[Mels]

Having just been reading about a report of alleged bullying at Hutt Valley High School

(www.nzherald.co.nz/metro/story.cfm?l_id=153&objectid=10487126)

that has involved the police and was wondering what experiences any of you have had in schools, good and bad? Just for reference this school is a decile 9 school and it apparently involved yr 9's

Just as we finally start the process all the bad stuff comes to the surface big time, or that's what it feels like :(

[lockstock]

Decile 9 is a school with quite an affluent catchment area. No excuse for social deprivation there I'm afraid. Bullying goes on everywhere - this school dealt with it but will no doubt be berated because it happened in the first place. It's the schools which say they don't have a bullying problem you have to watch - anywhere in the world. Denial means it's not being dealt with. Rather than ask if there's a bullying problem, ask how a bullying issue is dealt with.

Having a bullying policy doesn't make the problem go away. After all, the police have an anti-crime policy don't they?

[stephenandjulie]

I don't think the decile rating has anything to do with bullying. I think rich kids are just as capable of bullying as poor kids. I would check out the schools policy on bad behaviour and the measures they have in place to deal with bullying should it arise. And I agree with Lockstock, be wary of any school that says it doesn't have any bullying issues.

[dharder]

I don't think the decile rating has anything to do with bullying. I think rich kids are just as capable of bullying as poor kids.

It might actually be worse. In my experience, schools in poorer areas are more prepared for behaviour issues as they are expecting them. So if you have a low decile school, you may have more mechanisms in place to deal with this, people on hand to try to manage this, etc.

I do think bullying is everywhere, but I also think it is a term used for all sorts fo things, and overused. Our school in England had a definition that was so all encompassing that pretty much everything other than a friendly approach to someone could be interpreted as 'bullying'.

The headmistress here at the boys' school (Decile 9 as well) said in a conversation with me that they never have problems, that maybe there were one or two isolated cases but that was years ago, etc. In the same week, I talked to someone else who is dealing with special needs at the school, and said they have just as many issues as other schools, that they sometimes had to work with whole classes to get them to behave, and that she sees all sorts of behaviour.

As others have said I'd be wary of anyone who says their school doesn't have problems. For me, that spells the danger of them not actually trying to tackle it.

Daniela

[Mels]

Now this is really begining to worry me

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/metro/story.cfm?l_id=153&objectid=10489322

I know my nerves are a bit taut at the moment but this is unsettling me.
Info from some formites have reassured me but the response from bullying at our present school is swift and protective with little risk of come back if you report an incident.

This article does not reassure me that this is always the case.

Mels

[ourquest]

Now this is really begining to worry me



Reading news articles is highly unlikely to reassure you. For a start, bad news sells, and it is very easy to put either a negative or positive spin on any report, so a journalist might be inclined to choose a negative one. And even if your newspaper had a balance of positive and negative articles you would notice the negative ones more. And every newspaper article I have ever read about which I had inside knowledge has had innaccuracies.

Compare:
"Willingness of children to expose bullying sets positive trend for NZ school"
"Only a third of pupils at NZ school affected by any form of bullying"
"More than one in every three children at NZ school affected by bullying"
"Bullies repeatadly traumatise children at NZ school"
"Violence by children against children rife in NZ schools"
"Violent behaviour in 13 year olds sets bleak scene for NZ's future"

I think you will agree that that these increase in shock value but could be a reporter's headline for the same set of events.

Unless you are at the school in question, and at many others all at the same time it would be very unlikely that you could gain an objective impression of events. And even then it will depend on whether you are a mud or a stars kind of person.

[Mels]

Thanks Ourquest,

I'm normally a stars kind of person but when under stress I sometimes drop a few in the mud.

I read this just after I watched my son (more of a mud person, but I keep encouraging him to look at the stars) happily go of to school, so bit of a panic reaction, heads coming back online now. I'm also just a Mum and you konw how much they worry. :roll

I have also looked at the schools website to get their perspective - which was slightly different - oddly!

Mels