Preventing and Handling School Bullying: The pHARe Programme in Practice

Rationale

The loi du 2 mars 2022 created a criminal offence of school bullying and established a continuing-training entitlement for all personnel, with a stated goal of training 100 percent of staff by 2027. The pHARe programme has been obligatory in all schools, colleges, and lycees since the 2023 school year, structured around five pillars. This course equips teachers to implement pHARe with fidelity, from prevention through intervention, while meeting the statutory duty of continuing training under article L. 912-1-2 of the Code de l'education. It directly serves competence commune 6 (Agir en educateur responsable) and axis 6 of the 2025-2029 framework (Promouvoir le bien-etre et la securite). The course also addresses the overlap between bullying situations and mandatory-reporting duties under article 40 CPP and article 434-3 CP, ensuring participants can distinguish disciplinary from protective responses.

Part I: Foundations (Lessons 1-4)

Lesson 1. Bullying as a criminal offence. What the loi du 2 mars 2022 created and its consequences.

This lesson opens with the text of the loi n. 2022-299 du 2 mars 2022, which inserted a specific criminal offence for school bullying into the Code penal. Participants read the statutory language defining the offence: repeated acts of verbal, physical, or psychological violence committed against a pupil by one or more persons, causing a deterioration of the victim's living conditions. The lesson distinguishes the criminal threshold from the disciplinary threshold and explains the penalties applicable to minors and adults. Participants examine the legislative intent as expressed in the parliamentary debates, focusing on the recognition that bullying is not a rite of passage but a delit. The lesson then maps the offence to the teacher's duty under competence commune 6 to act as an educateur responsable. A case study of a first judicial application (from a published tribunal pour enfants decision) is analysed. Participants can afterward state the elements of the criminal offence and explain when a bullying situation crosses into criminal territory.

Lesson 2. The five pillars of pHARe. The programme's architecture from prevention to intervention.

This lesson presents the pHARe programme as the ministry's operational response to the 2022 law. The five pillars are introduced sequentially: (1) educating the school community about bullying, (2) protecting pupils through a clear protocol, (3) intervening with structured methods, (4) associating parents as partners, and (5) mobilising school democracy through pupil ambassadors and the CVC/CVL. Participants receive the official pHARe deployment guide and trace how each pillar maps to a specific competence from the referentiel. The lesson emphasises that pHARe is not an optional add-on but a mandatory framework for every school, college, and lycee since the 2023 school year. A timeline of the programme's rollout is examined, including the 2027 training target. Participants can afterward describe the five pillars and explain how they form a coherent system rather than a menu of isolated actions.

Lesson 3. Defining harcelement. Repetition, intentionality, and power imbalance.

This lesson establishes the operational definition of bullying used in the French system. Participants learn the three criteria that distinguish bullying from conflict: repetition over time, intentionality to harm, and a power imbalance between target and author. The lesson draws on the pHARe definitional criteria and the typology of bullying forms (physical, verbal, social, cyber). Participants examine real anonymised cases from academie-level reports and practise applying the three-criteria test to determine whether a situation qualifies as harcelement. The lesson also addresses the concept of micro-aggressions and cumulative harm, which the French framework recognises as part of the repetition criterion. A comparative table shows how the French definition aligns with and differs from definitions used in other European systems. Participants can afterward apply the three-criteria test to a classroom scenario and justify their classification.

Lesson 4. Cyberharcelement and the always-on pupil. The digital extension of bullying.

This lesson addresses the specific features of cyberharcelement as recognised by the loi du 2 mars 2022 and the pHARe framework. Participants examine how digital tools extend the reach of bullying beyond school hours and school premises, creating a 24-hour vulnerability for the target. The lesson covers the legal provisions on cyberharcelement, including the aggravating circumstance when the offence is committed through a digital service. Participants analyse the CRCN (Cadre de Reference des Competences Numeriques) and its relevance to safe digital behaviour, linking to competence commune 9 (culture numerique). Practical scenarios include group exclusion from messaging apps, non-consensual image sharing, and impersonation on social media. The lesson presents the pHARe guidance on preserving digital evidence and the procedure for requesting platform removal of harmful content. Participants can afterward identify the specific features of cyberharcelement and describe the first steps a teacher should take when a digital case is reported.

Part II: Core Practice (Lessons 5-10)

Lesson 5. The equipe ressource and the referent harcelement. Roles and the local circuit.

