wwyd re secondary school kids hassling primary school kids in park

[NameChangeNeutrino]

I was walking home from school with dd (10yo) and her friend (9yo). We walk through a park, past a school which borders on the park. I was a fair ways away on a different path when I noticed three secondary school children (not old - pre GCSEs probably) verbally harrassing them and my dd getting upset and storming away. I walked over and took their photo from a distance - they noticed and asked me why I had done that and I said it was to take to the school as I didn't know their names and that it's not on to hassle primary school kids and they shouldn't do it.

I've rung the school and left a message - am not sure who is responsible here. I'm guessing I'll get flamed for taking their photo but if it were my ds (older and at secondary school), I'd want to know and want him to know that he'd been caught out, rather than a general complaint about the entire school.

The girls are fine - it wasn't horrible, just mocking dd's friend's glasses and mocking the way my dd speaks and some other stuff like that that was in their face, unprovoked and upsetting. I don't want the kids that did it to be in heaps of trouble - they are most likely decent kids who just need a reminder that picking on smaller children isn't acceptable - but also don't want it to happen again.

Anyway - what would you have done / wish you had done / whatever. I should probably apologise in advance for not defending myself, I really am just curious, especially with all this talk on cracking down on behaviour in schools.

I think you did well to think of taking a photo of them there and then. I'd have remembered an hour later when it was far too late! you're legally fine taking photos of people (even children) in a public place, no flaming from me.

I think you did the right thing to remind them it's not ok to pick on smaller (any) children. In your position I'd phone the school and ask who in the leadership team deals with behaviour issues outside school, get the email address and send the photo. If the school is any good I'd expect them to be interested and not just to brush it off as outside school so not our problem

I would just say to them, firmly but politely, "come on girls, that isn't a nice way to talk to younger children - be nice!".

Just remind them that there are adults about, that their behaviour is noticed, and give them a chacne to say 'sorry'. Often young teens do realise they have over-stepped the mark if you talk to them reasonably.

I wouldn't want a confrontation that escalated. Hence politeness.

I agree about politeness. Except for the initial confrontation, it was all rather calm although they might have shouted after me - as I was walking away someone shouted something but I just kept walking.

Thanks. It's so hard to know what to do and also know what to do as it's happening and then do it. So I thought I'd ask to get suggestions for next time. :)

Am switching back to my normal name now... it's too tempting to just run around the boards posting whatever I want in this nice new anonymous name!