Should I do something about this or wait and see?

[AngelsWithSilverWings]

DS has just started in Y3 and has told me he is being bullied.

I asked him to tell me exactly what has happened to make him feel that he is being bullied and he told me that a boy in year 5 has been calling him gay. This boy has also been taunting DS and telling him that he is rubbish at Diabolo ( latest craze at school) and kicking the Diabolo to prevent DS practicing his tricks with it.

This is happening every lunchtime at the moment.

I don't really know if I should speak to the teacher or wait and see if things settle down. I don't even know if this is bullying!

DS is extremely tall for his age and looks older than a lot of the boys in Y6 and I'm wondering if this is a reason why the older boy thinks it's Ok to single him out.

I'm a bit confused about dealing with the use of the word Gay. I've told DS what it means and that there is nothing wrong with being gay but that it is wrong to use the word as an insult. Am I right to put it like that?

This particular boy has come to my attention in the past. When DS was in reception he came home and told me that he had learned a new word ( the F word!). Apparently this boy had been coming up to the fence which separates the reception playground from the main playground and was telling the new reception children to say the word. I spoke to the reception teacher about this and was told it was a problem they were aware of and that they were dealing with it.

I'm wondering if this previous encounter with this child is making me want to act now rather than wait and see.

Sorry, this is a bit longer than I thought it would be when I started typing!

[Rumours]

I would go in and see the teacher, you want to nip it in the bud now before it gets any worse.

[Visadiva]

I would nip it in the bud and speak to the teacher. It has bothered your DS enough for him to mention it to you.

[birdsnotbees]

Tell the teacher. If your DS feels strongly enough to tell you he's being bullied, then he is asking for your help. If you do nothing then you're basically telling him that how he feels doesn't matter. And keep talking to him, just so he doesn't bottle it up.

[AngelsWithSilverWings]

Thanks so much for replying.

I asked him tonight and he said that nothing happened today at lunchtime so that's good. I will see if anything happens on Monday and keep checking.

If there is one more incident I will go and see the teacher.

[Wolfiefan]

Please keep a written record of everything. When, where, what happened.