One-third of young people in post-primary schools do not feel it is safe to express themselves fully in school, according to a new report.
The report, by Department of Education inspectors, looks at bullying behaviour in schools at both primary and secondary level.
It is based on survey responses completed by a large number of teachers, school principals, parents, others who work in schools, and by 2,346 children and young people.
It found that approximately one-tenth of primary and special school students “occasionally, rarely, or never felt either a sense of belonging, or that it was safe to express themselves authentically in school”.
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The report identified “a clear reticence” among some students to report bullying behaviour.
While there was a consensus that bullying behaviour was not tolerated in schools, children and young people indicated a lack of confidence in teachers’ ability to consistently identify signs of bullying.
This perception was more prevalent among young people in post-primary schools.
Just more than one-third of children at primary and post-primary level identified discriminatory attitudes towards their appearance as the main reason for negative commentary from other students.
Negative perceptions relating to their interests, abilities or lifestyles were also identified as reasons why they were singled out.
Second level students identified background, lifestyle, and interests as other key reasons.
Chief inspector Yvonne Keating said the feedback, particularly from the post-primary students who responded to the survey, indicated “a need for more concerted action”.
The report recommended that schools “work to enhance their procedures for reporting concerns about bullying behaviour to ensure that children and young people feel able to report”.
It also called for comprehensive audits of school environments and full implementation of curricula that support Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE), especially at post-primary level.
Most children and young people in primary and special schools found their classroom-based learning about bullying behaviour to be helpful, but a considerable proportion of respondents at post-primary level did not consider this to be the case for them.
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