Parents failing to make children 'bully-proof', head warns

Many families are failing to “bully-proof” their sons and daughters by constantly allowing them to be “centre-stage” instead of promoting independence, self-confidence and resilience, it was claimed.

“Children are being seen as victims instead of being taught to stand up for themselves,” Peter Tait, a leading headmaster, warned.

In a provocative article published in Attain, the magazine for the Independent Association of Prep Schools, Peter Tait, the head of Sherborne Preparatory School in Dorset, admitted that modern pupils taunt their peers by text message and email. Some children have an “infinite capacity to invent new methods of cruelty”, he said.

In recent years, schools have been encouraged to develop detailed structures to log incidents, hold perpetrators to account and create pastoral systems to deal with pupils’ personal needs.

According to Government figures, half of children say they have been bullied at school at some point in their lives. Almost four-in-10 have been affected by cyber-bullying, it was revealed.

“Temporarily we can correct a problem, but what happens when the fault is at home, in the attitudes the children have inherited, in the excessive cosseting that has taken place, in how much the child has been allowed to be centre-stage?” Mr Tait said.

He added: “While schools may work hard on accommodating and celebrating difference amongst their pupils and teaching the right attitudes, children still need to learn appropriate values and strategies in order to cope when they leave school and encounter bullies in the workplace and communities.”

Question 1. Indicate whether these sentences are true or false. Justify your answers with evidence from the text.

a) Children are being prepared to face their own problems.

b) School are developing ways to control bullying.

c) Less than half of the children have been bullied online.

d) School days are important to form children for adulthood.

Question 2. Answer the following questions in your own words.

a) Why are families failing to help their children face bullying?

b) In what ways can schools fight back bullying?

Question 3. Find a word or a phrase in the text that means the same as:

a)       Persuade  (par. 3)

b)       manage (par. 3)

c)       get by  (par. 6)

Question 4. Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a) Families are failing to “bully-proof” their sons and daughters by allowing them to be “centre-stage”.

            If families didn't...

b) Schools have been encouraged to develop detailed structures to log incidents.

            Authorities...

c)  “Half of children say they have been bullied at school at some point in their lives”, the Government said.

            The government said...

Question 5. Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:

Social networks are becoming a problem for some youngsters. Do you agree?