Bullies target a third of pupils at Scottish primary schools

Published on Monday 8 October 2007 00:28

A THIRD of primary school children are bullied at breaktimes, according to a new survey.

Researchers also discovered the parents worry most about the welfare of their children in the playground.

The survey of pupils and parents found 34 per cent of primary children experienced bullying in school - equivalent to 150,000 pupils.

It also found that 22 per cent of parents questioned said breaktime safety was a concern for them, with more than half saying their greatest worry was playground bullying.

Of the children asked, 10 per cent said they were bored at playtimes and lunchtimes.

Catherine Andrews, chief executive of the charity Learning Through Landscapes, said children often resorted to bullying because they were bored.

She said: "A proven solution is to engage them in more stimulating play.

"Whilst it is said that children will play anywhere, the quality of the experience is undoubtedly related to the quality of the environment.

"School grounds have the potential to offer a potentially limitless range of experiences and opportunities.

"However, the design of the grounds will determine what children do in them."

The survey found 77 per cent of parents believed playtime was important to children's development and 42 per cent called for better playgrounds.

A key concern of parents was the lack of sports facilities at primary schools.

Ms Andrews said: "Our own research and experience, working with thousands of schools, demonstrates that improved school playgrounds lead to improved social interaction, enhanced attitudes amongst pupils to learning and a dramatic increase in the numbers of children enjoying their time at school as well as the more obvious health benefits."

Louise Macdonald, deputy chief executive of Young Scot, the national youth information agency, agreed bullying is a huge issue.

She said: "It is a very real concern for young people, and even more so with the advent of bullying using mobile phones and social networking internet sites.

"There is some great work going on to tackle it but we still need to do more."

Researchers in Scotland questioned more than 1,000 parents and 1,000 children aged between 6 and 11 years old.

The study marks the launch of the Royal Bank of Scotland's Dream Playgrounds competition which has prizes of up to 100,000 available for the renovation of primary school playgrounds.

EMOTIONAL WORRIES TAKE TOLL

A CHILDREN'S charity has called on the government to ensure youngsters receive enough emotional support to cope with life's problems.

The NCH campaign, entitled Growing Strong, aims to improve children's emotional welfare.

The charity said exam pressure and image worries were taking their toll on children and it has asked ministers to introduce targets to measure and improve young people's emotional wellbeing, rather than simply focusing on curbing harmful behaviour.

Clare Tickell, the NCH chief executive, said: "Our children are struggling with the daily pressures of modern life - from exams to worrying about how they look, to what their image should be, to fears for their safety. What keeps ringing out is that too many are simply not getting the emotional support they so desperately need."