Bullying at School Legal Advice

Schools have a statutory obligation regarding anti-bullying policies and have a responsibility to ensure that the policy is followed.  These responsibilities although contained in statute law are also applicable to the common law duty to protect children.

It is often a difficult decision - do I send my child to school and worry that they will be harmed, or do I keep them at home and what impact will this have on my child and my family? 

Under the present law parents may be aware that by keeping their children from school they may be committing a criminal offence. These days the government is intent on ensuring that parents who keep their children from school without good reason should be punished. The first port of call must be the school.  If on the other hand the school do not appear to be taking appropriate action then it is best to consult me for further advice.

Do not keep your child from school and assume that you will escape prosecution.  Equally it is dangerous to ignore the problems that your child has at school because more often than not, if not dealt with quickly, it will get worse.  I therefore recommend that parents seek a medical opinion immediately if they are concerned about their child's health and welfare.  It is also important as your child may not be telling you everything. 
In certain cases it may be possible to ask the local authority to provide your child with home tuition.