Year 7 Bullying Problem

[MissNorris]

My 11 year-old DD has been having problems with a particular girl in her year at school and I am really not sure what to do. DD has always been a quiet, unassuming child - never really fallen out with friends or been involved in any friendship issues at school apart from concerns from time to time about other friends possibly being picked on. She has recently started secondary school and most of her primary school friends have moved up to the same school with her - since starting Year 7, she and her friends have been having problems with a particular girl that DD has known all through primary school and never had any previous problems with. They all follow the same route home from school and this seems to be when the problems are occurring. The girl in question seems to be constantly causing problems suggesting that DD's best friend no longer likes her, then also telling said BF that DD doesn't like her (none true). When other girls have stopped to speak to DD & co, this girl has told them not to speak to 'the freak show'. DD & co have been followed home from town on a saturday and verbally abused etc etc. The biggest issue is that this girl has suggested at school that it is her that is being bullied and has clearly gone home and told parents and other friends the same - she has posted things on facebook relating to this and friends of her parents have also posted things on facebook to tell her not to worry and that she is better than 'those bullies' (meaning DD & co). DD doesn't have FB (despite lots of pleading) and this is exactly one of the reasons I don't want her to. In brief, it seems to me that we are dealing with a bully who is managing to very cleverly manipulate the situation to make it look like she is in fact the victim. Can anyone offer any advice about how we should deal with this? Don't know what to do about the situation.

[kittykatx]

I was bullied in my first year old high school and it got worse as I got older, so much so that I was emotionally drained and depressed. Also, because of the bullying I skived a lot.
I would expect that schools have a better system with dealing with bullys 16 years on but as I have seen with my son it isn't.
I think you should go and talk to the head of year and state clearly what has been going on. If the school doesn't deal with it then (as I found out) Go again, be persistant, talk to the head master if you have to.
With the route thing maybe you could work out a new route? Or suggest that she leaves ten minutes later than the other girls?
You can report things on facebook if you have to, but keeping her off FB is proberly a good idea...