How this school prevents and manages bullying

How do teachers at Integrated International School (IIS) prevent and manage bullying incidents? Early intervention is key, according to DR VANESSA VON AUER, clinical psychologist, and founder and CEO of the school.

What is the role of IIS teachers when there’s a bullying case at school?

Their role is as early‐warning interventionists and as first-line responders. The latter is commonly not consistently implemented in bigger schools due to lack of resources, time or training.

In most cases, bullying is only identified or reported when it has escalated into a crisis. This delay has detrimental effects on the victim and witnesses, and the bully feels emboldened to mistreat peers or doesn’t receive the help they need to interact appropriately in social situations.

How do IIS teachers usually prevent bullying incidents and manage this behaviour?

Teachers at IIS are trained to proactively prevent bullying rather than allowing it to become overt and consistent. They do this by identifying pre-bullying behaviours, including but not limited to microaggressions, mocking disguised as humour, dominance-testing, selective inside jokes and so on.

Once identified, teachers intervene immediately by:

#1 Naming the inappropriate behaviour without labelling the child: “Calling someone names is hurtful.”

#2 Stopping the use of this behaviour in its tracks: “Comments like these are not welcome in our kind classroom.”

#3 Shaping a psychologically safe classroom culture by modelling empathy and respect through demonstrating calm conflict resolution, respectful communication and inclusion. They also ensure that students learn anti-bullying behaviours by example.

#4 Resetting this “kind culture norm” with students regularly. So, a teacher may say something like, “That joke may be funny to some, but to others it may hurt their feelings. Let’s take some time to think of funny jokes that everyone can enjoy. We can then hear some and laugh together”.

These interventions show students that subtle meanness is visible and is noticed, and teaches them what respect looks like without shaming anyone.

If pre-bullying behaviours escalate, then early intervention must shift gears from subtle climate management to structured, documented, restorative-plus-protective action.

The victim is taken seriously and provided with emotional and physical safety. The bully is held accountable but also taught skill-building through empathy work, counselling and behavioural contracts between them, the school and parents.

What steps do teachers take to ensure that both the victim and the bully are supported?

Teachers ensure both sides are supported by providing the victim with emotional reassurance, structured safety measures, and strategies to rebuild confidence; at the same time, they guide the bully through restorative reflection, empathy-building and behaviour-change plans, supported by counsellor check-ins and consistent teacher follow-up.

Parents would also be informed and included into safety measures and regular follow-ups. In this way, all students involved know that the school and family are on the same page about keeping school a safe place for all. Parents are also welcome to meet with leadership or counselling personnel to process any concerns or be equipped to support their children effectively at home.

Integrated International School is at #01-01 Capital Square Two, 21 Church Street. 6466 4475 | iis.edu.sg

This article on how to prevent bullying in school first appeared in the January 2026 Expat Living magazine. You can buy the latest issue or an annual subscription or read the digital version free now. Find out more about IIS, such as how the school won the Outstanding Pearson Learner Awards (OPLA) and their collaborative teaching approach.

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