Marion primary bully audit

05May08

CARE AND RESPECT: Marion Primary School SRC Year 3-4 representitives Zoe and Adam, both aged 9. Pic: Cathy Mundy

A LOCAL school has carried out a ``bully audit'' to identify repeat tormenters and teasing hotspots, as part of a wider crackdown against schoolyard thugs across the south-west. 

Several schools contacted by the Guardian Messenger last week were in the process of reviewing their bully policies, seeking feedback from students or sending out information to parents.

Marion Primary deputy principal Stephanie Kakoschke said students were encouraged to take part in a ``bully audit'' last term, filling out confidential forms stating the types of harassment they had encountered and from whom.

Ms Kakoschke said the children who had been nominated as bullies on three or more forms were counselled, with their parents, by a teacher.

``We know the overt type of bullying that occurs in schools,'' she said.

``But there's also covert bullying that happens, which students may be too scared to report or don't know who to speak to.'' The audit identified ``a very low number'' of bullies and will be completed at the end of every term.

Warradale Primary principal Suzanne Clark said a similar audit conducted at the school three years ago had been effective. 

``It allowed us to gather information and identify children that may have needed some help in dealing with behaviour issues, and to identify students, who had been repeat victims of bullying.''

Ms Clark said the school now preferred a ``restorative'' approach to bullying, which involved getting all parties together to resolve incidents.

``We believe that simply punishing people just builds long-lasting ill-feeling and leads to more bullying. So our approach is to get both parties together to look at repairing relationships.''

Edwardstown Primary principal Tony Sullivan said the school had not done an audit but would consider conducting one next year.

``I think it is quite powerful when other students can help us identify bullying and build up a database on trouble behaviour,'' he said.


The school was educating its students on what constituted bullying and how to deal with it.

Education Department spokeswoman Mel Hein said anti-bullying policies had been compulsory for schools since 2005 and could incorporate other behaviour management guidelines.

She said the department recommended schools reviewed their policies every two or three years, with staff, students and the community included in the process. -  by Emily Charrison, Sarah Garvis & Kym Morgan.