NEWS FOCUS
www.sec-ed.com
SecEd: On Your Side
Stop letting teachers’
Emma-Jane’s
careers go to ruin
fight to beat
Our front page this week
tackles one of the most serious
Pete
and difficult problems facing
Henshaw
modern education – false
Editor,
bullying
accusations against teaching
SecEd
professionals.
Our report looks at statistics from the Association of
Teachers and Lecturers and also a new study published by
researchers at the University of Sheffield.
They both underline what I already know – that many
allegations made by students are false or malicious, and that
the damage done to the careers of innocent professionals by
these allegations is devastating.
For almost four years now, SecEd’s ongoing campaign,
Don’t Abuse My Name, has sought to raise awareness
about the extent of false accusations in schools and what
falsely accused teachers can do.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCES and the internet. This surge in
While the need to protect children from harm or abuse is,
can shape people profoundly – as With this year’s Anti-Bullying cyber-bullying, which provides the
of course, paramount, the need for our society to understand Emma-Jane Cross knows only too theme for this year’s Anti-Bullying
the extent of malicious accusations is also crucial.
well. Growing up, she witnessed her
Week around the corner, Charles
Week (see below), has occurred
This problem is very hard to tackle, because, quite
brother victimised by homophobic with the rise in technology use and
taunts and saw the strain this put on
Gubert meets leading anti-bullying
social networking websites.
rightly, when an accusation is made, a proper and full
their family. Ms Cross questioned the
investigation is necessary.
campaigner Emma-Jane Cross to
Now, she is at the forefront of effectiveness of these websites’
However, where this process often goes awry is when the fight to try and protect today’s
discuss her passionate fight to beat bullying
anti-bullying strategies.
teachers are automatically suspended pending these
children from similar abuse. “Facebook and MySpace say
investigations. The ethos of innocent until proven guilty
Ms Cross, 42, is a former they are clamping down, but what
sociology lecturer and the award- as adults have a moral duty to do of teachers who were part of the does that mean? It is just a report
is thrown out of the window and in tight-knit school
winning chief executive of the very best to safeguard them. problem, and in some circumstances button,” she added.
communities, this suspension of a teacher becomes as good
Beatbullying, one of the UK’s most Forty years ago, nobody believed exacerbate the problem by being Beatbullying cottoned onto this
as a guilty verdict, with the rumour mill swinging into
vocal organisations involved in domestic violence was an issue, 25 part of the bullying. shortcoming, and established the
action and the local press usually splashing the story, all
combating bullying among young years ago, nobody believed sexual Ms Cross acknowledged that CyberMentors scheme in March.
without any hard evidence. People will always believe there
people. violence was an issue. We need to more needed to be done: “What It has 1,700 trained cyber-mentors
Ms Cross freely admits that look now at child-on-child violence. hasn’t happened yet is working who will assist young people who
is no smoke without fire. When, as usually is the case, an
her anti-bullying activism was We need to start a debate.” explicitly with young people and are subjected to online abuse. If
allegation is found to be false, this flurry of coverage by prompted by personal experiences. In 2007, Beatbullying, alongside changing their behaviour. You the abuse is severe, a victim can be
press and discussion within the community is nowhere near
Her brother was subjected to News of the World, announced cannot just talk to adults, but you connected to a trained councillor.
as prominent. And as we all know, mud sticks.
vicious homophobic abuse regularly the Four Quid a Kid campaign need to work with bullies. While Since its inception, the site has
If headteachers were to just stay the hand of suspension
at school – something that led to – it revealed that if the government it is right that we work with the received 190,000 hits.
repeated strains on her family. spent only £4 of the funding ring- victims of bullying, it is essential Ms Cross admits that tragedies
while initial investigations are carried out, then many of the
As an academic, her PhD thesis fenced for every child’s education we work with bullies too. such as that of Megan Gillan, a
sad cases of careers being ended by suspicion and rumour investigated family violence – when on anti-bullying schemes in schools, “I have never met a bully who 15-year-old student from Cheshire
would be avoided. Yes, children have to be protected and
she was struck by her realisation that the reduction in bullying would be wasn’t self-loathing. Many bullies who committed suicide after peers
all accusations investigated, but we all need to acknowledge
youngsters from troubled domestic enormous. have mental health problems, so posted spiteful messages online
backgrounds were frequently Beatbullying also met Gordon might be victims of child abuse or about her appearance, were what
that the majority of allegations made against teachers by
bullied or, indeed, bullying others. Brown, prior to his 2007 Labour neglect. We need to reach out to the drove her to keep going.
