Parents and carers in school partnerships
- Try to talk school up with your kids. Ask them what they have done at school and be positive about school.
- Try not to tell them bad stories about your time at school. Let them try it for themselves. They might like it.
- Go to the school at drop-off and/or pickup. Talk with your kid’s AIEO (ATA or AEW) or teacher. You don’t have to have an issue to talk to the teacher.
- Try to go to assemblies to see what is happening at the school and to see your kid doing things.
- Volunteer to be on the School Planning Committee. You can make sure the school develops guidelines and practices that acknowledge Aboriginal worldviews and support your kids.
- Tell the AIEO (ATA or AEW) or teacher about how your kids are feeling.
- Check with the teacher every now and then to see how your kids are going at school.
It is not always possible to go to everything at the school, but try to go as often as you can to support your kids at assemblies and other school events (e.g. sports days). Parents and carers have the right to go to the school and talk to their kid’s teachers. If you want to have a big yarn with the AIEO (ATA or AEW), teacher or principal, it might be helpful to make an appointment. This will show the school that you want to work together to support your kids.
What is the school doing about bullying?
- What can parents and carers do to help the school deal with bullying?
- By working with the school, parents and carers can develop a partnership to support their kids in the home and school environment.
- Ask the AIEO (ATA or AEW) and other Aboriginal staff what the school is doing to support Aboriginal kids who bully or are bullied at school.
- Encourage your kids to talk about bullying both at school and at home.
- Be very clear about how you want your kids to behave and always expect this.
- If you say you are going to give a punishment or a reward, always follow through.
- Tell your kids when they have been behaving well.
- Show kids how you want them to behave by behaving this way yourself.
- Make sure your kids, young ones and older ones, are being supervised so you know where they are and what they are doing.
- Try to make sure you have contact with your kids when they are not with you, so you know who they are with and where they are likely to be going.
- Get your older ones to call you when they are out so you know they are safe.
Talking to the school about a bullying issue
No matter what age your kids are, it is very important for them to see their parents and carers and the school working together.
If your kids are being bullied or are bullying other kids at school, it is important that you work with his or her teachers to help him/her. Always discuss things with your kids before you take action; if you don't, you might hurt your relationship with them.
- Things to think about when you approach the school:
- Speak to the AIEO (ATA or AEW) to discuss what has happened. Ask them about the school’s bullying prevention and management guidelines and practises. Ask the AIEO (ATA or AEW) what they recommend you do.
- Make a time to see the teacher or principal to discuss what has happened. You might want to ask the AIEO (ATA or AEW) to go with you.
- This may be the first time the teacher or principal has heard about the bullying.
- Your kids may not have told you all the facts.
- Ask the teacher what he or she suggests would help your kid.
- It is a good idea to arrange a follow-up meeting with the teacher (and AIEO (ATA or AEW)) to discuss what happened with any action that was proposed.
What if the bullying continues?
Bullying in school can only be resolved if parents and carers, teachers and kids work together to find a solution. However, sometimes parents and kids are not satisfied with the way their school deals with their worries. If you feel this way, here are some things you can do:
- Bullying can be complicated and hard to solve. Try to be patient and give the school time to sort it out.
- Keep a record of what your kid says is happening; you might want to mention this when you speak to the AIEO (ATA or AEW), teacher or principal.
- Write a note to the teacher telling them the issue is still not fixed.
- Make another appointment to see the teacher as soon as possible.
- If you are not happy with a teacher's response, do not give up. Speak to someone else – perhaps another teacher or the head teacher; ask the AIEO (ATA or AEW) for some suggestions.
Schools will generally do their best to deal with bullying; sometimes there may be cases where schools cannot sort out issues. For example, if bullying takes place outside school or in cases of serious assault or harassment, it may be difficult for a school to deal with it. Many issues that kids face in the community carry over into the school; school staff don’t know about everything that happens outside the school grounds. It is a good idea to let the AIEO AIEO (ATA or AEW) or teacher know if you think something happening out of school will affect your kids when they are in school.
