Schools back and unfortunately the bullies are starting to come out of the shadows again.
| Sometimes bullies get a message from schools that its OK to bully. |
This time last year, school pupil Thomas Kieltys excitement about going into second year was short lived when bullies began making life unbearable.
The boy who was bullying me lived on my street and ended up at the same school. He used to mock me and get his friends to join in, once he tried to push me down the two flights of stairs, he said.
Kielty did not talk to his parents because he was too scared but after a year of being tormented he decided to speak to a teacher.
They did not seem to do anything about it, Im not sure why but it just got worse. I went to see the vice-principal, she brought them into her office and it seemed to stop after about two days, he said.
According to Childline, bullying is the most common reason children call its free-help line. In Northern Ireland, 14 percent of children ring about bullying, which is marginally higher than Britain. Research indicates that the most vulnerable age groups are primary seven and first to third year.
Alison Kinnear, counselling co-ordinator for Contact Youth said telephone calls about bullying increase sharply at the start of the school term. Contact Youth provides one-to-one counselling, pastoral care within schools and also operates a free telephone help-line.
Sometimes they (the bullies) don't actually understand the effects it has on other people. Ms Kinnear said. Sometimes they're unhappy themselves, maybe they've been bullied themselves.
Mairead Monds, programmes co-ordinator with Save The Children in Belfast agreed the reasons young people bully are complex and numerous. However, she was critical of the approaches taken by some schools towards the problem.
Sometimes schools just say its part of growing up thats life. And the bullies get a message from schools that its ok to bully, she said.
Guidelines have been produced by the department of education for Northern Ireland, which schools can use to develop anti-bullying policies but there is no statutory duty on schools here to produce such policies unlike the situation in England and Wales.
We're working with the department to try and bring the same law into Northern Ireland that they have in England and Wales and that law makes it a legal obligation. That means schools legally must do things to try and prevent bullying and also to deal with it properly, Ms Monds said.
Acting Principal Vivienne Boyle said Belfast Model School for Girls has a bullying policy in place and pupils know that they can talk to the pastoral team if they are concerned about anything.
We know it exists, it exists in every school but we recognise that, she said. On the induction afternoon when were addressing parents, we would have made it very clear that if there was any bullying, if they know that their child is being bullied that they should let us know so as we can deal with it sooner rather than later.
Girls Model invites experts to provide training for school staff on how to deal with victims and perpetrators of bullying.
Weve got to recognise that the bullies need help as well because their behaviour is being anti-social, it is totally unacceptable and theres a reason for that, Ms Boyle added.
Bullying exists throughout society and I think as a school we reflect society and what we do in schools has to prepare young people to live and cope with all aspects of life and work as far as we possibly can, she said.
About the team
This story was produced by Michael Leathem, 14 Thomas Kielty, 15 Lisa Skinner, 16 Paul Bradley 14, Orlaith Graham Wood, 12. It was published in The Irish News.
