‘Don’t hide the problem’

Mar 8 2008 by Jean Parry, South Wales Echo

EXPERIENCED retired teacher Robert Parry agreed schools were in denial about bullying.

Mr Parry, 56, from Taffs Well, spent 30 years in the profession, culminating in him becoming head of history at a 1,000-pupil comprehensive school where he said bullying was ever present.

He said: “The Cardiff councillor is quite right in what he says and that bullying will be around for ever but that doesn’t mean schools should not be tackling the issue head on, not sweeping it under the carpet.”

Mr Parry said forcing schools to address the problem by making teachers record incidents would help.

He said: “It is a legal requirement for a teacher to report and record any racial abuse and it should be for bullying. I once reported a boy for a remark about the Jews and the Holocaust. He was then suspended for three days.”

Mr Parry said through talking informally to colleagues at other schools, some headteachers were unwilling to publicly acknowledge their bullying problems.

He said: “Firstly, they did not want any associated publicity and thereafter you would have to involve parents, perhaps social services and the police and heads found all that time- consuming, but that is clearly the wrong attitude when so many pupils have committed suicide because of bullying.”