What Parents can do to Prevent Bullying

Now, more than ever, it is important to understand what constitutes bullying and what we as parents can do to prevent it. Within the confines of the school environment the issue of bullying is one that teachers and head teachers alike take very seriously and in line with guidelines laid down by the government do as much as they can to prevent bullying.

In saying that however, it is difficult in some cases for teachers and head teachers to stamp out all instances of bullying and as such some emphasis does fall on us as parents to do what we can to assist them in preventing this most unpleasant of events.

Bullying takes on many forms and as such becomes harder to detect if your child does not step forward and tell you – or indeed a teacher – that they are being bullied. It is difficult for a child to admit to an adult that they are the subject of what is essentially a hate campaign and as parents it is our job to make it easier for our children to tell us that this is happening so that we in conjunction with their teachers can make sure it is stamped out.

What you Can do

As a parent there are a few simple things that can be done to prevent your child being bullied – or if they are the unfortunate recipient of bullying – that they come to you as soon as it starts.

The most important thing you can do is listen to your child. Ask them how their day was at school listen for long uncomfortable pauses and repeated comments that there was nothing much of interest happening. Although your child may find school for the most part a chore they will always have something to say about it and in not saying anything at all this can sometimes lead to uncovering some uncomfortable facts.

Something else you as a parent should look out for is injuries on the body that might not have normally been incurred except say for a lesson in Physical Education. If there has been any sort of accident in the playground the school will contact you to inform you, but if this is not the case and you do spot some injuries that look as though they have been incurred by means other than accident it is wise to ask your child to be honest with you as to how they got them.

Also parents should talk to each other regarding school. If you can chat with other parents that have children attending your school they too can provide you with information if any of their children are being bullied. More often than not another parent will tell you about an instance of bullying at school simply because no parent wants to think of their child being bullied.

It’s also worth considering meeting with the Parents & Teachers Association if your child has one and discussing your concerns with them also. They, just like you, will do whatever they can to make sure that bullying within schools is something that is kerbed.

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