Almost 90% of schools have had issues at some point with cyber-bullying, a recent survey carried out by law firm Mason Hayes & Curran (MHC) has found.

The firm polled more than 100 educators and school leaders at its recent webinar on the main legal challenges facing schools in 2023.

The event covered issues including challenging behaviour, data protection. and social media. It also focused on employment law and staff disciplinary procedures.

Cyber-bullying was an issue ‘frequently’ for 16% of the respondents, while 73% said that it was a problem ‘occasionally’.

Social-media policy

Catherine Kelly (MHC education partner) said that cyber-bullying was exacerbated by the prevalence of smart phones and social-media platforms.

“Along with suitable staff training, it is important for schools to have a social-media policy linked to the code of conduct in place, so that there are clear guidelines around the safe and responsible use of social media by students,” she stated.

The survey also found that managing staff was the biggest issue facing school leaders (50%), closely followed by managing challenging behaviour (33%).

Teachers presented the biggest challenge in terms of managing under-performance, with 51% of school leaders finding this to be an issue. This was a much higher percentage than was cited for managing the performances of other staff, such as secretaries, cleaners, or special-needs assistants.