ASK children what they want — then ignore them. It’s a technique honed by generations of parents, and now teachers are getting in on the act.

Al Aynsley-Green, the Children’s Commissioner for England, has suggested giving children a more active role in fighting bullying by giving them a regular questionnaire on the subject — an idea suggested by children themselves.

The proposal is backed by the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA), a network of organisations, and is under consideration by the Department for Education and Skills, reports Children Now (Nov 16).

Forget it, say teachers. Too bureaucratic for starters, says Martin Ward, the deputy general secretary of the Secondary Heads Association. “Schools already have all sorts of ways to address the problem of bullying. What we should be doing is learning from them how they deal with (it),” he says. Too counterproductive, says Lynn Edwards, the chairman of the Professional Association of Teachers. “Some children may not take it seriously or it could put ideas into the minds of the bullies,” she says, suggesting instead that children be encouraged to talk in confidence to a trusted adult.

But not everyone has put their hands over their ears. The ABA has made children’s involvement in tackling bullying the theme of this week’s anti-bullying week, says Children Now in a separate article.

The organisation has sold more than 375,000 blue anti-bullying wristbands, and other highlights of the week include Blue Friday, a non-uniform day when children and adults can dress in — you guessed it — blue. Adrienne Katz, the alliance’s West Midlands regional co-ordinator, says children should “own” the organisation’s work. As Professor Aynsley-Green says: “Bullying is the most important issue that every child I meet is asking me to stamp out now.”

www.anti-bullyingalliance.org/

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