ABSTRACT
The following article entitled 'Fear and loathing at lunchtime' (Catherall, 1994) appeared in a Wellington newspaper:
Six year old 'Peter' was picked up and thrown off an adventure playground a fortnight ago by two 12-year-old bullies at a suburban primary school. The young boy who used to love school now dreams up any excuse to stay away. It wasn't till 'Peter' complained of a sore back while in the bath that his parents finally wrung it out of him that he had been bullied.
'He said a couple of 12-year-olds had picked him up by his hands and feet and chucked him off some play equipment. Then they held him down and sat on him and pulled his arms behind his head', his father says. The bullying has apparently ceased but 'Peter' is terrified of the boys and doesn't want to go back to school.
'I'm angry that those big boys are picking on younger kids. The school promotes itself as a safe area from 9 am to 3 pm and it must take responsibility for those kids', says his dad.
After hearing that his son had been tormented, he spoke to his teacher who told him the boys 'wouldn't have done that'. That night, Peter's father heard that three other boys had been bullied by the same offenders. He contacted their parents and the next day they confronted the principal who said he would pull the boys out of the playground during the school breaks. 'But I went back later that afternoon and nothing had been done. The deputy principal said it was just "rough play'", Peter's father says.
He then wrote to the school board of trustees but he hasn't heard back. He says he has been 'duck shoved', his son's learning is in jeopardy and the school admits it has a problem with violence. He suggests a roster of extra teachers to patrol the playground at lunchtime, confront the offenders and help the victims. The school principal says that the incident has been investigated by the board of trustees but he cannot discuss the outcome. He says bullying exists in every school. The staff and board were taking steps to address violence by having 'time out' spots for disobedient and violent children, getting children to class on time, and reviewing the school suspension policy.
