Whole-school programmes cut bullying by about a fifth — the intensive ones worked best
A meta-analysis of 44 evaluations of school anti-bullying programmes
Reviewed by Sian Trombley, CCCFounder, Thrive Family Company
Strong confidence
Source citation
Ttofi M. M., Farrington D. P. (2010). Effectiveness of school-based programs to reduce bullying: a systematic and meta-analytic review. Journal of Experimental Criminology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-010-9109-1
Published 1 January 2010 · Added to Thrive 26 July 2026 · Reviewed 26 July 2026
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Anti-bullying assemblies are common. This meta-analysis identified which components actually reduce bullying.
Published research findings
The study
Ttofi and Farrington pooled 44 rigorous evaluations of school-based anti-bullying programmes.
What researchers examined
How much programmes reduced bullying and victimisation, and which components predicted success.
What they found
Bullying fell by roughly 20-23% and victimisation by 17-20%. Parent meetings, firm disciplinary methods, improved playground supervision and programme intensity predicted stronger effects.
Thrive editorial interpretation
What this may mean for families
Programmes that involve parents and change adult supervision outperform awareness campaigns.
What this doesn't tell us
Important limitations
Programme quality and implementation varied widely across schools.
Evidence confidence describes how much weight this study's design can carry — not how strongly the finding applies to any individual child or family.
Therapist perspective — Thrive interpretation, not a finding of the study
Therapist Perspective
When parents ask what to request from a school, this is the list I give them.
Practical family considerations
Ask your school about supervision and parent involvement, not just its anti-bullying policy.
This research summary is educational and does not replace individualized medical, psychological or therapeutic advice.
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Peer rejection predicted later difficulty — aggression and withdrawal carried most of the risk
1987 · Systematic review
Moderate confidence
Why it matters
Friendship difficulty deserves an active plan, not reassurance that they will grow out of it.