Buddies tackle bullies (From Stroud News and Journal)

Buddies tackle bullies

BORN again bullies could be among a new brigade of Sir William Romney's pupils helping younger children deal with their tormentors.

The school's Bully Busting scheme scheduled for launch in the summer term has around 20 volunteer Year 10 and sixth form recruits to be assigned to Year 7s as Bully Buddies or mentors.

Deputy headteacher Colin Cook said: "We've got to combat bullying because happy kids work better."

The bully buddies will be trained in techniques to raise their young charges' self-esteem so they are less prey to bullies sensing weakness and in strategies to assertively but non-aggressively deal with bullies.

Mr Cook firmly dismissed any notion the mentors might be tempted to take the law into their own hands.

"Part of the ground rules that we have laid down is that they are only there to help the victims not to address the bullying," said Mr Cook. "If we find someone is a bully then we will address that."

He also rejected any suggestion bullying was especially prominent at Sir William Romney's.

"Any school what have either head in the sand to say they didn't have bullying going on," he said.

He acknowledges the success of the scheme, already running in a Malmesbury school, will be hard to judge.

"It will not necessarily be a result you can see but I know a person would be bullied if it were not in place," said Mr Cook. "It's a preventable thing but we will not necessarily know if it has been prevented."

The school hopes the younger children will grow into a new generation of bully buddies.