By Gavin Mackintosh And Jaymie Holland
British pupils who suffer bullying are happy schools are closed and want it to remain that way for as long as possible, The Eye Of Media.Com has heard
Research obtained from a total of 1000 pupils attending both primary and secondary schools in the Uk, who claim to have suffered bullying over the years revealed a high level of relief from school closures caused by the pandemic. The pupils were identified from past academic research in which data was collated through surveys at tutor groups, schools and personal contacts of parents in 2018 and 2019.
The research was mainly based on academic standards in various schools but included other well being issues including experience of domestic violence at home, motivation or the lack of it by parents, bullying in school, and self confidence. Several of the pupils were contacted again before school closures at the end of March, to inquire how they felt about school closures due to the lockdown related to the coronavirus.
Causes of bullying cited by those who claimed to be victims included homophobia, racism, physical appearance, obesity, and dyslexia. Of those spoken to, 73% said they were happy the lockdown was imposed because it gives them respite from the relentless bullying they suffer. 25% of them said they suffered nightmares which they connected to bullying in school. Just over 20% of victims claimed they were also bullied online through comments targeted at them or about them.
The other 27% said the bullying was not serious or regular enough for them to want schools to be closed indefinitely. Just over 10 % of those happy about the lockdown said the only thing they did not enjoy about the lockdown was the fact they are not allowed to visit their friends a home.
Over 50% of those bullied said they did not have friends, and feel the time at home is just perfect for them to watch television and enjoy their mother’s attention. Disappointingly, only an estimated 10% of bullied pupils claimed to be doing any reading at home or academic work. A large section of those bullied suffer mental health problems as a result of bullying and lack the confidence to study at all. Many victims who suffer bullying at school or who hate school will see this as an amazing opportunity to miss school.
Most bullies do so to empower themselves at the expense of their victims, but in many other cases, the bullies are themselves victims of domestic abuse or suffer from some unknown mental health issue. Victims of bullying are advised to speak out and complain whenever they suffer bullying. Some victims persevere with their education despite bullying, but others lose interest completely.
Ms Jamie Holland, an English teacher for Basildon Academy in Essex spoke about the significant amount of bullying she received in her teenage years for her alternative taste in dress sense and music taste, bullying that grew to physical assault. She advises any child being bullied to, first and foremost, tell someone. It is her silence that meant the bullying grew to the extent in which it did.
Ms Holland told The Eye Of Media.Com:
“When I was at school, I didn’t want to seem like I was a grass” she tells . “I think this is a struggle many children face as, often, fitting in with your friends is like a social-ranking system. This could also be why children bully themselves because they want to fit in and appear to be conforming to social norms. The second I told someone, the bullying was dealt with and I was much happier”.
She also advises taking the time during the lock-down period to work on a hobby or skill which you enjoy so you come out the process a more confident person and view it as a time where good has been achieved. Ms Holland also used hobbies like playing the guitar and karate to keep her happy in a bid to overcome the type of sadness that can come from bullying.
P.S: The research and content of this article was contributed to by both authours.u