BALGREEN Primary School in the west of Edinburgh is one of only 11 schools in the country with a Place2Be.
The school-based counselling service, staffed by a professional aided by trained volunteers, offers guidance to primary school pupils on three days a week.
As the Scottish Government launches a major new anti-bullying initiative this week
, supporters say the Place2Be is exactly the sort of project it should be encouraging.
Although most secondary schools have guidance teachers, the use of therapy in primary schools is relatively new – but its supporters say it can make a real difference in helping reduce bullying in schools.
Avril Wilson, the headteacher of Balgreen, believes the Place2Be plays an integral role in the life of the school.
Pupils can be referred through teachers or parents to receive extra support from the service and can also drop in for advice or post requests for help in a post box in the school. It means the sort of problems that can escalate are often caught early on.
Ms Wilson says: "Sometimes a child will say they are being bullied but sometimes it just means somebody doesn't want to be their best friend. But other times it is more serious.
"That's the problem with things like bullying. Often you don't find out what's going on until it has all become very complicated." The Place2Be, which was founded in 1994 by a therapist called Benita Refson, is now in 146 schools across the UK.
Although the charity began with children in deprived areas it has been steadily growing and is beginning to move into secondary schools. Its supporters believe it not only helps combat bullying but could help prevent mental health problems in later life.
According to the latest statistics around a third of children (31 per cent) experience bullying during their schooldays. A quarter of people questioned in an NSPCC survey said the bullying they experienced during childhood created problems that lasted until their adult lives.
The central idea of the Place2Be is to give children a safe space within a school where they know they can go to talk to somebody in confidence.
To help younger children express themselves the rooms are provided with art materials, toys and puppets.
Earlier this year, Merchiston Castle School, an independent boarding school in Edinburgh became the first private school in Scotland to acquire a Place2Be. Jonathan Wood, the national manager of Place2Be believes the therapeutic approach can be tremendously useful in helping schools combat bullying.
"If you imagine a class of 30 kids and one or two of them are very needy – it is going to be hard for the teacher to give them the attention they need."
He says: "Let's say a child feels different from everybody and gets picked on. It can impact on their confidence. Some cases of bullying go on for a long, long time. Our stance is that it is all linked up to self- esteem issues – both in terms of the bully and the victim."
By giving primary school pupils the support to tackle issues of confidence and self esteem Wood believes Place2Be can often nip bullying in the bud and help children find different ways of working out their problems.
Everything shared in one to one counselling is done so in confidence – except when it relates to child protection issues.
And counsellors are trained to help pupils find their own way through difficulties.
Jonathan Wood says: "Our emphasis is to help them find the strength to sort out problems. Children's life force is strong, they are going to survive and they are going to grow."
The Place2Be hub in Edinburgh is funded by the local authority's Children and Families Department as well as NHS Lothian, with extra money coming from the schools, corporate sponsors and from charitable donations.
The charity is now looking into expanding into other areas of Scotland and developing a service for secondary schools but funding is always an issue. This week the schools minister Maureen Watt announced a raft of new funding for Respect Me – the Scottish Government's anti bullying initiative.
The Government will give £120,000 a year to Childline to run an anti bullying line and is planning a major publicity campaign to draw attention to bullying, with an emphasis on cyber bullying, homophobic bullying and discrimination against people with disabilities.
Announcing the new initiative the minister said: "The Scottish Government is determined to do all we can to help everyone working with young people prevent and tackle bullying effectively."
However Eleanor Conor, information officer of the Scottish Parent Teacher council says most parents, teachers and pupils are still in the dark about where to go for advice. "There is no central point where teachers and parents can go for advice. At the moment Respect Me is not working in schools – we regularly get people phoning us for advice and we are not experts.
"There is a lot of good work going on but you will get a very good project building up for a few years and then the funding will be pulled and that is no good at all. I would say it is great that something like Place2Be exists and it is obviously doing very good things.
"But it is a drop in the ocean. In the grand scheme of things this is a very small project and we need something Scotland wide."
How to help your child if they're being bulliedQ: Will my child tell me if they are being bullied?
A: Children will often not articulate their worries, and if your child is being bullied, there may be reasons why they can't tell you, including losing face or fear of reprisals.
Q: So how do I find out that something is wrong?
A: Look for differences in your child's behaviour – for instance, reluctance to go to school, having enjoyed school before; wanting to be met from school instead of walking home; avoidance of certain friends. In some cases a child who is bright and happy may suddenly become reluctant and withdrawn.
Q: Why is my child being bullied?
A: Children become victims of bullies for a number of reasons – none of them their own fault. Bullies are often hyper-vigilant. They can identify difference and vulnerability in others easily, and the differences they identify may not be negative – the child may be perceived as cleverer or kinder than others. They may be seen as emotionally or physically vulnerable and less able to fight back.
Q: Should I take action or encourage them to stand up for themselves?
A: If your child is being bullied and you have opened up the conversation with them, it is important to identify when to step in, and when to let your child find their own solution. Work out with your child what is their preferred strategy. Bullying can have the effect of disempowering a child: you must decide whether taking it out of their hands will add to this.
Q: What about confronting the parents of the other child?
A: Approaching the parents of the child who is bullying may also be worth trying, but remember, very few parents will readily accept that their child is bullying.
Q: What about telling the teachers and letting the school know?
A: Schools have anti-bullying policies and liaising with teachers should be helpful. But it can be disempowering for a child to have the issue taken out of their hands.
Q: How can I help my child cope with the problem?
A: Throughout the process, reassure your child that what is happening is not their fault. Tell them you are ready to listen to them and work out a solution with them. Let them know you will step in if you think they are finding this too difficult to handle.
Q: Why do children bully?
A: Bullying is an assertion of power – usually, but not always physical – over someone who will not or cannot fight back. The need to assert power in this way often stems from a lack in the child who bullies. A lack of self-esteem; a lack of friends; a lack of street or playground credibility, for example. Sometimes a child will model what they see at home or they might have been the victim of bullying themselves.
Q: Is there anything I can do to make sure my child does not become a victim of bullying?
A: You should open the debate on bullying with your children before anything happens. Explain what bullying is and let them know you are there to listen and help if they want you.
• Jonathan Wood, National Manager of The Place 2 Be, Scotland
The full article contains 1460 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
