‘Lockdown pleasant breather for bullied children’ | Right away

Schools will reopen on Monday. Not all children can look forward to this. It is estimated that 10% of all primary school children are bullied. For them, the closure was a welcome breather. “My son flourished at home, he’s a completely different child.”

Lately, we have been dealing with children in precarious situations for whom there is no safe place at home or for whom it has not worked for whatever reason. According to Giti Bén, who works at the Foundation for School and Security, it is good that this attention was and remains. But there is also a large group of children for which the closure was a welcome breather.

According to the Education Inspectorate, 10% of primary school children are bullied. From the confidants she works with, she hears that it is a relief for many of these children that they do not have to go to school.

No longer on guard

One of these children is the son of Jolanda (actually, the name known to the editors). Suddenly, she saw her 4.5-year-old child, who had skipped some classes and is now in third grade, and suddenly transformed from an anxious and insecure little boy into a happy, enterprising and creative child who had gained a lot of self-confidence in a few weeks.

“Because the tension that the bullied man brings to school has disappeared, he doesn’t have to be on his guard all the time. This gives room to focus on positive things. He is more relaxed, has a lot more fun and plays more outside with other children. I hardly recognize him again.”

Locking learning moment for schools

Marjan de Oude is an educator and hears many more such stories in her practice – children who are more relaxed, sleep better, can concentrate better on their school work and suddenly develop much better socially and emotionally.

‘I spoke to an eight-year-old mother this morning who has been thriving in recent weeks. She is very worried about the next Monday. She is afraid that bullying will start all over again.”

According to the pedagogue and sociologist Mieke van Stigt, author of the book All about bullying, there are many parents who now see that their child develops much better outside of school because they feel safer and can concentrate better. In that sense, she says, the closure could be a learning moment for schools.

“Too often the child who is bullied is blamed. While bullying is always the result of an uncertain situation. The key is how the school handles it.”

School as a safe place

According to De Oude, it could indeed be an opportunity for schools to revisit the place they want for children – for all children, including children who do not feel safe there. Only in a situation where children feel safe do they develop their talents.

The School and Safety Foundation has Roadmap for schools relaunched from 11 May. Bén: “It’s an opportunity to re-agree on how to deal with each other. And children who have never felt safe to feel that they are being seen and that there are confidants they can walk to. To make the school a place where all children like to go.”