6 – 12 Jun 2025 168 EDUCATION 27

How to prevent school being at

T
here are many different definitions achievement. They call for the development
and understandings of what bullying of resilience skills, coping skills and effec-
is. I like this one: “Bullying happens tive social communication to reduce victi-
when one person or a group of people tries misation. The authors point out that schools
to upset another person by saying nasty or should not be left to fend for themselves,
hurtful things to him or her again and again. but ought to have access to expertise and
Sometimes bullies hit or kick people or force clinical resources to support their mission.
them to hand over money; sometimes they Since teaching and learning are central,
tease them again and again.” and student performance is a measure for
The person who is being bullied finds it students of self-worth, each student needs to
difficult to stop it happening and worries it be assisted to achieve the best they can.
will happen again. A young person can be a They also need to know that the school cares
perpetrator, a victim, or both. about their achievement.
Bullying includes physical, psychological, Wherever possible, the support of parents
social, or educational harm. Common types and guardians must be sought to make sure
of bullying include hitting, kicking and trip- that they know what their children are up to
ping; name-calling and teasing; and spread- at school. When necessary, they should be
ing rumours, leaving the victim out of the called in to discuss the children’s perfor-
group, or damaging their property. There is mance and behaviour.
also electronic or cyberbullying. Students should be involved in solving
In a January Psychology Today article by problems and preventing violence. They
Arthur Maerlender and Patricia Gail Bray, should be encouraged to share their ideas
they point out that “bullying behaviour is and concerns. In some schools, students
complex in its tactics”. They explain that sign pledges against violence, which can
bullies often use multiple tactics, with “acts highlight personal responsibility in reduc-
of subtle aggressive ‘prosocial’ behaviour to Above and below: Bullying occurs across physical, verbal and cyber platforms among ing violence.
enhance their position by acting in public students. Photos: Freepik
and making the victim dependent and una- What can parents do about bullying?
ble to reciprocate”. What can schools do? concern that is consistently addressed. Most children don’t talk to their parents
Is bullying a problem to worry about? Chi- Before schools embark on awareness cam- Any acts of aggression and violence need about school bullying. Look out for possible
nese researchers Zhui-Ying Han, Zi-Ting Ye paigns or engage anti-bullying experts, they to be dealt with. Rule-breaking and “minor” signs of bullying such as changes in sleep
and Bao-Liang Zhong, writing in the journal need policies in place that ensure the safety violations should not be ignored, and stu- patterns, increased bed-wetting or not
Translational Pediatrics, report on their of students. Codes of conduct must be com- dents need to understand that violent or wanting to go to school.
systematic review that focused on school municated to and understood by everyone aggressive behaviour will not be tolerated. When your child does speak to you, listen
bullying and its association with mental in the school community. The consequence of breaking the rules also carefully and ask them what role they would
health problems among adolescents. Schools need to be secured and made safer needs to be understood by everyone. More like you to play in solving the problem.
They conclude that a significant percent- with functional fences and gates and con- importantly, good behaviour needs to be Assure them you will handle the situation
age – about 10% to 30% – of adolescents trolled access. Litter needs to be cleared modelled and celebrated. sensitively and with a view to protecting
worldwide are victims of school bullying. An away, the classroom swept, cracked windows Teachers need to model respectful behav- them from further harm.
international study of 151,184 schoolgoing replaced and broken doors and handles iour to students in how they themselves act Contact the school to report the bullying.
students in forty countries found that 28.7% repaired. If there’s a prevalence of drugs and as well as how they treat their students. Don’t contact the other child’s parents
reported being bullied for at least one day. weapons, regular, unannounced searches They need to show students that there are directly, as this can escalate the issue and
The highest bullying victimisation rate is in should be conducted. consequences for bad behaviour and break- take away your child’s power. Ask the school
the age group 11 to 13 years. Adults must supervise students at school, ing the rules. More importantly, schools to investigate the issue and how long it will
Han, Ye and Zhong observe that the nega- and they need to be visible need to do away with many of their own take to respond. You can ask that your child’s
tive mental health impact of bullying in ado- in its high-risk areas. practices that foster violence, like corporal identity is not shared to protect them from
lescents is profound and affects not only vic- They must take an punishment. further retaliation.
tims, but bullies and bystanders. This has active interest and Maerlender and Gail Bray note that there Help your child to develop interpersonal
short- and long-term consequences such as make sure safety is a is good evidence that resiliency-focused skills that can help them navigate instances
anxiety, depression, substance abuse and instruction in coping skills and effec- of bullying. These include self-regulation,
suicidal behaviours. tive social communication is a social skills and problem-solving. It can help
They argue that the effects do not promising approach for reducing a your child to stay calm and not appear dis-
fade with time; former victims face life- range of disruptive behaviours tressed. Help your child identify safe spaces,
long challenges including higher rates of in schools. friends and adults they can turn to for sup-
adult anxiety, depression, substance use These programmes can port. They need to know that they have peo-
disorders and even interpersonal vio- improve school engage- ple they can depend on who care for them.
lence or criminal behaviour. ment and climate, The most recent research findings suggest
Bullies can also suffer long-term interpersonal rela- that bullying is not just a fleeting childhood
repercussions – studies have linked tionships, wellbe- challenge, but a systemic problem that can
their aggressive behaviour to ing and have a lifelong impact.
increased risks of antisocial a c a- Dealing with bullying effectively requires
personality disorder, demic a holistic approach that prioritises interven-
addiction, criminality and tion for bullies, mental health support for
mental health issues. victims and developing schools where empa-
Bystanders can experi- thy and accountability prevent harm. Ignor-
ence vicarious trauma ing the crisis can leave communities vulner-
from witnessing bully- able to cycles of trauma that go beyond the
ing, which can also classroom. DM
lead to issues such as
anxiety, depression, Dr Mark Potterton is the primary school
sleep disturbances and principal of Sacred Heart College and the
higher rates of psycho- director of the Three2Six Refugee Children’s
logical distress. Project.