Bullying
Bullies & Victims. Those who can help and how.
Whether you think you know of a victim or a bully, or in fact you are one of these yourself, it is a problem.
There are solutions, but before you obtain a solution or remedy there is work to be done.
Bullying, despite what schools staff may say, is present in every school in one way or another. It is present in many adults lives, in work, on the road, in the street.
However you describe it, where ever it is, for those in school it can have devastating results.
Whilst there is a range of bullying, from taunting and name calling to outright aggression, violence, theft, discrimination and assault; there is also a range of effect on individuals.
The problem is that the effect is not always relative to the cause.
For some, a minor taunting may have everlasting dramatic effects.
For others a serious verbal attack can leave them showing little effect , on the surface. The long term effects however can be concerning.
Whether a pupil is a victim or a bully, there are a series of things that need to happen
- recognition of the problem. Someone must ring the alarm bell and it must not be ignored. Parents and teachers have the prime responsibility for raising their concerns and awareness.
- All working together. Everyone who has involvement with the pupil should be made aware and should have a part to play in resolving the difficulty. Parents, other pupils and of course the main player in this is the school. They have to have a bullying policy and have to make it available to parents.
- In serious cases, parents may feel that it is necessary to call the police in order to get help. This is a strategy the Government supports.
- School governors have a responsibility - write to them asking for their help. AND..
- If you feel the bully is an adult, this can be a very serious child protection matter. If so you may need to consider taking advice from one of these independent help-lines.
- ChildLine - 0800 1111
- Parentlineplus - 0808 800 2222
- Kidscape - 020 7730 3300
- Advisory Centre for Education 020 7354 8321
- Bullying UK
If nothing else - talk to someone else. Don’t sit on concerns.
Oldham Parent Partnership has free information - 0161 287 8555