Schools can be much more effective when parents report bullying and support their efforts to deal with it.
If your child reports that bullying is occurring at school, or the bullying involves students from the school outside of school, you should let the school know the situation.
Working together with the school is the best way to help your child resolve bullying issues.
Schools will work with you to resolve the situation and will also work with the other student's parents. Due to privacy laws, they will not be able to share information about any other students involved.
Tips for contacting the school
Remain calm and focus on being constructive (even if you feel upset).
Prepare by:
- checking your school website for any information regarding their policy or procedures for managing bullying
- making a time to talk with your child's teacher, school counsellor or guidance officer
- writing notes (and any other records) based on what your child has told you so you can be as clear as possible about what happened.
Tips for working with school staff
Continue to be calm and constructive. In the first instance contact your child's teacher if possible.
During meetings with staff:
- refer to your written notes to be as clear as possible about what happened and write notes of the discussions with your child's teacher or other staff
- ask what steps will be taken and if a plan is to be developed with home and school strategies
- recognise that investigating the situation at school will require time
- keep a written record of when you contacted the school, who you have spoken with, and any agreements that were made
- stay in touch with the teacher and let them know if problems continue or something new happens.
If you are unable to achieve a satisfactory solution with the class teacher or counsellor, make an appointment to meet with the deputy principal or the principal.