5 Tips For Returning To School

2^nd Sep 2016

It’s hard to believe that the summer holidays are almost over and over the next few weeks the UK’s 10 million children and young people will be starting or returning to school.

For many, this will be an exciting time but for over half of them, back to school will be a nightmare. Why? Because they are affected by bullying.

Over the coming weeks, BulliesOut will be delivering workshops and training programmes in schools across the UK – all aimed at educating young people on the effects of bullying, raising aspirations, encouraging empathy, respect and responsibility.

For parents, this is also a worrying time and we have written some tips to help you should your child be affected by bullying.

1. Talk to the school – make contact with the school and your child’s teacher before your child returns to school. Remind them of any issues that were present before the holiday and refresh their memory on the plans that were already in place. Explain any anxiety you have witnessed in your child about their return to school and express your wish to work together with the school.
2. Talk to your child – remind them that any bullying behaviour is unacceptable and that they don’t have to put up with it. Let them know that you have spoken to the school and encourage them repeatedly to be open and honest with you and talk about their feelings as well as talking about anything that might happen.
3. Set a safe plan with your child – encourage your child to set in their mind a teacher or other adult at their school that they feel able to tell if they experience any bullying. This will help them to feel safer and more confident as they return to school.
4. Positive moves – talk to your child in a positive way about interacting with other children and young people. This will encourage them to ensure they remain with their friends and do not become isolated, which can make them a target for bullying.
5. Encourage friendships – together with your child, reach out to parents and friends from the previous academic year. Encourage your child to return to their existing friendship groups and to be able to identify other children in need of friendship and bring them into their own friendship groups.

We also have a free information brochure available for parents and if you would like a copy, please send an A5 size SAE (large stamp) to BulliesOut, GF, 2 Neptune Court, Vanguard Way, Cardiff CF24 5PJ