Dear Parents and Carers,

At Calliope State School we aim to create a safe and supportive school community for everyone.

Sometimes, it can be difficult for parents or carers to know what to do when their child talks to them about bullying.

You are an important part of our work to prevent bullying and to respond effectively if it happens. Stopping bullying involves everyone.

If your child talks to you about bullying:

1. Listen calmly and get the full story. Your calm response is important to allow your child to tell you all about the situation. After they’ve told you their story, ask questions to get more details if you need to: who, what, where, when. Although you may feel some strong emotions about your child’s experience, try to keep calm to avoid more distress to your child.

2. Reassure your child they are not to blame. Many children blame themselves and this may make them feel even worse. You could say things like, ‘That sounds really hard to deal with. No one should have to put up with that.’ or ‘I’m so glad you told me. You should be able to feel safe at school; that’s not fair at all’.

3. Ask your child what they want to do and what they want you to do. A critical part of your response is to avoid jumping in to solve the problem. While it is natural to want to protect your child, helping them to find their own solution is a better option. It helps them feel they have some power in the situation.

4. Visit www.bullyingnoway.gov.au to find some strategies. The website has tips and ideas for different bullying situations. One idea is to practise strategies at home to help your child feel more confident.

5. Contact the school. Your child may be reluctant for you to do this, so discuss the idea and reassure them that the school would want to know and is able to help. Make an appointment to meet with your child’s teacher and, if you need to, ask to talk with the principal. Contact the school immediately if you have a concern about your child’s safety.

6. Check in regularly with your child. Keep the conversation going. It can take time to resolve issues, so check in regularly with your child about their experiences and their feelings. Your ongoing support is important.

At Calliope State School we want to maintain a culture in the school where students are actively engaged in the curriculum and are provided with interesting ways to learn; where they feel cared for by school staff and develop a sense of belonging to the school; and where teachers know them well, build on their strengths and encourage them to persist with tasks until they succeed. Our Whole School Positive Behaviour Support Plan ensures that teachers, parents and students are partners in maintaining our culture of ‘it is ok to tell’. Our teachers use a range of social skills programs to enhance students’ understanding of bullying but more importantly how to build and maintain effective relationships. We focus on building positive relationships to reduce negative social behaviour and ‘bullying’.

If you are looking for support for yourself to deal with a bullying situation, you will find ideas on the Bullying. No Way! website for parents.

As a school we are taking part in Bullying No Way Day on 20 March. Thanks for your support to make our school a great school for everyone.