Beating the bullies

If the children’s commissioner Al Aynsley-Green achieves nothing more than making people wake up to the dreadful toll bullying takes on the lives of children and young people, his appointment will have been well worth while.

The last few weeks has seen a raft of depressing headlines about bullies and their victims, and it is impossible to calculate the damage that is being done on a daily basis.

As ever, schools have been quick to defend themselves from accusations by Aynsley-Green that they are “in denial” about the scale of the problem. But, anyone who works with parents will be able to tell you about a number of cases where children have been bullied and their schools have either denied it is happening, or not handled it appropriately.

It’s true to say there is no quick fix, especially with the rise of “cyber bullying” by text and e-mail, but until we can engage in an honest debate, and start changing the culture in which many children are educated, the epidemic the commissioner refers to will continue to spread.

DAVINA ROBERTS, SCARBOROUGH