Experiencing KiVa in New Zealand

Since Bluestone School implemented the KiVa programme they have seen a reduction in the incidence of bullying continue to grow. This has been informed by the results from the national surveys together with feedback from teachers who increasingly trust the process and have reacted positively to the relevance of KiVa for their students.

They saw a spike in their national survey results as a good result because it identified students were starting to speak out at the year 7-8 level. This directly challenges the entrenched attitudes to bullying at this level who are often the hardest group to ‘crack’. We’re hopeful that students trust the process and ‘Tell’ is starting to really work.

All staff are totally on board and supported to deliver the programme effectively through regular staff and team meetings as well as ongoing personal conversations. We view KiVa learning as CORE learning.

One of the most powerful observations is that staff have stronger clarity in making decisions about referrals when encountering behaviour incidents. Their lens is strengthened by knowledge of the programme, especially their understanding of the specific language and definitions that surround bullying. Student voice has been collected so teachers can better understand what both bullies and victims who have been through the intervention process actually think about it.

KiVa has enabled Baradene College to roll out an evidence-based programme across all their junior classes by educating students about how to be ‘upstanders’ as opposed to ‘bystanders’ when faced with bullying situations. KiVa’s multi-layered approach of intervention and monitoring gives students the tools and strategies to build positive relationships and to access support when it’s required.

Baradene College has a KiVa team made up of four teachers, one from each level of the junior school across years 7 to 10. This team work with students and staff dealing directly with any issues that arise that are classed as deliberate, harmful and repeated.

KiVa was implemented at Baradene in 2015 after their Principal Sandy Pasley had an opportunity to see the programme in action during a sabbatical to Finland in 2014. Having a focus on prevention and education and the ability to give students a clear definition of what bullying is means students are able to build resilience and lifelong skills. Above all, KiVa gives parents confidence that Baradene is doing something positive and meaningful about the wellbeing of their children.

Implementing the KiVa programme at Ruahine School has been a positive experience for everyone. Teachers now have a shared understanding about how to identify bullying and are able to work collaboratively with clarity and consistency to address issues as they arise. Learnings from the KiVa lessons are used in a variety of flexible ways to reinforce these messages with their students.

The KiVa programme has enabled students to be able to identify bullying and understand the role each person plays when bullying occurs. As well as developing empathy for others and learning to develop responsibility for their own actions, students learn a range of effective strategies to deal with bullying so they are empowered to know what to do when it occurs.

As a result, the KiVa programme has helped Ruahine School to promote itself as one that is actively working to prevent bullying and be a safe, happy environment for everyone.