There are several signs that could indicate that your child is being bullied at school. It’s important to note that whilst these can often be signs of bullying, there may be other explanations, so it’s best to avoid jumping to conclusions until you have the full picture. Children are often reluctant to raise the issue with adults as well, fearing that the situation may get worse if they tell someone.
Physical Signs
The most visible and obvious signs of bullying are often physical injuries, such as cuts or bruises on your child, that indicate physical abuse. When asked, your child may not have an explanation for how these injuries occurred, or may offer a reason that doesn’t seem to fit with the injury.
There may be a reasonable, unconcerning explanation for these injuries, but it’s important to discuss them with your child and to raise them with the school. Physical abuse can quickly escalate, so it’s vital that you get on top of it quickly.
Emotional Signs
Changes in your child’s behaviour can also be a strong indicator that something isn’t right. For example:
Any sudden changes in how your child behaves could be an indication of bullying. You know your child and how they usually act, so if their behaviour becomes unusual it’s worth speaking to them to try to encourage them to open up.
Academic Signs
Your child may appear to be more anxious than usual about going to school, or say they are feeling unwell more often. Their academic performance may also decline, in the form of lower grades or feedback from teachers suggesting they’re underperforming.
You may also notice that personal items appear to be going missing unexplainably, lunch money is disappearing, or that their clothes or belongings are being damaged. If you do notice this is happening, raise the issue with the school to bring it to their attention and to help address the issue.
Onlne signs
Bullying is no longer just limited to school hours, and it’s increasingly common for children to experience bullying on social media and messaging platforms. Seemingly harmless emojis such as a frog can hide harmful subtext, in this case meaning that the recipient is ugly. Similarly, text abbreviations might look like nonsense to you, but could be deeply hurtful to your child. The abbreviation ‘182’ for example means ‘I hate you’.”
What to do if you think your child is being bullied
Discuss the facts
Listen carefully
Support and reassure
Discourage retaliation
Control your own emotions
Raise the issue with the school
Catherine Talbot, is Education Learning Designer at the expert safeguarding course providers, High Speed Training.