I'm a Sherborne parent, @chepicker . My DS are scholar, chorister, non-rugby playing, not wealthy, not urban-mature and non-Alpha types. For all these reasons we keep a close eye on the bullying question, as you should in any boys' school. I ask about their own experiences, brother's experiences, friends experiences, other House experiences, school culture, HM approach, who gets into trouble for what etc. I am genuinely reassured that bullying is not a problem, certainly not in their House or those Houses where they have most friends, on which I am most sighted.
I'm not saying everything is harmonious everywhere all the time, not saying nobody misbehaves, gets drunk, or tries risky behaviour. In any community of teen boys you will have hierarchies that form and every individual needs to have something that confers status. In 3rd form (Y9) there are obvious elements like relative maturity, being in top sports teams, confidence/swagger, having lots of friends up from prep school etc. But as they have each made their way through the school they have carved out their niches, been their own men, and developed friendships across the year and in Sherborne Girls, not just with boys of the same profile. The school emphasises kindness and civility, and orchestrates opportunities for very different boys to co-operate and socialise together, along with pupils from Sherborne Girls. There is strong pastoral care and both male and female residential staff on hand and accessible. It's a combination that is optimised for identifying and nipping in the bud behaviour that could develop into bullying.
As for the pp decription of the SMT, it's not accurate. The boys' and girls' schools work in close partnership and it doesn't at all feel like an all-male enclave. I'm aware there was some very poor behaviour on a previous 1stXI rugby tour. I'm also aware that there was a disciplinary response and the shennanigans were not condoned or consequence-free. As it happens however, our HM is ex-military. In that capacity he came into teaching with extensive experience of caring for and leading adolescent males, understanding how they think and act, how to get the best from them, how to meld them into harmonious, happy and supportive teams, how to get them through tough times, how to exercise authority with a light touch and when to break the rules on behalf of the group. It's a brilliant background for a HM in a boy's school and I have total confidence that he is providing a positive masculine role model and preventing any form of toxicity amongst 'his' boys.
All of which is a long-winded way of saying that one can never be complacent about bullying in any school, but that our experiences with Sherborne have been positive and reassuring on that front.