Bullying - what can you do?

This is always a sensitive one but, like all situations there are some simple steps that will begin to put you in control of a situation you may feel is beyond you.

1. Be clear on what you mean by ‘bullied’. Often, the school will not take seriously the allegation of bullying if it is something that is used by a parent the minute their child is involved in any sort of a dispute or an argument (even if it becomes physical) with one of their peers. If the behaviour you are referring to is targeted towards your child and is carried out over a period of time and by one or more individuals then it might very well be described as bullying. If it is an isolated incident, however unpleasant, then it should not be referred to as bullying.

2. If it is happening, talk to someone at the school about it. This will vary from school to school but the usual policy is to encourage a first port of call to be the class or form tutor. If you go straight to the Headteacher you will almost certainly be redirected via this first route, in all but the smaller Primary schools. Whatever you do, don’t waste your time going straight to the Chief Executive at the Local Authority as it will definitely be referred back to the school.

3. If the matter remains unresolved, speak to the Headteacher and expect some or all of the following to happen:

· A promise of a full investigation of the allegation

· A promise that you will be communicated with once this investigation has taken place

· An outline of the school’s approach to bullying (ask for a copy of the anti-bullying policy if you wish; it is your entitlement to see it)

· An outline of any specific strategies the school (and you) deem to be appropriate in connection with the specific incident

Usually, the matter can be resolved by recourse to the school. Where it hasn’t been resolved to your satisfaction, you may need to request a copy of the ‘schools complaints procedure’ which will guide you through the steps you are able to take next. These will almost certainly include writing to the Chair of Governors, after which it may be necessary for there to be a hearing from a group of selected Governors. Further to this, and only then, it may be appropriate to write to Officers of the Local Authority and ultimately the Secretary of State for Education.