Every school has an anti-bullying policy. The policy includes information such as:
what are the different kinds of bullying (e.g. physical, verbal, emotional)
who to contact if your child is being bullied
any services that offer support to pupils who are being bullied
For more information, or to receive a copy of the school’s guidelines, contact the school directly. For contact details go to the Schools' Contact Information.
Bullying is...
deliberately hurtful behaviour that is repeated over time
it can be spoken, physical or emotional
it can happen at school or outside school
Bullying involves someone using their power over someone else. It can include:
threats and physical violence
name calling
damage to property
leaving pupils out of social activities deliberately
spreading rumours
upsetting text or e-mail messages
Bullying isn't...
quarrelling with friends
short term arguments
occasional teasing
bickering
1 in 2 students say that they have been bullied in any school term
nearly half of secondary school students feel that their teachers are unaware of the bullying that goes on
for five years running it's been the most common reason people call Childline
Talking to your child Your child may not directly tell you that they are being bullied but may seem unhappy and suddenly not want to go to school.
Try to find out if there is a problem by talking to them about:
their school work
friends
what they do at break and lunchtime
any problems or worries they have
Finding out your child is being bullied can be very hard, but try to remain calm and talk to them about what is happening:
make a note of what they say has happened; who was there, where, when, and how often
reassure them that they did the right thing by telling you
tell them to report the bullying to a teacher immediately
contact your child's school about the bullying and ask to see their policy on bullying so that you are aware of what will be happening
stay in touch with the school; let them know whether the bullying stops or is still happening
if the bullying is really serious, contact your local police station; the police take any report of bullying very seriously.
get them to show you any messages they've received
tell them to never respond to an internet bully in a chat room, and never respond to abusive text messages
make sure they stick to moderated chat rooms
if bullying or abuse starts in a chat room, tell them to leave immediately and tell you
tell them to never to give out personal contact details online
Many people may be bullies and not even know it. Your child could become an accidental bully by:
passing on a nasty text about someone
laughing at an unkind comment
it's easier to be an accidental bully if it involves email, text etc. because they aren't doing anything directly
If your child is bullying
they could be copying the behaviour of other people in the family, neighbourhood or friends
friends of theirs may be encouraging the bullying behaviour
your child may be going through a difficult time and as a result acting aggressively towards others
To stop your child bullying
encourage your child to admit what they're doing - it takes a lot of courage for them to admit that they are wrong
explain to your child that the way they are behaving is not acceptable and making other people unhappy
encourage your child to apologise to the person they've hurt
show your child how to join in with others without bullying
speak to your child's school about how you can work together to stop the bullying
check regularly with your child about how things are at school
give your child praise when they are cooperative and kind to others
encourage your child to help others if they see them being bullied and encourage them to tell a teacher or an adult they trust
