Bullying in schools - Survey is important

The survey of the views of children and parents about bullying and other aspects of school life being conducted by the Department of Education next month should be warmly welcomed.

The tragic case of Phoebe Prince — the teenager from Fanore, Co Clare, who took her own life earlier this year as a result of bullying at South Hadley High School in Massachusetts — was a dreadful warning of danger or not dealing with bullying in school.

School managers and teacher representatives have complained in the past that badly behaved and bullying pupils are effectively given priority over the children being victimised.

All children from third class to fifth class in smaller schools and “a large sample” of children at medium and larger schools will be asked to fill out questionnaires anonymously with between 20 and 30 questions about whether they think everybody is being treated fairly in school, if they feel safe in class, find classes interesting, and whether teachers talk to them about bullying.

Parents will also be asked to fill out a questionnaire about how they think the school is being run and how it deals with bullying. The answers should provide a timely warning about bullying in schools.