Are there differences between types of school?

In the early 1990s, over 6,000 primary and secondary school children in Sheffield were asked about bullying (Whitney and Smith, 1993). According to this study, the size of school did not make it more or less likely that a pupil would be bullied. Neither was the ethnic mix of the school found to affect bullying levels. However, the study did find some connection between 'social disadvantage' (looking for example at the social class of pupils and the quality of housing) and levels of bullying.
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Article details

I Whitney and P Smith (1993) 'A Survey of the Nature and Extent of Bullying in Junior/Middle and Secondary Schools' in 'Educational Research', Volume 35, Number 1, Spring.
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Author details

Professor Peter K Smith is Head of the Unit for School and Family Studies, Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths College, London. He has been involved in bullying research for a number of years and has published widely on this topic.

Peter Smith may be contacted by email, and the website of the Unit for School and Family Studies at Goldsmiths College may be found here.
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