Help! The bullying does not stop.

It is sad that bullying does not stop! When your child has been bullied for a longer time and feels alone, you can expect the school to act. Sometimes it is not possible to stop bullying. Because the school does too little, or the school does not manage to stop the bullying. Below you can read what steps you can take then.

School’s approach to bullying does not work

Sometimes the school tries everything to stop bullying. When the full bullying policy is followed but no action works, the school can contact School & Safety to get information about next actions or steps. The school is still responsible for your child’s safety after using the safety policy, even if the actions in the school do not work.

Read here what the school must do against bullying

The school does too little against bullying

Not every school admits bullying situations. Talks with the teacher do not help or the school does not keep its promises. This is hard. You are at home with a sad, angry and frustrated child. This can cause a child to not want to go to school anymore or even get health problems. Luckily, there are some things you can do if you feel the school does not take your worries seriously. You can look for extra help inside or outside the school:

Look for help inside the school

Sometimes you notice the school puts in too little effort to stop bullying, while the anti-bullying policy offers more options and tools. Try to solve it inside the school first: talk to the teacher, your child’s mentor, the head of the department and finally the director. If these talks do not lead to solutions or actions, contact the school governing body. You can also file a complaint. If that does not help, you can go to the following people:

School governing body (you can also file a complaint here)
Confidential adviser (check the school guide for more information)
School doctor
Bullying coordinator
School participation council (the school participation council does not handle personal cases, but you can share ideas or suggestions about the school’s bullying policy)

Help outside the school

If you cannot solve it inside the school, or your child’s safety is very at risk, you can look for help outside the school. You have the following options:

Have you already filed a complaint with the school governing body but it is not solved? And is the school part of a national complaints committee? Then you can also file a complaint there.
If the complaint is not properly handled, you can contact the children’s ombudsman.
File a report with the education inspectorate. They usually do not act directly but will review the safety policy in the next inspection. You can report here.
Is the bullying a serious threat to your child? Then you can contact the confidential inspector of the education inspectorate.
If your child no longer wants to go to school and stays at home, contact the attendance officer of your municipality.
In some situations you can file a report with the police.
Organise help for your child. Bullying can have a big effect on your child’s feeling of safety and self-esteem.
It can also be hard for you as a parent. If you want to share your story, contact us. You can also call the parent phone.
An external confidential adviser. Check the school guide for who this is and how to contact them.