My KIDS ARE BEING BULLIED

DEAR JENNIFER: I have two boys aged eight and 10 and both are being bullied at school. It’s been going on for a little over a year and it upsets me no end when I see them come home in tears sometimes.

Usually, it’s because some other child has teased them because they have red hair or they’ve actually been pushed around.

I have spoken to both their teachers on a few occasions and they’ve just assured me that they are doing all they can.

But I question whether any of them are really doing anything because things are not getting any better — my sons are just getting more and more miserable.

They also do all that they can to avoid going to school, including pretending to be sick when I know they have been active and feeling fine all weekend.

This is so unfair; children shouldn’t be bullied like this and schools should do more to stamp it out.

JENNIFER SAYS: I agree completely, no child should be bullied repeatedly like this. Schools have a legal duty to protect children and should have protocols in place for dealing with incidents of bullying.

You’ve already spoken to the relevant teachers to little effect, so I think you need to escalate matters.

Before you do so, please talk with your children. It’s important they get involved and know that they do not have to simply accept bullying.

They also need to understand what’s about to happen, that they are happy with it and that they know they are not going to have to face it alone.

It would also be useful if you could get them to write about any incidents that have occurred and describe how it made them feel.