Little Gossip or Little Bully?

A college in Bristol has blocked a controversial website which has been used by pupils as a tool to bully their peers. The City of Bristol College has blocked access to the website from computers based at their site.

The website in question, LittleGossip.com, was launched in November 2010 and has been heavily criticised over usage of the site to spread rumours and gossip – including naming the person and their school, college, etc. LittleGossip allows 'gossip' to be posted anonymously.

Since the public controversy, the website has removed all schools from the listing and made a recommendation that the site only be used by over 18s. Despite doing this, some college students are still being targeted by their peers.

The website claims “to encourage meaningful conversation” and features a report button that can aid in the removal of hateful comments.

But is this enough?

What is the role of a bystander?

If you don’t know what a bystander is, it’s someone who witnesses an act of bullying. If you know bullying is happening, but don’t do anything about it, that can be as bad as the bullying itself.

At Bully Free Zone and across the anti-bullying sector, we try our best to pass the message on that bystanders must act. We don’t mean you should jump in and stop a bully if they’re physically attacking someone, but you could go and get help. In schools, there is sometimes a culture where the other young people stand around shouting ‘fight’. If just one of those young people went to get a teacher, maybe something can be done to stop what is happening.

When Carol Hill, a dinner lady, pulled a group of boys away from attacking a 7 year old girl with a skipping rope, she didn’t stand by and watch it happen. She stopped the incident.

On seeing the girl’s parents outside of school, Mrs Hill, after the school informed the parents of a ‘skipping rope incident’, told them that she believed it to be an act of bullying. This was considered a breach of ‘pupil confidentiality’ by the school and Mrs Hill was later sacked.

After a battle to save her job, Mrs Hill won a case of unfair dismissal last week, which should allow her to return to her job.

I will ask again, what IS the role of a bystander? As an adult employee at the school, does Mrs Hill have a responsibility to help ensure the safety of its pupils? When faced with parents who know only what they’ve been told and perhaps not the full story, would you act any differently? If it had been another parent who had witnessed the bullying and passed on the information, would they have been in as much trouble?

We believe bullying is EVERYONE’S responsibility, if you see it happen, you can help stop it.

NCB Now: Report on bullying of children with SEN

An evidence review from the Anti-Bullying Alliance and the University of Cambridge has confirmed children with special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities are disproportionately at risk of being bullied.

Researchers studied the literature on the bullying of children with SEN and/or disabilities as part of a larger project to discover what works in tackling the bullying of these children in schools.

Some groups of children are shown as having experienced significant levels of bullying including, 83 per cent of children with learning difficulties, 82 per cent of children who are disfluent (those with a stammer), 59 per cent of them at least once a week, and 91 per cent for name calling.

The report says adults generally underestimate the amount of bullying these children experience, and that the practicalities of implementing intervention strategies challenges schools. Recommendations include schools focusing more on the social context of bullying; direct work on communication skills and new approaches to dealing with difference.

For more information, visit www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk.

Article from: Children & Young People Now (11 January 2011)

National Bullying Helpline - Closed!

The National Bullying Helpline was set up by Christine and David Pratt when Christine realised the impact bullying in the workplace has on industry. Since then it has seen an increase in workload and difficulty in securing funding.  As well as a controversial political row in which Pratt claimed the charity had received calls from Downing Street staff.

Despite the row over whether the charity broke confidentiality, by revealing details of calls, being some time ago, the charity is still being investigated by the Charity Commission.

Due to the funding issues and the recent resignation of Christine Pratt as chief executive, the charity has now closed.

Articles about this: Civil Society | The Press Association

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As part of the work we do at Bully Free Zone, we offer a telephone helpline for parents, schools and young people themselves to call up on how to deal with issues of bullying. Whilst we primarily work in Bolton and Blackpool, we do accept calls from further afield.

Our helpline number is: 01204 454958

Party, Party, Party!

So yeah Saturday night was really good we raised over £480 pounds at the Fundraising Disco for Bully Free Zone. We had everything from face painting and raffles to the good old karaoke sing-song, some great things happened like when Jenneh won the mystery envelope prize. Inside were v.i.p tickets for two to Bolton Little Theatre to see a production of her choice. I suspect she will take her boyfriend.

Also, I helped raise over £100 that night selling the tickets for the mystery envelope. The dance off between Kev and Jenneh was legendary, so funny. One of the young people, Colette, whose family organised the event said, “it was fun and exciting i enjoyed singing on the karaoke“.

A big thank you to everyone who came and got involved, especially the volunteers and Colette’s grandma, Jean.

Written by Tom.

One great reason for helping Children in Need

FUN and frolics today will bring in millions of pounds for Children in Need — which will then be distributed up and down the country to causes which make a real difference to people’s lives.

One of those to have benefited from Children in Need funding is Boltonbased Bully Free Zone, which has helped hundreds of children and families — and even saved lives.

In the past six years the charity, based in Chorley New Road, has received around £30,000 a year from Children in Need.

