Recognising bullying (acoso escolar) and what the school must do

Terms used

• Acoso escolar — Acoso escolar is bullying at school: intentional, repeated, lasting aggression against a pupil who cannot easily defend themselves.
• Coordinador de bienestar y protección — The coordinador de bienestar y protección is the staff member each school must name to coordinate anti-bullying protocols and receive children's concerns.
• Jefatura de estudios — The jefatura de estudios is the school's head of studies, who works with the director on discipline and coexistence.
• Plan de convivencia — The plan de convivencia is the school's written plan for good behaviour and preventing violence among pupils.
• Inspección educativa — The inspección educativa is the regional education authority's inspection service, which oversees schools.
• Consejería de educación — The consejería de educación is your region's education department.

Key rules

• Definition: Bullying needs intent, repetition, a power imbalance and duration; a one-off row between equals is ordinary conflict.
• School duty: Every school must have an anti-bullying protocol and a named coordinador de bienestar y protección.
• Helpline: Call 900 018 018, free and confidential, 24 hours a day.
• Formal report: Make formal reports to the director or the tutor, and keep a copy of what you send.
• Regional rules: Protocol names and phases differ by region, so use your own region's document.

How bullying differs from ordinary conflict

Acoso escolar is aggression that is intentional, repeated and lasting, by one or more pupils against a classmate who cannot easily defend themselves. It can be physical, verbal, psychological or social. Four things mark it: intent to harm, repetition, an imbalance of power and duration over time.

An ordinary conflict is an isolated or occasional disagreement between pupils of similar standing. Nobody is trying to harm the other person persistently, and nobody dominates.

Cyberbullying is the same behaviour through phones, messaging or social media.

Each region words its definition a little differently. The school decides how to classify a case after it assesses it. You can still report something you only suspect.

Warning signs

One sign proves nothing. A lasting change in behaviour is your cue to talk to your child and the school. Common signs are:

• refusing or dreading school
• frequent stomach aches or headaches with no clear cause
• sleep problems, nightmares or loss of appetite
• sadness, irritability, anxiety or tears
• falling grades or lost interest in activities
• isolation, no friends, no invitations
• missing or damaged belongings, vanishing money, unexplained bruises or torn clothes
• secrecy or distress around the phone or social media
• in serious cases, self-harm or talk of suicide

If your child talks about self-harm or suicide, act at once. Call the helpline below.

What the school must do

Every school in Spain must have a protocol against bullying and cyberbullying and a coexistence plan. It must also have a coordinador de bienestar y protección, a staff member who coordinates the protocols, is the contact for children's concerns, and promotes reporting of cases to the authorities. The school must make this person's name known. You can approach the coordinator, but formal reports normally go to the director or the tutor.

Staff must also report suspected abuse. Serious cases can reach the police, the prosecutor or social services.

The details come from your region's rules, so names and phases vary. A typical protocol runs like this:

1. You, or anyone, report the suspected case to the school.
2. The director or jefatura de estudios, with the tutor and the school counsellor, gathers first information and decides whether to open the protocol.
3. The school puts protective measures in place for the victim, with supervision, and corrective measures for the aggressor.
4. It investigates: interviews with the pupils involved, witnesses and families, and a written report.
5. It confirms or dismisses the case. If confirmed, an action plan covers sanctions, support and the families' role.
6. It informs the families and notifies the inspección educativa.
7. It follows up and reviews the measures.

Finding your region's protocol

Search the education portal of your region (consejería de educación) for "protocolo acoso escolar", "convivencia" or "bienestar". The school's website, its plan de convivencia, the secretaría or the tutor can also give it to you. The document's name differs by region and is updated from time to time, so check you have the current version.

Getting help now

The national helpline is 900 018 018. It is free, confidential and open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Pupils, families and teachers can call. You get advice from psychologists and legal guidance, and the service can alert the authorities in serious cases.

The checklist and questions below cover what to ask the school.

Checklist

• Compare what is happening with the definition of acoso escolar: aggression that is intentional, repeated, lasts over time and involves a power imbalance where the child cannot easily defend themselves.

• Treat an isolated or occasional disagreement between peers of similar standing as an ordinary conflict, and watch whether it repeats.

• Look for lasting changes: refusing to go to school, stomach aches or headaches, sleep problems, sadness, a drop in grades, isolation, or missing or damaged belongings.

• Watch for distress around the phone or social media, since cyberbullying is the same behaviour through digital media.

• Talk to your child calmly about what is happening, remembering that a single sign proves nothing but a lasting change does.

• Find your region's anti-bullying protocol on the education portal (consejería de educación) or ask the tutor or secretaría for it.

• Ask the school for the name of its coordinador de bienestar y protección, which every school must have.

• Ask the school to confirm it will assess the case, protect your child, investigate, tell you the conclusions and follow up on the measures.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I find my region's anti-bullying protocol?

You find it on the education portal (consejería de educación) of your autonomous community, by searching for terms such as protocolo acoso escolar, convivencia or bienestar. The school's website, its plan de convivencia, the secretaría or the tutor can also give you a copy. Official names differ by region, so check the current document name.

What happens after I report a suspected case to the school?

The director or jefatura de estudios, with the tutor and the school counsellor, gathers first information and decides whether to open the protocol. Protective measures for the child follow, then interviews and a written report. The school then confirms or dismisses the case, tells the families, notifies the inspección educativa, and reviews the measures later.

Does the school have to report serious bullying to anyone else?

Yes, schools and their staff must report suspected violence against children to the authorities under the child protection law.