Bullying
What is bullying?
Bullying can take place anywhere - in schools, the wider community and online. The Anti-Bullying Alliance defines bullying as “the repetitive, intentional hurting of one person by another, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power. Bullying can be carried out physically, verbally emotionally or through cyberspace.” The Department for Education guidance defines bullying as “behaviour by an individual or group usually repeated over time, that intentionally hurts another individual or group either physically or emotionally.”
How does bullying affect children in school?
Bullying can take many different forms. It can be:
- verbal - name calling, insulting, teasing
- physical - pushing, shoving, hitting, kicking, damage to property and belongings
- indirect - spreading nasty stories, exclusion from friendship groups, rumour spreading
- cyberbullying - bullying by text messages, mobile phones, email, chat forums, websites and instant messaging.
Are children with special educational needs or a disability more likely to be bullied?
All children at some point may be subject to bullying. Children with a Special Educational Need (SEN) or disability may experience particular forms of bullying such as:
- manipulative bullying - where a child is controlling another
- conditional friendship - where a child thinks someone is being their friend, but friendliness alternates with bullying
- exploitative bullying - where features of a child’s condition are used to bully them.
What action should schools take to try and prevent and resolve bullying?
Schools have a legal duty of care towards their pupils, and must act as any reasonable parent would to keep them safe. In England, the Department for Education has produced a guide called ‘Preventing and Tackling Bullying’. It contains information on the legal duties for schools and suggestions for preventing and responding to bullying. This guidance is aimed at schools but you may find it useful to have a look for useful ideas, especially if the school is struggling to resolve the bullying. Click on this link to download the guide.
Schools are required to produce an anti-bullying policy which may be part of the overall behaviour policy. It must set out what the school will do to try and prevent bullying, how they will respond to bullying reports, and how they will resolve any situations that arise. You may find it useful to request a copy of the policy.
What should I do if my child is being bullied?
- Keep a record of times and dates of any incidents, and medical evidence if appropriate, such as a doctor’s appointment card.
- Take photos of any physical injuries.
- Contact someone at your child’s school and let them know your concerns. This could be the class teacher/form tutor, SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) or the head teacher.
- Arrange a meeting at the school to discuss your concerns and hand over your own record of incidents.
- Agree what action will be taken and arrange a future meeting to discuss whether the situation has changed.
How can I make a formal complaint about the bullying at my child’s school?
You may want to do this if the above steps do not help the situation. Ask for a copy of the school complaints procedure. Make your complaint in writing, and state clearly that it is a formal complaint. List the incidents, describe the effect on your child and the steps you and the school have taken to try and sort the problem out. Depending on the school’s complaints procedure, you should address your letter to the head teacher or chair of governors. You could send the letter to the chair of governors anyway if you feel that the situation needs to be resolved swiftly.If your child attends a local authority school, you may be able to complain to the local authority if the problem is not resolved by the school.
Where can I find more information about dealing with bullying?
Contact a Family produce ‘A guide to dealing with bullying: for parents and carers of disabled children.’ The guide includes more detailed information regarding:
- how to spot if your child is being bullied
- talking to your child about bullying
- strategies for addressing bullying
- more suggestions for parents
- taking further action
- useful organisations.
Read and download our bullying guide here.
Remember, you can contact us free on 0808 808 3555, or post a query on Facebook or Twitter and one of our SEN advisers will get back to you. Alternatively drop us an email helpline@cafamily.org.uk
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