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The ONLY weekly voice for secondary education Issue 234 • January 7 2010 Price £1.00
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Parent Support The forgotten victims
Advisors explained
of schoolyard bullying
of plans announced in September
by Chris Parr
2008 by the then schools minister
Jim Knight.
There are nearly 13,000
Anti-bullying schemes are However, Prof Rivers is unclear
Parent Support Advisors across
failing thousands of youngsters on the benefits the duty will bring.
England’s schools. We look at
because they focus too strongly He said: “When it comes into
on perpetrators and victims, and force, we could see a massive rise
what these advisors can offer
ignore those who suffer as a result in the number of bullying incidents
schools and highlight some
of witnessing bullying, research reported, and this will make it very
examples of successful practice suggests. difficult to know how successful
Page 12
Students who watch as their existing anti-bullying initiatives
peers are verbally or physically have been. We will have no knowl-
assaulted can become as psycho- edge of what has worked, and what
logically distressed as the victims has not.”
themselves, according to a bullying He added: “Also, how do you
expert, who says more needs to be define a ‘serious’ incident? Many
done to tackle the problem. of the youngsters we surveyed who
Professor Ian Rivers, a research- have missed school as a result of
er at Brunel University in Middlesex bullying said it was simply the way
and lead author of the research, sur- somebody had looked at them. This
veyed more than 2,000 secondary is a lot harder to report than some-
BETT 2010 is here!
school students in England, and one being punched or kicked.”
claims that just as youngsters who The DCSF spokesman added:
Heading to the BETT Show witness violence at home are at “The benefits to schools of record-
next week? Our preview
greater risk of developing mental ing and reporting incidents of bul-
supplement to the show is
problems, so too are those who wit- lying are that they are better able to
still available to download at
ness it at school. monitor and evaluate how well their
He explained: “It is possible anti-bullying policies are working
www.sec-ed.co.uk (click on
that those students who had been and better able to pick-up incidents
the supplements heading)
victimised at different times may in any bullying episodes, while a road traffic accident, then you are that children were affected by wit- of bullying early and resolve them
and this week we have some be experiencing it all over again girls reported seeing bullying neither the driver or the victim, but nessing bullying. effectively.
final BETT-related articles to
psychologically. Meanwhile, those more than boys. you may still be traumatised as a He said: “We have provided “The nature of bullying means
give you food for thought
who are witnesses may worry that The research claims that those result.” free confidential counselling serv- that, unless actions are monitored
Pages 10 and 11
they, too, will be the bully’s target children who witnessed acts of bul- Prof Rivers claims that by fail- ices for children through ChildLine, over time, they may only have a
sometime in the future, and that lying were more likely to report ing to engage with bullying wit- which is made up of counsellors short-term impact. This new legal
Happy new year to
causes great distress and anxiety.” greater psychological distress than nesses, schools and teachers run the who are trained in advising children requirement will ensure that it
The surveyed students were those students who were bullies or risk of leaving them to find their and young people who are being becomes common practice for all
one and all
presented with a list of bullying victims. own solutions to their problems bullied or who are traumatised by schools to record serious and per-
behaviours, such as name-calling, In order to tackle the problem, – with potentially disastrous con- witnessing bullying.” sistent bullying incidents.”
Welcome back to a new
kicking, hitting, spreading rumours, Prof Rivers wants ministers to pub- sequences. The findings come as minis- Prof Rivers’ article,
and threatening violence. They then lish more clear-cut guidance urg- He continued: “If a youngster ters introduced a new duty that Observing Bullying at School:
term and a new decade! We
said whether they had committed, ing schools to develop more wide- experiencing trauma does not per- will require schools to record and The Mental Health Implications
hope you all had a relaxing
witnessed or been the victim of any reaching anti-bullying policies that ceive there to be a solution to their report all incidents of “serious and of Witness Status, is featured in
and refreshing Christmas and
of these behaviours during the pre- do not only focus on bullies and problem – if they feel they cannot persistent” bullying to their local the December issue of School
new year break. SecEd will, vious school term, and how often. victims. approach a teacher or a parent – then authority. Psychology Quarterly, published
as ever, be supporting you
Some 63 per cent said they wit- He told SecEd: “The Department they look to their peers for solu- The new duty, which is cur- by the American Psychological
through the coming months
nessed peers being bullied, more for Children, Schools and Families tions. In some extreme cases, young rently being consulted on, will be Association.
and here’s wishing you all
than one in three said they had (DCSF) needs to look more closely people find themselves identifying enforced from September 2010, Visit www.apa.org/journals
been victims, while 20 per cent at what happens to people who, with some extreme solutions, such and will mean that schools have
the best for the term and the
said they had been perpetrators. although not actively involved, as taking their own life.” to document bullying and racism • See In Response on page 6 for
year ahead
Approximately 28 per cent said observe bullying behaviour. A government spokesman told between pupils and abuse levelled more reaction to the duty to record
they were completely uninvolved “To put it in context, if you see SecEd that the DCSF was aware at school staff. It is the culmination all incidents of bullying.
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