School bullying is one of the major problems in traditional schools.

" [He] has a [mark] on his face and at his previous schools he was cruelly teased because of it. .... There has been none of that at Alia College" - - Parent of year 8 & 9 boy.

The School Bullying Epidemic - WORLDWIDE IN SCHOOLS and SERIOUS

"It is now recognised worldwide that bullying or peer victimisation is prevalent in schools (Smith et al., 1999)

and

has serious health consequences for a substantial proportion of repeatedly victimised children (Rigby, 2003b)."

See: Ken Rigby and Bruce Johnson. University of South Australia. [Plenty of Australian research based material here.]

The School Bullying Epidemic - 42% IN YEAR SEVEN

"42% of year seven kids say they don't feel safe at school & this is a major public health problem"

Prominent Australian Psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg who also works with the National Centre Against Bullying

4 minute video of Dr. Michael Carr-Gregg speaking on air about a bullying incident

School bullying problem

"Bullied children can feel frightened and alone.

They may not feel they can tell school friends or a teacher, and most children have few, if any friends outside their school.

Bullied children may also find it difficult to talk to parents and family about the situation.

This may be because they fear being branded a tale-tell; or perhaps they fear that their concerns will either not be taken seriously or will cause anxiety to those they care about.

Bullied children may also worry that the bully may be confronted against their wishes, and that the situation may worsen."

See: UK student information & resource portal [Plenty of UK material here]

Because of under-reported bullying, teachers are often unaware of bullying incidents.

Parents only become aware of the problem when other factors arise such as school refusal, non-specific illness, stress, lack of communication, etc.

Parents can know that the problem has gone when these things disappear and school work is back on the agenda.

School bullying - our unique solution - Problem Solved - Our Students Assert

"The key to reducing bullying lies in schools embracing an ethos in which it is impossible for this sort of abuse to flourish".

Bullying in Schools: "How Successful Can Interventions Be?" Ed. Peter K. Smith, Debra Pepler and Ken Rigby (2004)

Alia solved the bullying problem by concentrating on its main aims: really effective teaching, encouraging respect and responsibility and the promotion of open communication. These qualities and the general mix of what we do leave students feeling really happy and confident.

It is a bit of hyperbole for us to say that we have solved the bullying problem. That's like saying you have the cure for cancer, or the fountain of youth, because bullying is now seen as an intractible fact of life. So we should be clear that it is the students here who commonly say that there is no bullying here, not the teachers. It's what the students say that counts. No! Really, it's what your own child says that counts.

Obligatory disclaimer. This is not some sort of offer or guarantee. Don't send your child with intolerable behaviour here, and then claim that they got bullied after someone really lets them know about it.

Question: So, was Alia started as a school for bullied children?

Response: No. It was started as a school for high academic achievement. That has always been the main focus of the school.

Objection: I'll bet it's the bullies who say that they don't get bullied.

Response: Not at all. We have several students who have been bullied elsewhere and who readily travel much longer journeys to get here for the agreeable atmosphere. They are the ones who say it - and their parents.

Question: So you have a school full of problem kids who have been bullied elsewhere and have nowhere else to go?

Response: No way. It's a wide mix of the normal range of personalities. Come and see.

Question: So you have a way-out mix of hippies and creative, artistic, tree-hugging, mung bean eaters?

Response: Can you understand that it's a mix? We have a much higher percentage of VCE students doing the high level maths and hard sciences [Maths Methods and Specialist Maths, and Physics and Chemistry] than average schools.

Well OK! We also have a much higher percentage of vegetarians, creative sensitive types, budding Steven Spielbergs, would-be screen stars and the odd drama queen.

Question: So you enrol smart kids?

Response: Nope. We accept students who are a good fit with the style of the school. "Smartness" is irrelevant. The great results here are because we do a far better job.

Question: Do you have an entrance test?

Response: No.

Question: Then how do you choose?

Response: Applicants simply do a trial day. They do our normal program for a day. They chat with their parents about how it went. The teachers also chat about the student. If the fit with the other students seems OK then we proceed.

Question: So you select according to who can or can't pay the fees? You are an exclusive school!

Response: Not so. We have a hardship clause in our enrolment process.

You can ask more questions about this or anything else by clicking on the [Email Us] tab on the left.