students are false and we cannot continue to allow these
She explained: “These children leadership bid, to discuss how bullies and tackle this complicated “We have worked with a lot
malicious accusers to end the careers of innocent teachers. were surrounded by violence, even peer-mentoring projects could be problem.” of parents with children who have
in school, so there was nowhere effective in combating bullying. Ms Cross spoke about the need killed themselves. It is heartbreaking
Admissions debate
safe for these youngsters. There Since this meeting, a £4 million pilot to tackle the different forms of and I feel the sheer bewilderment
were no charities for them to go to has been launched and is currently bullying individually. and anger that comes out of parents.
dealing with bullying.” being independently evaluated. “All our work focuses on So many families of young people,
Working in the House of But has the government been individual problems. It is different who have killed themselves just
The annual debate surrounding admissions appeals is
Commons during New Labour’s effective? Ms Cross responded: for youngsters in different areas want answers to understand what
becoming tiresome. The main findings from this year’s
ascendancy in opposition, she was “There has been excellent guidance – there are different cultures, so could drive a young person to be so
round of admissions appeals show that of the total of
shocked at the deep-rooted, endemic from the Department for Children, different bullying. For example, we bullied that they kill themselves.”
culture of bullying, particularly Schools and Families, which have Streetwise – it is explicitly I asked Ms Cross if the problem of
1,717,180 admission offers from primary and secondary
of the younger employees in to varying degrees is helpful to there to use peer education to shift bullying was so entrenched in society
schools, there were 61,950 appeals heard, of which 19,150 ministerial departments. teachers. It has given them the skills behaviour of young people being that it might never fully be beaten.
ruled for the parents. At secondary level, there were 39,730
It was in 1999, after all these to observe and understand when sexually bullied or acting in a She took a breath before answering:
appeals, 12,970 of which were successful.
experiences, that Beatbullying was bullying is happening.” sexually bullying way. We look at “We can’t eradicate bullying totally,
While it is quite right that all parents have the chance
formed. Since then, the charity has She emphasised the brilliant why people use sexuality to bully but we can damn well work towards
taken a lead in lobbying government work the vast majority of teachers, others and why some youngsters stopping it.” SecEd
to appeal to an independent panel, we also have to
and the media to tackle the issue. heads and support staff have done don’t report sexual assaults.”
acknowledge that we cannot keep telling parents that they Ms Cross continued: “Our to safeguard the wellbeing of A new form of bullying has
Further information
have a free choice over where their children go to school. If
young people have the right to a vulnerable young people. However, come to the fore in recent years • www.beatbullying.org
this was truly the case, then any parent could “choose” any
life that is free of violence, and we she said there were still examples – bullying using new technologies • www.cybermentors.org.uk
school, but they cannot – so why perpetuate this myth?
Ultimately, the school you go to should not be a factor in
the success or otherwise of a child’s secondary education.
Get set for Anti-Bullying Week
Most children will achieve their potential at any school if
the triangle of education is complete – teachers, parents and
Schools are being urged to crack of children are experiencing cyber-
students all engaged together.
down on cyber-bullying, as part of bullying. We also know that there
I have no answers to the admissions issue. Parents will
Anti-Bullying Week, which runs are others who may not realise that
always want free choice, the system will never be able
from November 16. they are being cyber-bullied, who
to accommodate that, and so some will always be left
This year’s campaign, entitled need our support.”
disappointed, and there will always be some cases where an
Stay Safe in Cyberspace, will The official website for Anti-
highlight the surge in online Bullying Week offers schools free
appeal is justified. But at the end of the day, as the figures
bullying and explore ways in which resources and an Anti-Bullying
show, most children get into the school of their preference schools can combat this. information pack which are aimed
and the majority of appeals are not upheld.
The Anti-Bullying Alliance at complementing existing activities
Ultimately, parents should spend less time trying to get
(ABA), which is a confederation in schools.
their children into the so-called better schools, and more
of anti-bullying charities, is The website also has information
sending resource packs containing about a number of shows, creative
time on engaging with their children and their education
information on bullying prevention workshops and other anti-bullying
– no matter what school they are at. SecEd schemes to schools across the related events that are happening
country. The packs contain advice during the week and throughout
• Pete Henshaw is editor of SecEd and Delivering
from the ABA and Department for the year.
Diplomas. Email him at editor@sec-ed.co.uk or visit
Children, Schools and Families on There are also suggestions
www.sec-ed.co.uk and www.deliveringdiplomas.com
confronting cyber-bullying. Fighting back: Joe Calzaghe, the boxing champion and a for school activities and free
Chris Cloke, chair of ABA, said: patron of Beatbullying, was a bullying victim himself. He is posters to download. Visit
“We know that a significant number pictured during a recent event for the charity www.antibullyingweek.co.uk
6 SecEd • November 5 2009
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16