My Year 7 DS1 has just come home tonight to tell me that the kids on his bus has found out that its his birthday tomorrow and his peers and the year above have gleefully told him about birthday bumps, which apparently means everyone hits you as hard as they can 12 times. He was told this is apparently a 'school tradition' and was also told stories about one boy crying and another being covered in bruises after his birthday. Understandably he's pretty stressed out, has told them he thinks its pretty stupid but doesn't want me to say anything to school as it will make him look weaker - though of course the night before there is little I can do about it anyway. This is a school that apparently prides itself on pastoral care btw. It's difficult to hear all this as a mum, I feel very sad that he is waking up tomorrow on his birthday with so much anxiety and as an ex teacher myself this certainly wasn't something I came across in my own schools. What to do? Any suggestions.?
I can't really think that kids should just accept this but on the other hand I'm loath to over react and potentially make the situation worse. I'm not sure that driving him to school will make a difference as he says they will just do it elsewhere, and against my better judgement I have suggested he may have to go along with it in the spirit of 'boyness' but if he feels anyone is taking it too far to either warn them or just hit them back. I have also written a note to school for him to use if he needs it. It all feels pretty gruesome to me frankly and the Year 8 boy that started all this today has been coming up in conversation recently in a way that makes me think this is part of a longer low level bullying of Year 7s and DS1 in particular. It is a state grammar school where the majority of kids do not know each other before starting in year 7 but frankly this kind of thing sounds to me like something of public schools from ages past...maybe I am just out of touch! Any help much appreciated...
Please or to access all these features
Please
or
to access all these features
Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.
Secondary education
Birthday bumps - part of life or just plain bullying?
10 replies
marl · 06/11/2013 21:02
OP posts:
Please create an account
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.