Primary school principals’ perceptions of the impact of bullying on students and school life

School bullying is a complex social phenomenon with serious consequences for students and the overall functioning of the school. This study investigates the views of primary school principals in Greece on the impact of this phenomenon, both at the individual level and at the school level. A mixed methodological approach was used to collect data, with a questionnaire in the quantitative phase and semi-structured interviews in the qualitative phase of the research. A total of 512 primary school principals participated in the quantitative survey, and 21 in the qualitative survey. The findings highlighted that principals perceived particularly pronounced psychological and learning consequences of bullying for students and substantial effects on the school climate, while the impact on academic performance and on the administrative dimension of their role was assessed as comparatively less intense. The study contributes to raising institutional awareness of the impact of bullying, documenting the need for systematic policies to support both principals and the school community as a whole.