Lou - off one of those links:-
Secondary schools may not be aware that there are some areas of the school pupils feel are unsafe, the toilets often come into this category.
By telling the head of year where the bullying is happening, supervision can be increased so that the bullies are caught red handed, meaning that your child can?t be accused of telling tales.
At this stage it can be helpful to try to increase your child?s circle of friends, by inviting a number of children home regularly, to forge stronger friendships.
If bullying continues:
Keep a diary of what your child says is happening
Or get your child to keep his/her own diary
Write a note to the class teacher or head of year, explaining that the problem is still unresolved
Ask for your letter to be put onto your child?s school file, together with a note of action taken
Suggest that contact between the bully and your child is monitored and limited, perhaps by the bully moving to another table or set
Ask for a follow-up meeting after a couple of weeks to discuss how things are going
That often does the trick, but if not, it?s time to write to the head teacher, outlining everything that has gone on, and including evidence from the diary to back up your complaint. Putting a complaint in writing is essential so that there is a record of your concern.
Schools have a duty of care, and allowing a child to be continually bullied when the school has been alerted to the problem could be seen as a breach of that duty.
Warning of prosecution
If your child is taking time off school you're likely to be warned you may face prosecution unless you are teaching him/her at home. Unfair though it may be, keeping a child at home due to bullying is considered to be an unauthorised absence.
You need to make sure you put complaints in writing to the head, governors and LEA in an attempt to sort the problem out.
School refusal
If your child can't face school because of unresolved bullying, ask the LEA pupil support department or education social worker to intervene with the school to get the bullying stopped. You could also ask your doctor if a referral to a specialist like a psychologist for counselling would help.
You could ask your child's head of year to arrange for your child to have access to a particular teacher they could go to if they feel under pressure and whether a buddy could be arranged for your child to help them settle back in. It may also be possible to arrange a phased return to school where your child attends for a few hours a day to build up confidence to return full time.
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