TheSchoolCompanion.org School choices, made clear.

Bullying

Let's talk about bullying – together

Bullying happens in every school. What makes the difference is whether it's noticed, talked about and dealt with. We've asked every school in Dover to share its figures openly, so parents and schools can learn from each other – not to point fingers.

12 schools in Dover have shared their bullying figures with us so far. Being open is the first step to tackling it.

In a typical primary school, about 0 incidents a year for every 100 pupils are recorded.

A school that records more isn't necessarily worse – often it means pupils feel able to speak up and staff take every report seriously.

If your child is being bullied

  1. Listen first. Let them tell you what's happened, write it down with dates, and ask how they'd like you to help.
  2. Talk to the school. Start with the class teacher or head of year. Ask what they'll do and when you'll hear back – and ask for the school's anti-bullying policy, which every school must have.
  3. Keep going if it doesn't stop. Follow up in writing, then use the school's complaints procedure if you need to.

More help: our Support for Parents guides, the Anti-Bullying Alliance and Kidscape.

What's working in Dover schools

We're asking schools what has made the biggest difference in tackling bullying – how they help pupils speak up, how they work with parents, and what they'd tell another school. Their answers will be shared here, so every school can learn from the best.

Are you a school leader? We'd love to hear what's working at your school, or put you in touch with a school that's turned things around. Email admin@theschoolcompanion.org.

How your school compares for its size

Each dot is a school. The shaded funnel shows the range you'd expect: smaller schools naturally bounce around more, so the funnel widens on the left. A school outside the funnel has an unusually high or low rate for its size.

0 5 10 15 20 0 200 400 600 800 1,000 Number of pupils Incidents per 100 pupils average 1.3

● Exact count   ● Reported "<5" – plotted as 2.5 for comparison

Look up your child's school

See a school's own figures, alongside everything else we know about it.

See every school's figures

50 schools asked · 12 shared their figures · 0 declined · 38 yet to reply. Schools record incidents in different ways, so small differences don't mean much. Figures from 1 to 4 may be shown as "<5" to protect pupils' privacy. The line in each list marks the typical school here – there's no national figure, because nobody else collects these.

Ordered by the bars – fewest recorded incidents per 100 pupils first. More recorded incidents often means pupils feel able to speak up and staff write every report down – so ask a school how it responds, not just how many it records.

Primary and junior schools

  1. Hornbeam Primary School 0 per 100 pupils (0 incidents, 2025/26)
  2. Sandown School 0 per 100 pupils (0 incidents, 2025/26)
  3. St Margaret's-at-Cliffe Primary School 0 per 100 pupils (0 incidents, 2025/26)
  4. Typical Dover primary or junior school: 0 per 100 pupils
  5. River Primary School under 1.3 per 100 (<5 incidents, 2025/26)
  6. Green Park Community Primary School under 1.3 per 100 (<5 incidents, 2025/26)
  7. Whitfield Aspen School 0.6 per 100 pupils (4 incidents, 2025/26)
  8. Kingsdown and Ringwould Church of England Primary School under 2.4 per 100 (<5 incidents, 2025/26)
  9. Eastry Church of England Primary School under 3.3 per 100 (<5 incidents, 2025/26)
  10. Northbourne Church of England Primary School under 3.7 per 100 (<5 incidents, 2025/26)
  11. Lydden Primary School under 7.4 per 100 (<5 incidents, 2025/26)
  12. Sholden Church of England Primary School 19.8 per 100 pupils (18 incidents, 2025/26)

Yet to reply (28): Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School, Aycliffe Community Primary School, Aylesham Primary School, Barton Junior School, Capel-le-Ferne Primary School, Charlton Church of England Primary School, Deal Parochial Church of England Primary School, Dover, St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Eythorne Elvington Community Primary School, Goodnestone Church of England Primary School, Guston Church of England Primary School, Langdon Primary School, Nonington Church of England Primary School, Preston Primary School, Priory Fields School, Sandwich Junior School, Shepherdswell Church of England Primary School, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Aylesham, St Martin's School, St Mary's Catholic Primary School, St Richard's Catholic Primary School, Temple Ewell Church of England Primary School, The Downs Church of England Primary School, Vale View Community School, Warden House Primary School, White Cliffs Primary and Nursery School, Wingham Primary School, Worth Primary School

Secondary schools

  1. Dover Grammar School for Boys 1.3 per 100 pupils (12 incidents, 2025/26)

Yet to reply (8): Astor Secondary School, Dover Christ Church Academy, Dover Grammar School for Girls, Duke of York's Royal Military School, Goodwin Academy, Sandwich Technology School, Sir Roger Manwood's School, St Edmund's Catholic School

Across Kent: suspensions for bullying and sexual misconduct

From the Department for Education, which publishes these for council areas rather than individual schools. Most bullying never leads to a suspension, so these show only part of the picture.

  • Secondary schools, 2024/25: bullying 189 (1.6 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.9); sexual misconduct 155 (1.3 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.7)
  • Primary schools, 2024/25: bullying 32 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2); sexual misconduct 21 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)

Figures: each school's reply to our Freedom of Information request. Council-wide suspensions: Department for Education. Pupil numbers: Get Information About Schools.