Bullying is top concern for primary pupils

Many children at primary school worry about bullying and think that stopping it is an important part of the teacher’s role.

This is one of the key findings emerging from a survey carried out for the Children’s Commissioner for England which sought to collect children’s views on a number of issues within education including what makes a good teacher.

The report, Children and Young People’s Views of Education Policy, reveals that 91 per cent of primary age children said it was very important for teachers to prevent bullying; 86 per cent thought teachers should know what they are teaching about and help pupils who have problems with their work. Only 41 per cent of primary pupils thought that it was important for teachers to give them homework.

The research, which was carried out by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) during October and November 2010, involved just over 2000 pupils aged between nine and 16 years old and consisted of an online survey as well as focus groups.

Getting into a good secondary school was top of the list of priorities for many children in primary school; 60 per cent said it was the most important issue for them. Next came stopping bullying (57 per cent) and having a good teacher (49 per cent). Least important were having a school uniform that they liked and having a good choice of school dinners.

Nearly three quarters (73 per cent) of primary age children who took part in the survey said they liked being at school most of the time. Most of them (95 per cent) thought that their school helped them to learn. Just under a quarter felt their school put too much pressure on them to do well.

Around a third (34 per cent) of children said they thought they always knew when a teacher was not very good; 44 per cent said they sometimes knew. A quarter said they would never tell an adult at school of their concerns though more than half said they would tell their parents/carers. Nearly two thirds (64 per cent) said they would like to help choose people to be new teachers but only 12 per cent have done so.

Maggie Atkinson, Children’s Commissioner for England, said she would strongly encourage more schools to involve their pupils in selecting teachers.

‘Young people are a school’s customers,’ she said, ‘and they see lots of different teaching styles over the course of a school career. Our research shows that they understand teaching is a challenging job which requires a wide range of skills from teachers – it is not just about their academic qualifications or how loudly they can shout.

‘It makes sense to make use of this experience when recruiting staff. With the proper training and support, pupils can bring a different, and valuable, point of view to the table.’

The Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England is a national organisation led by the Children’s Commissioner for England, Dr Maggie Atkinson. It seeks to improve the wellbeing of children and young people and The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) underpins all of its work.

You can download the report, Children’s and Young People’s Views of Education Policy, from the Children’s Commissioner website . A young person’s version of the report is also available.