This lesson details the human infrastructure of pHARe at the establishment level. Participants learn the composition and function of the equipe ressource, a trained team of at least five staff members who serve as the first point of contact for bullying situations. The lesson distinguishes the role of the referent harcelement (a designated member of the equipe ressource) from the role of the head of establishment, who retains ultimate responsibility for the protocol. Participants examine the official pHARe organigram and trace the reporting circuit from the initial disclosure by a pupil or parent through to the intervention decision. The lesson includes a template for the establishment's internal protocol, which must be updated annually and communicated to all staff. A case study shows how a well-functioning equipe ressource can handle multiple simultaneous situations. Participants can afterward describe the roles within the equipe ressource and map the local reporting circuit in their own establishment.

Lesson 6. Detecting the silent case. Signals from targets, witnesses, and groups.

This lesson addresses the challenge of bullying that goes unreported. Participants learn the behavioural and physical indicators that may signal a pupil is being bullied without disclosing it: unexplained absences, declining academic performance, psychosomatic complaints, social withdrawal, and changes in digital behaviour. The lesson draws on competence commune 3 (connaitre les eleves et les processus d'apprentissage) and the teacher's duty to observe systematically. Participants practise using a structured observation grid developed by the pHARe programme, recording factual observations without interpretation. The lesson also covers the role of witnesses and bystanders, who may be the first to notice patterns. A technique for conducting a non-suggestive group discussion about class climate is demonstrated. Participants can afterward list at least eight indicators of possible bullying and describe a protocol for documenting observations without over-interpreting.

Lesson 7. The method of shared concern (methode de la preoccupation partagee). Structured non-blaming intervention.

This lesson introduces the method of shared concern, the structured intervention protocol adopted by pHARe for situations involving a group of pupils. Participants learn the theoretical basis of the method, developed by Anatol Pikas and adapted for the French context. The method involves separate individual conversations with each pupil involved, beginning with the suspected author, using a non-blaming approach that focuses on concern for the target's well-being. Participants watch a video demonstration of the method and then practise the scripted questions in a role-play. The lesson emphasises the importance of not asking "what happened" but rather "I am concerned about X, what do you know?" The method's evidence base from French pilot studies is reviewed. Participants can afterward conduct the initial individual conversations of the method of shared concern and explain why the non-blaming approach is effective.

Lesson 8. Handling the group, not only the individual. Working with the classe.

This lesson extends the intervention focus from individual pupils to the class group. Participants learn that bullying is often a group phenomenon sustained by roles (author, assistant, reinforcer, defender, outsider) and that effective intervention must address the group dynamics. The lesson presents the pHARe protocol for a class-level intervention after individual conversations have been completed. This includes a structured class meeting where the teacher or equipe ressource member facilitates a discussion about the group's responsibility for the well-being of all members. Participants examine the concept of the "climate of impunity" that allows bullying to persist and strategies for shifting group norms. The lesson draws on competence P4 (organiser et assurer un mode de fonctionnement du groupe favorisant l'apprentissage et la socialisation des eleves). A case study shows how a class meeting resolved a long-standing exclusion pattern. Participants can afterward plan a class-level intervention that addresses group dynamics without singling out individuals.

Lesson 9. Working with parents of target and of author. The pHARe pillar on associating parents.

This lesson addresses the fourth pillar of pHARe: associating parents as partners in the prevention and resolution of bullying. Participants learn the distinct communication strategies for parents of the target and parents of the author. For parents of the target, the emphasis is on validation, transparency about the protocol, and collaborative planning for the pupil's safety and recovery. For parents of the author, the emphasis is on factual presentation of the situation, the school's expectations for behavioural change, and the consequences of continued bullying. The lesson includes scripts for the initial phone call and the first meeting, with attention to de-escalation language. Participants examine the legal framework for parental cooperation under competence commune 12 (cooperer avec les parents d'eleves). A role-play practises a difficult conversation with a parent who denies their child's involvement. Participants can afterward conduct a structured meeting with parents of a target and parents of an author, using the pHARe communication framework.

Lesson 10. The measures d'eloignement and disciplinary tools. When separation is warranted.

This lesson covers the range of disciplinary and protective measures available when bullying persists or is severe. Participants learn the legal basis for measures d'eloignement, including temporary removal from the class, change of class, and in serious cases, temporary or permanent exclusion from the establishment. The lesson distinguishes between disciplinary sanctions (punishment for the author) and protective measures (safety for the target), emphasising that both may be necessary simultaneously. Participants examine the loi du 2 mars 2022 provisions that allow the head of establishment to request a change of school for the author in cases of severe or repeated bullying. The lesson also covers the role of the conseil de discipline and the procedural safeguards for the accused pupil. A decision tree helps participants determine when a disciplinary response is appropriate versus when a restorative or educational response is more suitable. Participants can afterward list the available measures d'eloignement and explain the criteria for choosing among them.

