If your Reach child has issues with bullying, it’s really important for parents to work closely with the school to address the issue quickly and carefully. At Reach charity, we recommend starting with a similar approach to the below example from a member, in the first instance:
A child with one arm happily sailed through her pre-school and nursery class which had a separate playground. When she moved up a year she started to be bullied by older children in the ‘big’ playground. She became withdrawn in the classroom, unhappy to play outside and her parents noticed a change in her confidence at home. Mum contacted school to discuss the situation face to face.
The school’s bullying policy included bullying related to disability. The school was concerned that the policy was not working and they took advice from the local support services and from the pupil and her parents. The school decided that it needed to take a number of steps, including addressing name-calling and bullying (including that related to disability) and undertaking work on disability issues in a number of classes.
For more general practical advice on bullying, we recommend Kidscape, who provide advice and have an extensive range of information freely available to young people, parents and professionals who work directly with children.