Facebook or email.

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