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Your Guide to Secondary Education in Leicestershire

Section 8: How can parents and schools tackle bullying

Bullying is any repeated behaviour that causes hurt, fear or distress to another person. It can be physical or psychological, intentional or unintentional. The common factors are the feelings of fear, misery and isolation felt by the victim.

What are signs of bullying?

Children or young people may:

be frightened of the journey to school
refuse to attend school
arrive home very hungry
come home with possessions destroyed
ask for extra money
have unexplained cuts and bruises
have difficulty coping with schoolwork
have nightmares and cry in their sleep
seem unhappy but refuse to say what is wrong
be upset or secretive about e-mail, text or phone messages

What can parents do?

If your child is bullied:

listen calmly to your child and take what he/she says seriously
reassure your child that it is not his/her fault
make a note of what happened, when and who was involved
tell your child that you will find ways to ensure his/her safety
make an appointment to see your child’s teacher
find out what action the teacher plans to take and when
keep in touch with school
let school staff know if things improve or if there are further incidents
do not confront the child or parents yourself – work together with school staff
ask to see copy of the schools anti-bullying policy
seek advice or information from our anti-bullying web site: www.beyondbullying.com

If you are not satisfied with the response from school:

make an appointment to see the Headteacher
explain why you want the appointment so he/she can investigate before the meeting
after the meeting, give the Headteacher time to deal with the situation
if you are still not satisfied with the response, make a formal written complaint to the Chair of Governors
in your letter of complaint – explain what has happened and tell the Chair what you would feel to be a
satisfactory outcome
remember that the most important thing is your child’s well-being and safety – not revenge

Do schools have a responsibility to maintain standards of behaviour and discipline?

YES. Registered Inspectors report on behaviour and discipline as part of the Framework for Inspection. This takes into account ‘the views of pupils, parents and teachers on the incidence of bullying and the school’s response’.

Schools are responsible for:

Upholding certain values, including those which reject bullying and cruelty. (National Curriculum Council discussion paper – Spiritual and Moral Development April 1993)

School anti-bullying policies

All schools are required by law to have a written anti-bullying policy and effective procedures in place.
Schools are under a legal duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of all students (s.175 Education Act 2002).
“Safeguarding” encompasses issues such as child protection, “public health and safety and bullying” (DfES/0027/2004 Safeguarding Children in Education).
The anti-bullying policy should represent the school’s “promise” as to how it will address bullying problems. As a parent you should always request a copy of the policy if your child is being bullied so you are aware of the school’s procedures.

Remember – Schools can only help if they know what is happening.

Headteachers are responsible for:

maintaining acceptable standards of discipline and behaviour in schools
regulating the conduct of their pupils
acting in accordance with policies written by the Governing Body
acting in accordance with policies, including an anti-bullying policy, written by the Governing Body.

Governors are responsible for:

formulating a whole school discipline policy
producing an effective complaints procedure
making sure that the National Curriculum is delivered; this includes Personal and Social Education
formulating an anti-bullying policy based on national and local guidance.
procedures being in place to ensure that risks of harm to children's welfare are minimised.
ensuring that all appropriate action is taken to address concerns about the welfare of a child.

LAs are responsible for:

safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children under s.175 Education Act 2002.
this means that LAs have a monitoring role to ensure that an anti-bullying policy is in place and that effective procedures, based on national and local guidance, are followed.

Help to prevent bullying

talk to your children about how they treat others who are younger or less able or different from themselves
encourage your children to think about how others feel
tell them that they can help stop bullying by befriending and supporting children who are less able to cope with teasing
bullying behaviour can happen at any age – check your own actions
lead by example – think before you tease those who perhaps are not as strong as you
look at Leicestershire’s anti-bullying web site for information, guidance and advice.

Together we can create a calmer, happier environment.

Leicestershire Schools have received copies of ‘Together We Can Tackle Bullying – Guidance for Schools’ provided by Leicestershire Local Authority.

If you would like to see a copy please ask the Headteacher at your child’s school.

The LA has appointed an Anti-Bullying Strategy Manager to work with schools and the community to develop effective anti-bullying policies. Our main aim is to reduce the levels of bullying in all schools. A Leicestershire -wide anti-bullying strategy is now in place. Schools can access a range of support, advice, information and training to develop effective anti-bullying policies. An important part of the strategy was the development of a Leicestershire County Council anti-bullying web site at: www.beyondbullying.com

If your child is bullied outside school, you can still contact the school for advice and support. There are separate sections providing up to date information, advice and support for parents, school staff and students/pupils.

Leicestershire has produced a document on “Bullying in the Community” for parents, which will be available from the Education Psychology Service on 0116 284 5100.

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