Bullying situations at my school

Schools seldom seem helpful with this. It is difficult to challenge a school that isn't addressing bullying, but also bullying tends to be identified as conventional bullying where one or two bullies pick on weaker kids while everyone looks on.

Some bullying is about difference, however, where often it is collective exclusion and name calling. There have been lots of studies, for example, on the use of tags like "gay" or "***" applied to any kid who is just different (ie often not inferring sexuality).

I recall one such study 6 or 7 years ago where three schools participated. The poshest of the three, when they saw the results reflected badly on them, tried to have the whole project buried, simply because they were worried about its effect on league tables.

And that's really the nub of this problem. A lot of schools bury bullying issues to protect their place on the league tables - not nice is it? But I wonder if the school in this case is more concerned about league tables than pupil welfare. There are some real "pits" out there pretending to be good schools.

There is quite an enlightening book on "Asperger Syndrome and bullying: Strategies and Solutions" by Nick Dubin (Jessica Kingsley Publishers 2007  ISNB 978 1 84310 846 7). This might be quite helpful if you can get help with it.

Unfortunately charities that address bullying (Anti-Bullying Alliance, Kidscape, etc) don't seem to recognise the kind of bullying experienced by people with ASC. Bizarrely Kidscape lists The Autism Foundation in a section headed Mental and Sexual Health (which is what, a recognition autism is a factor?)

You don't say whether the bullying victim has autism or aspergers or what kind of bullying, but it is important to pin down the characteristics.

How many bullies are identifiable, or is it a broader spread of persecutors, or is it a whole class more or less? Is it physical bullying, ostracisation (isolating the individual, not associating, ignoring), name calling (sexual, racial, religious, or physical appearance related), cyber bullying (mobile phone or internat chat/network sites)?

Is it bullying at school,l with the teachers turning a blind eye, or clearly out of sight of teachers, or is it bullying between school and home? Is it bullying in unattended classrooms, or communal areas (cloakrooms, changing rooms and toilets)? Is it bullying during sports/recreation?

Pupils with autism are particularly vulnerable to bullying because they act and may look different, they are less socially adept and easily isolated, they may be sensitive to noise or prone to meltdowns, which makes them fun, they may take joke threats too literally, and they may be reluctant to tell anyone. Also persisting ignorance about autism in schools mean teachers are likely to blame the victim, or claim it is up to the victim to sort things out.

Schools seldom seem helpful with this. It is difficult to challenge a school that isn't addressing bullying, but also bullying tends to be identified as conventional bullying where one or two bullies pick on weaker kids while everyone looks on.

Some bullying is about difference, however, where often it is collective exclusion and name calling. There have been lots of studies, for example, on the use of tags like "gay" or "***" applied to any kid who is just different (ie often not inferring sexuality).

I recall one such study 6 or 7 years ago where three schools participated. The poshest of the three, when they saw the results reflected badly on them, tried to have the whole project buried, simply because they were worried about its effect on league tables.

And that's really the nub of this problem. A lot of schools bury bullying issues to protect their place on the league tables - not nice is it? But I wonder if the school in this case is more concerned about league tables than pupil welfare. There are some real "pits" out there pretending to be good schools.

There is quite an enlightening book on "Asperger Syndrome and bullying: Strategies and Solutions" by Nick Dubin (Jessica Kingsley Publishers 2007  ISNB 978 1 84310 846 7). This might be quite helpful if you can get help with it.

Unfortunately charities that address bullying (Anti-Bullying Alliance, Kidscape, etc) don't seem to recognise the kind of bullying experienced by people with ASC. Bizarrely Kidscape lists The Autism Foundation in a section headed Mental and Sexual Health (which is what, a recognition autism is a factor?)

You don't say whether the bullying victim has autism or aspergers or what kind of bullying, but it is important to pin down the characteristics.

How many bullies are identifiable, or is it a broader spread of persecutors, or is it a whole class more or less? Is it physical bullying, ostracisation (isolating the individual, not associating, ignoring), name calling (sexual, racial, religious, or physical appearance related), cyber bullying (mobile phone or internat chat/network sites)?

Is it bullying at school,l with the teachers turning a blind eye, or clearly out of sight of teachers, or is it bullying between school and home? Is it bullying in unattended classrooms, or communal areas (cloakrooms, changing rooms and toilets)? Is it bullying during sports/recreation?

Pupils with autism are particularly vulnerable to bullying because they act and may look different, they are less socially adept and easily isolated, they may be sensitive to noise or prone to meltdowns, which makes them fun, they may take joke threats too literally, and they may be reluctant to tell anyone. Also persisting ignorance about autism in schools mean teachers are likely to blame the victim, or claim it is up to the victim to sort things out.