School Bullying: Why Schools Must Do More

An article appeared in the press recently detailing the difficulties a parent had encountered when trying to resolve a school bullying dispute in West Sussex. The article can be found here:

Essentially, the article outlines that the school in question refused to disclose the details of a bully targeting children at the school, who had set up a social media account in the name of another student. The details of the perpetrator were not disclosed by the school that relied upon principles arising from the Data Protection Act 1998.

In practice, the specialist education law solicitors at HCB often encounter schools with deficient anti-bullying policies and procedures. Misuse of these policies is becoming common, which can lead in certain circumstances to parents seeking to bring negligence actions against the school.

Senior members of staff will often adopt the stance that bullying is not a problem at their school, despite reports being made by the pupil or parent. Cyber-bullying is also now becoming a more prevalent issue, with schools often taking the view that it is not their problem given it occurs outside of school hours. That is not entirely accurate; the school owes a duty of care to each pupil to ensure that their safety and wellbeing is provided for.   

At HCB, our specialist education lawyers can assist parents of children who are being subjected to bullying at their school. Our expert legal department has a wealth of experience of resolving school bullying disputes. Please do not hesitate to call our specialist education law team on 02920 291704.