Without the grant and other similar sources of funding, the charity would not be able to continue its work in helping victims of bullying.

Since establishing itself 14 years ago, the charity has become an integral part of services available to children and families in Bolton.

Project co-ordinator Kev Walsh said: “This funding is absolutely vital to the Family Support Project we have. Bully Free Zone depends solely on grant funding. We do not get funding from the council or other agencies, although we have referrals from the local authority, the health service and schools.”

He added: “Bully Free Zone has saved lives. We have had young people who have expressed committing suicide or harming themselves. They are now confident and happy and living their lives.”

Many of the young people who have been helped by the charity are now volunteers with Bully Free Zone.
The charity also works with perpetrators of bullying, helping them to deal with issues such as anger management and peer pressure. It also helps set up prevention schemes in schools.

Unfortunately, the Children in Need funding will run out in April and the charity will have to look for other sources of funding to carrying on its work.

Mr Walsh said the charity needed the help of the community and appealed to businesses to lend their expertise as well as local people.

Children in Need mascot Pudsey Bear kickstarted the marathon fundraising effort in Bolton today. The bear will be taken to primary schools to collect money raised by children who wore yellow for the day and took part in “baking a bear”.

He made a surprise visit to The Oaks in Sharples yesterday and today he will revisit the school, along with Sharples Primary and Gaskell Street Primary to collect the money.

Also getting in on the act today will be St Paul’s CE Primary in Astley Bridge, which is organising a St Paul’s has got Talent event for staff and pupils.

Chris Baldwin, community colleague at Asda, said: “We get behind Children in Need every year and this year hope to raise more money than ever before.

“Children are paying a £1 to wear yellow and have been given plastic cutters to make Pudsey to sell to family and friends.”

● Anybody who can help Bully Free Zone by holding fundraising events — or businesses which can help — can contact the charity on 01204 454 958.

(From The Bolton News)

Reduce Bullying? Teach Human Rights.

 

Unicef project in hundreds of UK schools helps to foster calmer classrooms and a reduction in bullying and truancy.

Teaching children about their human rights can reduce bullying and exclusions, improve relations with teachers and create a calmer atmosphere for learning, according to an academic study published today.

A Unicef UK project running in more than 1,000 schools across Britain teaches pupils about their rights and responsibilities, and encourages them to draw up charters for classroom behaviour.

The first evaluation of the project since its launch in 2004 has found that its introduction was accompanied by a fall in truancy and an improvement in results at schools with a high proportion of children on free school meals.

The evidence is highlighted in a three-year study of the Rights Respecting School Award (RRSA), undertaken by researchers at the universities of Sussex and Brighton.

In a study of 31 schools, researchers found that there was "little or no shouting" and that conflicts between pupils escalated far less frequently than they had done before the schools adopted the new approach. Fixed-term exclusions decreased in 13 schools, stabilised in three, and five reported no exclusions, the study says.

Pupils increasingly took part in making decisions, ranging from debates about the state of the playground to discussions on staff appointments. In some schools, pupils showed candidates for teaching jobs around the school and identified questions they wanted to ask.

Pupils also gave feedback after candidates for teaching jobs gave sample lessons.

Anita Tiessen, deputy executive director of Unicef UK, said: "It is wrong that all children in the UK don't learn about their rights. Today's evaluation report shows what a profound effect it can have not only on children, but teachers, school leaders, governors and parents."

Meanwhile, research published today by the educational charity the Sutton Trust finds that poor children are twice as likely to start school with behaviour problems, compared with their more privileged peers. More than a third (35%) of the poorest three-year-old boys displayed behaviour problems, compared with one in six (15%) of those living in richer households, the study says.

The research, by Elizabeth Washbrook of Bristol University, asked parents to rate their child's behaviour in terms of hyperactivity and inattention, problems with conduct, emotional symptoms, and peer-related problems.

By the age of seven, 22% of the poorest boys still suffered from behaviour problems, compared towith 10% of those from richer homes.

Amongst girls, the rates were lower, but nearly a third of the poorest girls exhibited symptoms of behaviour problems at the age of three, which dropped to a fifth at age seven.

The research suggests that the gap in behaviour between poorer and wealthier children has widened over the last 10 years. Girls from low-income families who were born in the early 1990s were twice as likely to display behavioural problems than their peers at age seven. Those born around the millennium were three-and-a-half times as likely to show such symptoms.

Behaviour problems are more common among children from disadvantaged backgrounds, the study says, and the differences between rich and poor are starkest at the age of three, before children begin school.

Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the education charity Sutton Trust, said: "This study builds on earlier evidence from the trust showing that children from poorer homes are already one year behind their middle-income peers on cognitive tests when they start school.

"We now know that disadvantaged children are also much more likely to have difficult and challenging behaviour. It is no wonder that the gaps in achievement grow during primary school.

"More than anything, the research shows once again why it is so important to intervene pre-school to stem problems before they develop."

Taken from Guardian.co.uk