Teachers cower in face of cyberbullies

Bring back proper beatings, say corduroys

A teachers' union is complaining that schools are not doing enough to combat cyberbullying - students sending offensive text messages or emails, or posting videos to sites like YouTube.

A survey from the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) found 16 per cent of teachers had been the victims of cyberbullying.

Of that 16 per cent, most of the bullying is being carried out by the under-11s. A shocking 66.7 per cent of junior school teachers have received unwelcome emails or texts. Twenty-five per cent of secondary teachers have received unwelcome emails, and 21.9 per cent have received nasty texts.

But it's not just the kids who are at it. At secondary schools, 7.3 per cent of cyberbullying is carried out by managers or colleagues.

The union was banging on the same issue a year ago, when it said that 45 per cent of teachers had received an "attack by email". So, does that mean things are getting better?

The same union is complaining about the growing use of CCTV cameras and two-way mirrors in schools to monitor teachers. The union said it was contributing to an over-measured and over-monitored education. But at least it'll help cut down on the non-cyber bullies.®

Bootnote

The ATL release promised in its headline: "Over 60 per cent of secondary pupils have been affected by cyberbullying." But the only relevant question in the survey was: "Are you aware of any pupils in your school/class being cyber-bullied?". Which shonky maths explains a lot about this reporter's number skills - we blame the corduroys.