Quick question about bullying..

[roneef]

My son goes to a small private school. He is a kind, friendly chatty person

I would start with the simple question: what are your bullying policies? Followed by And how do you implement them? Followed by And how do you intend to implement them in this particular case?

It may happen as a one-off in all schools. But it does not HAVE to keep on happening. And noone should be regarded as fair game, just because they are vulnerable.

A head has various sanctions at this disposal. From his first general Chat to the Assembly Without Naming Names (this can be useful in cases of basically well meaning children who do not realise that what they are doing comes under the heading of bullying). Over Instructing Dinner Ladies to Keep an Eye and the Withdrawal of Golden Time, all the way up to exclusion if it really has to come to it.

You can not specify what the school should be doing. But you can demand that they do something.

Thank you so much for the reply.

I was never bullied so find it hard to understand what it is about that makes him a constant target.

That's awful. No it isn't normal.

I know why I was bullied: I was a bit of a smart arse tbh with very limited social skills.

But with ds, I suspect the reason might actually be the opposite. Perhaps it's not really been bullying, but when he has been attacked at school, I think it has been because he is quite a gentle friendly little boy, so a safe target for a couple of boys with very serious problems of their own.

But the thing you have to bear in mind is that people primarily get bullied because of other people's problems, not because of their own.

Have you checked out kidscape ?

I think they/the website might have better information than I can offer.

Sorry that that's happening to your ds.

Thanks all. You have really helped to be a bit less hysterical about the whole thing.