Part III: Application and Mastery (Lessons 11-15)

Lesson 11. Bullying that crosses into a signalement. The protection-de-l-enfance overlap.

This lesson addresses the critical intersection between bullying and child protection. Participants learn that some bullying situations meet the legal threshold for an information preoccupante or a signalement under article 40 CPP and article 434-3 CP. The lesson presents the criteria for when bullying becomes a matter of protection de l'enfance: when the bullying involves physical injury, sexual violence, severe psychological harm, or when the target is a child with a disability or vulnerability. Participants examine the pHARe guidance on the decision point between a disciplinary response and a protective report. A case study presents a bullying situation that escalated to self-harm by the target, requiring an immediate signalement to the procureur. The lesson emphasises that the teacher's duty to report under article 40 CPP is not suspended by the existence of a school-level protocol. Participants can afterward identify the threshold at which a bullying situation requires a signalement and describe the correct reporting channel.

Lesson 12. Pupil ambassadors and school democracy. Mobilising the CVC and CVL.

This lesson presents the fifth pillar of pHARe: mobilising school democracy through pupil ambassadors and the CVC (Conseil de la Vie Collegienne) or CVL (Conseil de la Vie Lyceenne). Participants learn the structure of the pupil ambassador programme, in which trained pupils serve as peer resources for classmates experiencing bullying. The lesson covers the selection, training, and supervision of ambassadors, including the ethical boundaries of their role (they do not investigate or intervene but listen and refer). Participants examine the legal framework for the CVC and CVL under the Code de l'education and their role in developing the establishment's anti-bullying policy. A case study shows how a CVC-led campaign on cyberharcelement changed the school climate. Participants can afterward describe the pupil ambassador programme and explain how to integrate the CVC or CVL into the establishment's pHARe implementation.

Lesson 13. Prevention lessons across the year. Embedding SEL-style content in ordinary teaching.

This lesson addresses the first pillar of pHARe: educating the school community. Participants learn that prevention is not a single event but a continuous thread across the school year. The lesson presents a scope and sequence for prevention lessons at each cycle, covering topics such as empathy, respect for difference, conflict resolution, digital citizenship, and the role of the bystander. Participants examine the official pHARe prevention resources, including lesson plans and video materials, and map them to the programmes of study for moral and civic education (EMC). The lesson draws on competence P3 (construire, mettre en oeuvre et animer des situations d'enseignement et d'apprentissage) and the requirement that prevention be embedded in ordinary teaching rather than delivered as isolated interventions. Participants design a six-session prevention sequence for their own class level. Participants can afterward plan a year-long prevention calendar and integrate pHARe-aligned content into their EMC teaching.

Lesson 14. Record-keeping and the establishment protocol. Traceability of each situation.

This lesson covers the documentation requirements of pHARe. Participants learn that every bullying situation must be recorded in a standardised format that ensures traceability from initial report through resolution. The lesson presents the pHARe incident report template, which includes fields for the date, the reporter, the nature of the facts, the criteria test (repetition, intentionality, power imbalance), the actions taken, and the outcome. Participants examine the legal importance of accurate record-keeping for potential judicial proceedings, disciplinary hearings, and the establishment's annual evaluation. The lesson also covers data protection obligations under the RGPD when recording information about minors. A case study shows how incomplete documentation led to a failed intervention and a complaint to the mediateur de l'education nationale. Participants can afterward complete a pHARe incident report correctly and explain the record-keeping requirements for their establishment.

Lesson 15. Evaluating the establishment's climate. Using surveys and follow-up.

This lesson closes the course by addressing the evaluation of pHARe implementation. Participants learn that the programme requires regular measurement of the school climate to assess the effectiveness of prevention and intervention efforts. The lesson presents the pHARe climate survey, a validated instrument administered annually to pupils, staff, and parents. Participants examine the survey domains: sense of safety, prevalence of bullying, confidence in reporting, and perceived effectiveness of the protocol. The lesson covers how to read the survey results, identify trends, and adjust the establishment's action plan accordingly. Participants also learn the indicators used by the academie to evaluate pHARe implementation, including the number of situations handled, the average resolution time, and the rate of recurrence. A case study shows how survey data led a school to strengthen its cyberharcelement prevention. Participants can afterward administer and interpret the pHARe climate survey and use the results to improve their establishment's anti-bullying programme.

This syllabus was designed from primary-source research of this nation's official teacher requirements and passed independent verification. The full course, its lessons, assistant, and materials are live for enrolled educators.