KiVa

Gossey Lane Academy now follows the KiVa Programme.

What is KiVa?

KiVa is a research- and evidence-based antibullying program that has been developed in the University of Turku, Finland, with funding from the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture. The strong effectiveness of KiVa has been proven scientifically through a large national randomized and controlled trial as well as several different studies. KiVa is being used around the world and it is the world’s most studied anti-bullying program.

How does KiVa work?

The goal of KiVa is to prevent bullying and to tackle the cases of bullying effectively. The program is based on decades of extensive research of bullying and its mechanisms. KiVa is based on three main elements: prevention, intervention and monitoring.

The cornerstones of KiVa: Prevention, intervention, and monitoring

Prevention: to keep bullying from happening

The preventive actions, such as the KiVa curriculum, are directed at all students and focus on preventing bullying. Student lessons and online games are concrete examples of these kind of actions. These measures form the backbone of KiVa.

Intervention: Tools to tackle bullying

The interventive actions in KiVa are targeted specifically to the children and adolescents who have been involved in bullying. The goal is to provide schools and students with solution-focused tools how to put an end to bullying.

Annual monitoring

KiVa offers tools to monitor the situation in the schools through annual online surveys for both students and staff. This feedback provides schools with information on how to improve their antibullying work. Gossey Lane Academy will ensure that all children feel safe at school, and accepted into our school community. Our ethos is one of inclusion and equality and upholding the Rights of the child; bullying of any kind is regarded as a serious breach of our behaviour policy and will not be tolerated, whether it is a one-off incident or an ongoing campaign. (Article 19)

The school practices a preventative strategy to reduce the chances of bullying, and our anti-bullying policy is instilled in our curriculum and everything we do at the school. It is made very clear to children what is expected of them in terms of respecting their peers, members of the public, and staff, and any intentional breach of this will result in disciplinary action.

If an allegation of bullying (including cyberbullying) does come up, the school will follow the KiVa approach.