QUESTION AND ANSWER
“My daughter’s school say she is a bully, but she tells me she is the victim. How can I prove she is correct?”This is a difficult one. In my experience few bullies have parents who accept the truth – this may be why their children turned out that way! The school will have a bullying policy. Look at it to find out how they collect evidence. Approach the school with an open mind and listen carefully to what is said. Your daughter’s defence is a common one amongst bullies. However, mistakes do happen and the school may have chosen the easiest solution to a difficult problem. If you are convinced that the evidence is wrong, you will need to prove it, for the school has a responsibility in law to stop bullying.
“My son in an independent school has a teacher who bullies the children, and the school ignores complaints. What can we do?”When you chose an independent school for your son, you selected a private organisation with its own policies on dealing with customer complaints. Providing the school is acting within the law, if they do not wish to consider your complaint and there is no formal procedure laid down, you only have the option of changing schools. You may find difficulties changing mid-course, but can either choose another private school or else a state school that is subject to stricter controls and procedures when there are problems.