Don’t suffer in silence – talk about what is happening, says Jamie

Nov 19 2007 by Abbie Wightwick, Western Mail

Jamie Haviland’s tale of how she had her hair set on fire by a bully is a chilling reminder of the scale of the problem. Here she tells Abbie Wightwick how her important school years were ruined

Jamie Haviland still bears the scars – both physical and emotional – from when a boy set fire to her hair at school.

The 17-year-old, who left school at 16 without taking her GCSEs because she was so frightened, suffered years of bullying, including twice having her hair set alight.

She was attacked physically and verbally and dreaded walking home because her tormentors would lie in wait.

Jamie, who left Hartridge High School in Newport to take her GCSEs at night school, is now training to be a nursery nurse at the city’s Acorns Nursery.

She said the experience of being bullied would be with her for the rest of her life and schools should do more to tackle it.

The teenager said she was happy at primary. Her problems started at the age of 12 at Lliswerry High in Newport.

“It started with people waiting for me and pushing me, name calling and so on. I just thought I was different.”

Her parents moved her to Hartridge but the bullying continued. “It was still bad because now I was a new person,” she said.

“I had my hair set on fire twice. A boy held a lighter to my head in a corridor. It was scary. It also happened in the playground.

“The person was expelled and the police were called. It burned my face and I still have scars.

“I had to have most of my hair cut off afterwards because it was all burned.”

Like many people who are bullied, Jamie cannot understand why it happened or why it was so hard to talk about, even with her family.

She said both schools had anti-bullying policies but they did not work, and she feared complaining would make the problem worse.

“I was frightened of speaking to people in case they didn’t believe me or what their opinions of me would be.

“It got to the point where my parents noticed a change in me, but I didn’t talk to them. I didn’t want to upset my parents.

“The school was very helpful once I was set on fire and everyone knew about it.”

Jamie said her advice to people being bullied was to talk about it, whatever their fears.

“Schools have policies but people are still afraid to talk about bullying. It did not help me moving schools. You should talk to people.”

Since leaving school Jamie has trained with training charity Rathbone. She was named as the charity’s Wales Achiever of the Year at a ceremony at the Senedd last Wednesday.