ADVICE FOR PARENTS

It is often difficult to detect whether your child is being bullied or not, here are some common signs to look out for:

• Being stressed, crying, being moody, withdrawn, and apathetic
• Purposely making up excuses to miss school, such as, faking illness, or truanting.
• Physical signs such as bruises, cuts, scrapes, damaged property and belongings.
• Not eating properly, or throwing away food.
• Deliberately not wanting to take part in social events, or being with friends and peers.

You should try to encourage your child to talk about bullying, and you should let them know that no one deserves to be bullied and it’s not their fault.
You should spend time with your child and listen and talk to them. You should let them know that you are supporting them and that you love them.

You should make them aware that bullying should not be tolerated in any circumstances, and that the school and teachers will have to be involved.

You should ask to see the schools anti-bullying policy, to see what exactly they can do and their capabilities and limitations. You could try and talk to your child’s head of year, tutor, or even the head teacher.

You should encourage your child to keep a bullying diary, this way they can write about any incidents what have happened and the time and date of these. They could also draw or write about their thoughts and feelings. This is a good way to express themselves and come to terms with the situation.

Talking to the school    

It is always a good idea to talk to the school and find out what they are going to do to stamp out bullying. As mentioned before you can also request to see a copy of the school’s anti-bullying policy. This will give you a good indication into the schools limitations and capabilities when it comes to dealing with bullying.
Below are some useful ideas for if you decide to talk to the school. You could:

• Write down and plan what you want to say before hand. This way your ideas will seem more logical and structured.
• You should firstly talk to your childs form teacher. If you feel as though this is not working you should then ask to see, the year tutor, head teacher, or the governors. 
• You dont have to go into school on your own, you can go with your partner, a friend, or a relative. You will then feel more relaxed and confident.
• You should make notes of what is being said, you should ask what action will be taken, and what you would like to see happening.
• You should always stay calm, it is a stressful experience for both the parent and child. You need to stay calm to set a good example for your children, and they will see your strength and take from this.

If you arent happy with the actions of your school, you could always take it further, you could ask to see the governors, contact your local education authority, and even ask to speak to the Secretary of state for Education and Skills, which in South Yorkshire is Ruth Kelly.