ALMOST HALF OF Irish schoolchildren have been affected by bullying, according to a survey of their parents.

In the survey carried out by the National Parents Council (Primary), 44 per cent of mothers and fathers reported that their own child had been involved in or affected by a bullying situation.

Six per cent of children do not feel safe at school, their parents reported. Just over half of parents said they had made a formal complaint to their child’s school over bullying, according to the survey presented at the Government’s Forum on Bullying yesterday.

However, of those who made a complaint the majority – almost 62 per cent – felt that it was dealt with successfully.

Áine Lynch, chief executive of the National Parents Council (Primary), said this was a positive result, though serious concerns remain. She told TheJournal.ie:

We’d be very concerned about the other 38 per cent who didn’t feel their complaint was well dealt with. But our message is that if 62 per cent of schools are dealing with it successfully, we need to look to those schools as those mechanisms are obviously working.

She called on the Government to implement section 28 of the Education Act, which deals with formal complaint procedures.

“Currently we’re working with a procedure drawn up between teachers’ unions and management,” she said. “Parents weren’t consulted in the process.”

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