Date 22 August 2011
Government guidance defines
bullying as “behaviour by an individual
or a group, usually repeated over time, that intentionally hurts another
individual or group either physically or emotionally”.
Bullying can take many different forms
but it is always hurtful and can have a lasting effect on the victim. All children should feel safe and be safe at
school and the school has a duty to put measures in place to prevent all forms
of bullying.
Here are some practical tips on
what you can do if you are concerned that your child is being bullied at
school.
- Reassure your child that they have done the
right thing in telling you. Encourage him
or her to sit down with you and make a record of every incident of bullying
including details of:
o What exactly happened – who did what? Did anyone else witness it? Where and when
did the bullying take place?
o Who did your child tell about the incident?
o How did the school respond?
o How has the incident affected your child?
- Continue to
maintain this log as each new incident of bullying occurs.
- If your child has been injured, take
photographs. If your child has received
hurtful or degrading emails or text messages, keep copies.
- Get a copy of the school’s behaviour/discipline and
anti-bullying policies and familiarise yourself with these. If the bullying is racist or sexist in nature
or is as a result of your child’s special educational needs or a disability,
ask for a copy of the school’s equality policy. Copies should be available on the school’s website and from the school’s
office.
- Talk to the school about your concerns and share
with them the bullying log that you have compiled. If you do not know who to talk to, look at
their behaviour and discipline policy. If you cannot access this or it does not state who to contact, raise the
matter with your child’s class teacher or form tutor in the first
instance.
- Give the school an opportunity to investigate
the incident(s) but ask the school to respond to you with their conclusions
within a set timeframe.
- Ask what disciplinary sanction has been applied
to the bully if the bullying is found to have taken place – all substantiated
incidents of bullying should result in an appropriate sanction for the perpetrator.
- Ask the school as well for any help or support
that your child may need to build their self-esteem or cope with the
bullying. There are also a number of
organisations who you can contact to help you help your child. Examples of these are www.kidscape.org.uk and www.bullying.co.uk
- Don’t try and resolve matters directly with the
perpetrator of the bully or with his/her parents. This may well make matters worse for your
child. The senior management team at the
school have been trained to deal with bullying and should be equipped to deal
with the incident effectively and impose appropriate sanctions.
- Your child should not be asked to leave school
at lunch time or be asked to stay at home for their own safety. To do so could amount to an unlawful
exclusion.
- If you feel that ineffective action is taken or
the bullying continues, write to the Head and request a meeting. The anti-bullying/behaviour policy should
set out how to escalate matters. If you
are still not satisfied, make a formal complaint to the Governors. The school should have yet a further policy
explaining how such complaints can be made.
If you would like more information or advice relating to a specific
matter, please do not hesitate to contact Clare Mackay on 01727 798092
or by email at clare.mackay@salaw.com.
© SA LAW 2011
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information contained in them. You are recommended to obtain specific
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