Principal's Report

This week, Ballarat High School proudly joins school communities across Australia to mark Bullying No Way Week. This initiative provides us with a dedicated moment to reflect on our culture, reinforce our core values, and ask a critical question: How do we ensure that every student feels safe, supported, and valued every single day? The stand against bullying should never be confined to one week but should, instead, act as a call to arms to work together to make our school safe for all students.

Bullying in any form—whether physical, verbal, or relational—is an issue that no school community can ignore. Today, the challenge extends far beyond the school gates. The rise of social media, in all its forms, means that schoolyard friction often follows young people home making our young people feel that they cannot escape the comments, taunts or exclusion that some individuals inflict upon others. Across Australia, statistics from the eSafety Commissioner show that over 50% of children aged 10 to 17 have experienced cyberbullying at some point, with 38% experiencing it in the past 12 months. Furthermore, research indicates that nationwide, approximately 1 in 4 Australian students report experiencing regular face-to-face bullying. 

A significant contributor to this issue is the prevalence of underage students accessing social media platforms. Despite age restrictions, young people frequently navigate complex group chats and online forums without the developmental maturity to process peer pressure, subtle exclusion, or digital hostility. Online behaviour directly impacts offline well-being, often spilling back into the classroom and the sense of exclusion and feeling targeted can become a 24-hour issue for young people.

We can only address this issue through active partnership across our entire community. 

As a school, we need to be as pre-emptive as we are responsive and explicitly teach respectful relationships, digital citizenship, and conflict-resolution skills across all year levels. The journey through adolescence requires some key themes as the social dynamics change. We can also enforce a zero-tolerance approach to bullying and provide clear, confidential pathways for students to report incidents via the sub-school, Wellbeing or a trusted adult or friend. We can’t act if we do not know, and helping us stand with you is never dobbing; it is always the best way to address bullying. All of this is how we actively foster a school culture built on inclusion, empathy, and belonging. Whilst we cannot police every inch of the world beyond our school, we can respond when targeting impacts on a student’s safety to attend and learn.

But we cannot do this on our own.

We need every student to act as an upstander, not a bystander. It doesn’t matter of you are in Year 7 or Year 12, calling out unkind behaviour if it is safe to do so is the right thing to do. If you feel that you cannot do this, report it immediately to a trusted teacher or parent. We also need our students to practice digital responsibility. A world of difference can be made when we pause before posting or messaging and consider beyond a ‘like’ and think about the person on the other end of the comment: how they are feeling and how you might feel if you received the same message. It’s never ok to negatively impact a person’s mental health or wellbeing. Treat peers online with the same respect expected in person and always how you would like to be treated back. Also, if you are the victim of abuse or isolation please seek support. Asking for help is a sign of strength and is never a weakness: we stand with our students at all times. 

And for our families, maintaining ongoing open conversations with the school is critical. It is not always easy but checking in regularly regarding your child's online and offline peer relationships is so important. Setting clear digital boundaries is crucial and monitoring social media usage, which may include enforcing screen-free times, is also key. If you suspect your child is experiencing or engaging in bullying behaviour, reach out to us early so we can work together on a solution. These matters are complex but, by working together, we can ensure all students feel heard and supported.

While the data highlights a real challenge, it also points to our collective strength as a community. When schools, students, and families take a united, uncompromising stand against unkindness, behaviour shifts. By holding high expectations for how we treat one another, we can ensure our school remains a place where everyone feels safe.

The theme of 2026’s action is ‘small acts, big impact’. Small actions, such as including someone, speaking up, or showing kindness matter. BHS must be a school where everyone belongs, diversity is celebrated and bullying is never accepted.

Stephan Fields

Principal