Bullying at school | Bullying advice for parents and children

Are you worried about your child at school

Every day we hear from parents regarding a negative response they ‘allege’ they have received from their child’s School. This does not apply to all Schools. However, more and more we hear of cases where parents are left feeling angry and frustrated with a School because all attempts to raise matters with the school have proved fruitless. Sometimes, the bullying incident(s) involving the child becomes secondary – as the relationship between the parent and the School breaks down completely. We have even heard from some parents that a School has labelled them ‘paranoid’.

The parent wants to protect their child. The Teacher and School want to protect their reputation. When both parties are at a point of self-preservation it can be very difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Naturally, all the parent wants is to protect their child and know that the School is listening. Whilst the School may have Anti-Bullying Policies, they do not always have the processes in place to support their Policy. They are also unlikely to have a member of staff who specialises in “Conflict Resolution”. Teachers want to get on with teaching – they do not want to have to deal with an emotional, distressed, parent!

As a result, some parents may be left feeling desperately worried. Communications break down and the parent is left feeling unsupported – left in isolation to deal with the bullying issues and care for a frightened and anxious child too. All a parent wants is for the school to listen and take ‘reasonable steps’ to ensure their child is safe.

Meetings with teachers may be ineffective. The teacher may lack the skills to deal with conflict and these discussions are rarely recorded or minuted. However, if you write a formal letter to the School and address it to the Head of the School or the Governors, they have to store it in a file which is looked at by Ofsted Inspectors at which point the school may be asked to explain how they dealt with the situation. This is just one of many steps that can be taken to help resolve your bullying issues with a school. For detailed steps to take including all the template letters, you need to stop the bullying, download our guide for parents.