Protecting students from bullying

Tabled Report 6: 2024–25

Tabled date

2024-12-16

Report year

2024-25

Community welfare Education

Entities audited

Not identified in the published HTML audit scope.

Recommendations

1. QAO's text Addressed to: clearly documents its approach to bullying. This

   clearly documents its approach to bullying. This should include the supports available for state schools to implement evidence-based prevention and response strategies. As part of this it should develop a plan for how it will implement its strategy and monitor its effectiveness

2. QAO's text Addressed to: clearly documents its approach to bullying. This

   supports more effective communication of schools’ codes of conduct through

   • redeveloping the prevention and response to bullying requirements in the State Schools Student Code of Conduct to align with current evidence-based practice and departmental procedures
   • monitoring schools’ documentation of the code of conduct
   • ensuring schools provide sufficient information online to demonstrate the currency of codes of conduct

3. QAO's text Addressed to: clearly documents its approach to bullying. This

   as part of delivering on its commitment to address recommendations from the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, enhances its data collection to include information on students who experience bullying and cyber bullying

4. QAO's text Addressed to: clearly documents its approach to bullying. This

   enhances its approach to monitoring student bullying by

   • improving its collection and analysis of information on the experiences of parents/carers, students, and staff specific to the management of student bullying
   • establishing processes for monitoring schools’ implementation of bullying policies and when and how a region would intervene to support a school that needs assistance to reduce bullying
   • evaluating the effectiveness of its policies and resources to support schools to prevent and respond to bullying.

5. QAO's text Addressed to: the Department of Education

   reviews the Parent and Community Engagement framework to include

   • up-to-date, contemporary approaches to engaging working parents/carers
   • specific guidance on engaging with parents/carers on complex policy issues such as bullying

6. QAO's text Addressed to: the Department of Education

   makes readily available access to professional learning, teaching resources, and information for school staff about preventing and responding to bullying behaviour, including

   • how to identify bullying behaviour
   • effective approaches for responding to and reporting different types of bullying, including cyber bullying.

Authoritative report — Queensland Audit Office

Report PDF on QAO