Impetus for the intervention, early stages of planning, and funding

A nationwide study of bullying behaviour in Irish schools was undertaken in 1993–94. Covering 20,442 pupils (9,599 pupils aged 8–12 years, drawn from 320 primary schools, and 10,843 pupils aged 11–18 years, drawn from 211 second-level schools), the sample comprised 10% of the primary schools in each of the 26 counties, and 27% of all post-primary schools in the Republic of Ireland. It revealed that the problem of bullying was widespread throughout primary and post-primary schools in Ireland. Indeed, 31.3% of primary-school pupils and 15.6% of post-primary pupils reported having been victimised within the last term; 26.5% of primary-school pupils and 14.9% of post-primary pupils reported that they had bullied others within the last term (O'Moore, 2000; O'Moore, Kirkham, and Smith, 1997).

In light of these and similar findings in earlier, smaller scale Irish studies (Byrne, 1987; O'Moore and Hillery, 1989), the publication of the Guidelines on preventing and countering bullying in primary and post-primary schools (Department of Education, 1993), and research undertaken elsewhere in Europe, in particular Scandinavia (Olweus, 1978, 1993; Roland, 1989, 1993; Roland and Munthe, 1997) and the United Kingdom (Smith and Sharp, 1994), it was felt that Irish schools could benefit from a nationwide anti-bullying programme that incorporates the training of school management, teaching staff, parents, and pupils (O'Moore and Minton, 2001; O'Moore, Kirkham, and Smith, 1997).