Prevention at heart of new bullying strategy

SCHOOL bullying prevention measures are to be strengthened in Dumfries and Galloway — after pupils had their say on how the problem is handled by teachers.

Children and young people from P4 to S6 from 86 schools locally participated in a large scale review of the region’s anti-bullying approach, and the findings have given education chiefs new insights into positively changing behaviours.

When asked if they think their school deals well with cases of bullying, only 44 percent of pupils responded ‘yes’.

And in response to being asked, ‘do you feel safe in your school?’, 64 percent said ‘yes’, while 31 percent said ‘sometimes’ and five percent said ‘no’.

Meanwhile, one in ten pupils admitted they wouldn’t feel okay telling a teacher or school staff if they or someone else is being bullied.

Councillors discussed the issue at length last week, including a report by Nicola Reynolds, the council’s education safeguarding manager. It states: “To progress towards becoming more inclusive and respecting the rights of children and young people, we need to move towards a culture that avoids calling children ‘bullies’ or ‘bully.’

“Likewise, we must avoid using the term ‘victim’ as it can disempower and have a lifelong impact on the person experiencing bullying.”

Responses were also gathered from Police Scotland, youth workers, and parents and carers within some parent councils.

But it was the responses from pupils themselves which provided the most valuable insights.

Jim Brown, the council’s head of education, said: “This is actually not so much about the punitive sanction, it is about that preventative model – and it’s also about the restorative

approaches.

“To face the consequence of your actions, if you are this bully, is actually really, really difficult – and isn’t something that a lot of children will want.

“But it’s the way forward because it then act as a preventative, a stronger measure than the punitive sanctions.”

Nicola Reynolds added: “That restorative approach that is absolutely at the heart of everything the review has suggested – and this has come from all parties – that punitive measures are just not the way forward.

“It is all about restorative work and early intervention, and that early support is absolutely crucial.”

Meanwhile, Lochar Councillor Linda Dorward praised council officers for their ongoing work on tackling bullying, saying: “You’re implementing a different way of dealing with bullying and adopting a more preventative approach, which is great.”