- If a young person is experiencing bullying behaviour in school it is vital that you work with his or her teachers to find a solution.
- Encourage the young person to tell someone they trust and remind them it is not their fault. No one deserves to be bullied.
- Keep a record of dates, times and names of who was involved or witnessed the bullying.
- Save any texts or emails that have upset the young person.
- Please remember that Facebook accounts are for young people aged 13 years and over.
- If you are unhappy with the teacher or schools response, don’t give up. Speak to someone else – perhaps another teacher, Head teacher or contact ABEL.
- Do not tell a young person being bullied to ‘just ignore it’. If that were possible the young person would not be asking for help.
- Do not tell a bullied young person to hit back. If the young person hits someone who is calling them names then there is a good chance it will be the young person who will be punished by the teacher. You should discuss other ways they should stand up for themselves.
- Do not rush in demanding to see the Head Teacher. It may be the response the young person is dreading.
- Consider carefully before trying to sort the problem out yourself as your reaction or the reaction of others may make things worse.
- Try not to REACT but to ACT positively and responsibly.
- It is natural you may feel angry and upset when you discover that the young person is being bullied but it is essential that you stay calm.Young people often don’t tell their parents for fear of upsetting them.
Always remember you don’t have to do it all on your own.