FAMILIES are reaching “breaking point” because school bullies get more support than their victims, a leading parent body has said.
The warning came after a Scotland-wide survey of more than 500 parents revealed nearly half had direct experience of school bullying, with 85 per cent aware it happened in their school.
Although 88% of parents knew who to contact to discuss their concerns, 69% had not seen their school’s anti-bullying policy.
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Parent body Connect, which carried out the poll with anti-bullying charity Respectme, said the most successful approaches were where schools challenged bullying and worked closely with families.
However, where bullying was not tackled effectively “communication was poor, families felt nothing was done and they were brought to breaking point”.
Connect is now calling for a national helpline to be set up to for parents and pupils who need help with bullying.
The survey was published against a backdrop of concern over the way school bullying is tackled across Scotland. Currently, councils record incidents of bullying in different ways and there is no requirement to publish the data.
An official survey in 2014 found 13% of boys and 15% of girls aged 11-15 had been bullied at school at least four times in the preceding two months.
Between 2010 and 2014 there was a six percentage point increase in bullying of girls and a three percentage point increase in incidents against boys.
Research by the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) teaching union found some forms of prejudice-based bullying were increasing, with misogyny, racism, Islamophobia and homophobia of serious concern.
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Teachers also reported cases of sexual propositioning of girls and young women by male pupils, including pushing, grabbing and groping, and the sending or sharing through social media of sexual images of women and girls “either with or without consent”.
Eileen Prior, executive director of Connect, said: “There was a strong sense from our survey that attention and support is often centred on those who are bullying and that there is very little for the children on the receiving end.
“Taking a ‘restorative justice’ approach is right, but it needs to be embedded in the school’s culture so pupils, families and staff understand what it is and why it works.
“We are not convinced it is delivered consistently and appropriately in some schools.”
Ms Prior said Connect now felt it was time for a dedicated anti-bullying helpline for parents and pupils to contact.
She added: “Many parents told us they did not have any support and felt helpless and isolated, so we are calling for a Scottish anti-bullying helpline to be set up.”
Read more: Call for school bullying database
Katie Ferguson, director at ant-bullying charity Respectme, said: “We need to remember that while young people need consistent responses to bullying and effective support, they also need the adults in their lives to focus on preventing it from happening in the first place.
“Bullying cannot thrive in inclusive cultures where young people are valued, difference is celebrated and rights are respected. Everyone, including parents and carers, have an important role in fostering this culture.”
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