Bullying is aggressive or insulting behaviour by an individual
or group, often repeated over a period of time, which intentionally
hurts or harms. Research confirms the destructive effects of
bullying on young people’s lives. Although some can shrug it off,
bullying can produce feelings of powerlessness, isolation from
others, undermine self-esteem and sometimes convince the victims
that they are at fault. It can affect attitudes to and performance
in school. For some, it can lead to serious and prolonged distress
and long-term damage to social and emotional development.
Bullying can be:
- Emotional - being unfriendly, excluding, tormenting (e.g.
hiding books, threatening gestures)
- Physical - pushing, kicking, hitting, punching or any use of
violence
- Racist - racial taunts, graffiti, gestures
- Sexual - unwanted physical contact or sexually abusive
comments
- Homophobic - because of, or focussing on the issue of
sexuality
- Verbal - name-calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours,
teasing.
Every school is likely to have some problem with bullying at one
time or another. Schools must by law have an anti-bullying policy,
and use it to reduce and prevent bullying.
Information for parents and families
Parents and families have an important part to play in helping
schools deal with bullying.
- Discourage your child from using bullying behaviour at home or
elsewhere. Show how to resolve difficult situations without using
violence or aggression.
- Ask to see the school’s anti-bullying policy. Each school must
have an anti-bullying policy which sets out how it deals with
incidents of bullying.
- Watch out for signs that your child is being bullied, or is
bullying others. Parents and families are often the first to detect
symptoms of bullying. It can be helpful to ask questions about
progress and friends at school; how break times and lunchtimes are
spent; and whether your child is facing problems or difficulties at
school.
- Don't dismiss negative signs. Contact the school immediately if
you are worried.
If your child has been bullied:
- calmly talk to your child about it
- make a note of what your child says - particularly who was said
to be involved; how often the bullying has occurred; where it
happened and what has happened
- reassure your child that telling you about the bullying was the
right thing to do
- explain that any further incidents should be reported to a
teacher immediately
- make an appointment to see your child's class teacher or form
tutor
- explain to the teacher the problems your child is
experiencing
Talking to teachers about bullying:
- try and stay calm - bear in mind that the teacher may have no
idea that your child is being bullied or may have heard conflicting
accounts of an incident
- be as specific as possible about what your child says has
happened - give dates, places and names of other children
involved
- make a note of what action the school intends to take
- ask if there is anything you can do to help your child or the
school
- stay in touch with the school - let them know if things improve
as well as if problems continue
If you need further information, advice or support, contact your
child's school or the Children Missing Education Service at the
address below. Each school has an allocated Children Missing
Education Officer who is able to work with you and the school to
resolve bullying issues.
Information is also available from:
The Department for Children, Schools and Families ParentsCentre
website http://www.parentcentre.gov.uk/
Kidscape – a charity helping to prevent bullying and child abuse
http://www.kidscape.org.uk/
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