STAR : Bullying

"Promoting diversity, inclusion and equality for all children"

Registered Charity No. 1023528

Bullying - page 1

BACK IN THE PLAYGROUND BLUES

Dreamed I was in the school playground, I was about four feet high
Yes dreamed I was back in the playground, and standing about four feet high
The playground was three miles long and the playground was five miles wide.

It was broken black tarmac with a high fence all around
Broken black dusty tarmac with a high fence running all around
And it had a special name to it, they called it the Killing Ground.

Got a mother and father, they’re a thousand miles away
The Rulers of the Killing Ground are coming out to play
Everyone thinking: who they going to play with today?

       You get it for being Jewish
       Get it for being black
       Get it for being children
       Get it for fighting back
       You get it for being big and fat
       Get it for being small
       O those who get it get it and get it
       For any damn thing at all

Sometimes they take a beetle, tear off its six legs one by one
Beetle on its black back rocking in the lunchtime sun
But a beetle can’t beg for mercy, a beetle’s not half the fun.

Heard a deep voice talking, it had that iceberg sound:
‘It prepares them for life’ – but I have never found
Any place in my life that’s worse than the Killing Ground.

Bullying: a Definition

There are many different definitions of bullying, but in the main they include these three parameters:

Repetitive – prolonged over time
An imbalance of power
May be verbal, physical, social or psychological

Besag, 1989 writes …

“Bullying is a behaviour which can be defined as the repeated attack, physical, psychological, social or verbal in nature, by those in a position of power which is formally or situationally defined, with the intention of causing distress for their own gain or gratification.”

Why is This Issue Important?

The initial consultations with children clearly identified this as something which concerned many children in B&NES
20,269 children called Childline about Bullying between April 2000 and March 2001
Researchers and practitioners are able to evidence both the short-term and long-term effects of bullying on:
                                - self-esteem
                                - confidence
                                - academic achievement
                                - school attendance
                                - emotional well-being for children and their families

“Don’t worry about me I have gone up above where I really want to be. No bullies, no school, just happiness” wrote Laura Grimes in her suicide note.

This recent case highlights the extent to which bullying can affect school children and how often their distress can be kept hidden from school, friends and parents.

Bullying is a complex issue and thankfully cases rarely end so tragically but it is a serious issue which torments thousands of children. Sometimes the bully can turn out to be a victim as well. Children often have disagreements and fall outs in their peer groups and perceived bullying by one can be interpreted differently by another.