Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 18 May 2021
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills
School Bullying and the Impact on Mental Health: Discussion (Resumed)
Mr. David O'Sullivan:
It would depend on the nature of the bullying incident. It is all about the proportionality and, again, it is about mending relationships. Schools have their anti-bullying policies that they will invoke. They will engage with the parties and consider strategies because it is important that all relationships are mended. That is what teachers spend some of their time doing. It is the person who has been bullied and the perpetrator. These pupils must share a classroom, sometimes in groups of 30. Teachers invest their quality time in restorative practice and mending those relationships. There are problems and sometimes it can be a little more challenging to mend relationships but teachers are wholly committed to having relationships restored.