We Must Fight This! Advice on "Bullying"

ENGLISH

5 min read

Sending your child to school is like releasing a helium balloon into the sky - beautiful and painful at the same time... On one hand, joy from your little one's development; on the other - that anxiety, lurking somewhere in the back of your head: "What if someone torments them?".

For families from Eastern Europe in Great Britain, the topic of bullying may be even more stressful - new language, new rules and the feeling that you're a bit "different." But we're not alone in this. And we're not powerless.

These statistics might worry you

Let's start with the specifics. Bullying in British schools is widespread:

40% of young people in the UK reported experiencing bullying in the past year (Anti-Bullying Alliance)
Students from ethnic minorities, including those from Eastern Europe, are statistically more at risk (Education Policy Institute)
A University of Strathclyde study (2019) found that 77% of Polish, Lithuanian, and Romanian teenagers experienced racism or bullying, with nearly half noticing an increase after Brexit

This isn't just words. It's snide remarks, isolation, and sometimes even physical violence. Worse still, some children complained that teachers turn a blind eye - or, heaven forbid, even join in...

Why are our children more vulnerable?

Migrant children often face a unique cocktail of challenges:

Accent and language used as ammunition for attacks
Economic stereotypes ("they come from families who steal jobs")
Different culture and religion becoming reasons for mockery
National oversimplifications - treating everyone "from the East" as one group

And these aren't just "silly jokes." Such experiences strike at the very heart of a child's developing identity. They breed shame, cause alienation, and create a desire to hide one's own heritage. The most common effects? Chronic stress, academic problems, apathy, and even anxiety or depression.

Today, bullying doesn't end with the final school bell. Memes, chat room mockery, offensive comments - it all carries over into the online world, leaving children without the safe haven that home should be.

How to recognise when something's wrong

Children don't always speak up directly, torn between fear and shame. But they often signal it "between the lines":

Suddenly don't want to go to school
Complain of headaches, stomach aches
Feel "different," say nobody likes them
React strongly to jokes about their heritage
Become withdrawn, quiet, irritable, have sleep or appetite problems
Things or even money sometimes go missing from home

It's these small signals, taken together, that act like a warning light.

What to do? Step by step:

Trust your child - listen calmly and empathetically, believe them
Gather facts - calmly and without excessive interrogation
Document everything - dates, places, who said or did what
Report to the school - first to the teacher, then higher up. Always follow up face-to-face conversations with an email
Know your rights - schools have a duty to prevent bullying (2006 and 2010 Acts)
Seek support - there are organisations that can help

What if the school stays silent?

Sometimes you need to take it further:

Formal complaint following the school's procedures
School governors have influence over the institution's actions
Local authorities can intervene
Support organisations, e.g., Anti-Bullying Alliance or locally, European's Welfare Association or R.U.D.A can help with next steps

Where else to look for help?

In Sandwell, bullying is treated as a serious issue affecting young people's mental health. The borough organises annual Anti-Violence Roadshows, school programmes, and classroom activities to strengthen children and young people's emotional resilience.

The Children's Safeguarding Partnership reports that challenges such as peer pressure, violence, and exploitation are addressed through education, mentoring, and support in schools, hospitals, and social services. Over 5,000 children have participated in workshops on bullying and safe social media use.

In response to rising reports of anxiety and self-harm, local strategies emphasise early intervention and easy access to mental health support.

Worth utilising:

School resources - counselors and support staff
Childline (0800 1111) - free and confidential support for young people
CAMHS - through GP referral
Anti-Bullying Alliance - materials for parents and schools
The Migration Observatory - research on migration experiences in the UK
Local Polish/ Romanian community groups - support and advice from people with similar experiences

Organisations in Sandwell:

European's Welfare Association CIC (EWA CIC) - helping migrants in West Bromwich: education, social care, translations, advice, and Polish language education through their Polish School at Langley Primary School in Oldbury
Românii Uniți din Anglia (R.U.D.A.) - supporting the Romanian-speaking community in the West Midlands: advice on health, education, employment and immigration, translation services, modern slavery and hate crime reporting, emergency support, and cultural education through Nicolae Iorga Romanian School (07919276903)
Brushstrokes - support for newly arrived families, including EU citizens, in Sandwell and West Birmingham
Sandwell Children's Safeguarding Partnership (SCSP) - bullying resources, collaboration with Kidscape and Bullying UK, MVP programme
Sandwell Children's Trust - reporting serious bullying cases (tel. 0121 569 3100)

Remember, however, that your first point of contact for bullying should be the school - make sure to use the institution's support team and anti-bullying policy.

It's not about "being tough"

In a world where school bullying unfortunately still exists, our children need something more than just the advice to "don't let them get to you!" It's about real tools - emotional, cultural, and social - that will help them not just survive, but strengthen and then flourish.

Identity is strength - Celebrate your culture at home with pride through traditional food, language, customs. For a child, this isn't just attachment to roots, but also building self-worth.

Bilingualism is a superpower - Help your child understand that knowing two languages and cultures is an advantage, not an obstacle. It's a broad perspective, greater flexibility, and the ability to bridge worlds.

Talk openly - Maintain open communication without judgment, without rushing. Your child must know they can always come to you with any problem.

Give them tools - Teach your child to cope with stress: deep breathing, drawing, sports, or simply tenderness and conversation can work wonders.

Supportive relationships have power - Help your child build positive friendships. Kind peers are often the best protection against bullies.

Bullying isn't a "natural part of childhood." It's a problem our children shouldn't have to face alone. And the good news is that so much really depends on us! If we act together - consciously and with persistence, while being creative - we can transform schools into environments where every child, regardless of background, feels safe and accepted.

Sources:

Anti-Bullying Alliance. (n.d.). Bullying statistics. Retrieved from https://anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/
Education Policy Institute. (2020). Ethnic minority pupils and bullying in England: Evidence review. London: Education Policy Institute. Retrieved from https://epi.org.uk/publications-and-research/ethnic-minority-pupils-bullying/
Moskal, M., & Sime, D. (2016). Polish migrant children’s experiences of schooling and home-school relations in Scotland. Central and Eastern European Migration Review, 5(1), 35–48. https://doi.org/10.17467/ceemr.2016.10
Rzepnikowska, A. (2019). Racism and xenophobia experienced by Polish migrants in the UK before and after the Brexit vote. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 45(1), 61–77. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2018.1451308
University of Strathclyde. (2019). Experiences of racism, xenophobia and bullying among young people from Poland, Lithuania and Romania living in the UK. Glasgow: University of Strathclyde.
Migration Observatory. (2021). Migrants’ experiences of discrimination in the UK. University of Oxford. Retrieved from https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/reports/migrants-experiences-of-discrimination-in-the-uk/
Sandwell Children’s Safeguarding Partnership. (2023). Annual Report 2022–2023. Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council. Retrieved from https://www.sandwellcsp.org.uk/
Sandwell Better Mental Health Strategy. (2022). Children and Young People’s Mental Health in Sandwell: Needs Assessment and Strategy. Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council.
Children’s Safeguarding Partnership (Sandwell). (2023). Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) Programme. Retrieved from https://www.sandwellcsp.org.uk/
Equality Act 2010, c. 15. (UK).
Education and Inspections Act 2006, c. 40. (UK).
Childline. (n.d.). Bullying advice. Retrieved from https://www.childline.org.uk/
Kidscape. (n.d.). Bullying advice. Retrieved fromhttps://www.kidscape.org.uk/