Bullying: What Should Happen

The Bullying Policy

Bullying is a problem in every school. Recently two teenage girls took their own lives because they were bullied at school. They must have been feeling so desperate and unhappy and they were let down. Who lets those who are bullied down? I think it is the schools. Every school in the UK will tell you they have a great bullying policy and some may even deny bullying is a problem. Bullying policies will only work if the school admits there is a problem and follows the policy. Some schools do this but the bullying continues. I believe that if the policy in the school is not working, then they should try something else. Bullying must be taken seriously and the bullies dealt with appropriately, for the victims sake and their own. Children have a right to feel safe at school, so they can learn and have the best possible future. My sister is still in school, and since I have left, people who bullied me have asked her where I am and say they miss kicking my head in. This goes to show that the victim can leave school, but the problem remains, the bullies will just pick on someone else.I would urge any teachers reading this to take bullying seriously and deal with it in an appropriate way. There have been enough victims of bullying, and we don't need any more.

Anti-Bullying Campaign

The following letter was sent to all UK schools in September 2003 by Ivan Lewis, who is the young people's minister at the Department for Education and Skills.

Welcome to the anti-bullying pack for schools Bullying: Don’t Suffer in Silence. I hope you will find it helpful.

No child should know the indignity and distress of suffering in silence because of bullying. We updated the anti-bullying pack in September 2002 to make clear that all forms of bullying are unacceptable and to make sure changes in the law were reflected. All schools should have an anti-bullying policy, and I want young people to be able to tell someone if they are bullied at school. I know that many schools take this issue very seriously.

However, there is more to be done. That is why - alongside the new Key Stage 3 behaviour and attendance strategy which focuses in part on bullying, and our work with primary schools - I have announced plans for a new anti-bullying charter for schools.

I hope that the pack will reinforce the message that bullying blights young lives and that there should be a zero tolerance approach in every school community. I strongly support the work of schools in tackling any disruptive and bullying behaviour. We have a shared responsibility to make sure that our young people maximise their potential and get the best possible start to their lives from their time at school.

Today, the new charter mentioned in the letter comes into force, which means schools have to follow it. Mr Lewis is obviously trying to address the serious bullying problem. Hopefully this new charter will work and schools will sort the problem out once and for all!

To read more about this charter, please Click here.