More than a fifth of primary schoolchildren who took part in a survey reported being physically bullied, it emerged today.
The Kids Life and Times Survey produced by Queen's University and the University of Ulster spoke to more than 3,000 primary seven pupils and also found 36 per cent had been bullied in other ways, including name calling.
But the wide-ranging survey provided a snapshot of other aspects of their young lives, with 74 per cent confirming they had a TV in their bedroom, though most children reported being fed up with programmes about swine flu and the recession.
Dr Katrina Lloyd, from Queen’s University, said: “While we often hear what the public and the media think about the issues affecting children, we rarely ask the children themselves about these things.
"The Kids' Life and Times Survey gives children the opportunity to express their opinions and influence the policies and decisions that affect them.
“The years spent at primary school are crucial to a child’s development - not only in terms of what they learn but also their general wellbeing.
“It is important that those involved in educating our children understand the extent to which they do or do not enjoy being at school and the pressures they are under.
A total of 3,657 children in primary seven (aged 11 and 12) from 268 primary schools across Northern Ireland took part in the 2009 survey.
Key findings included:
- A total of 22 per cent said they had been physically bullied at school either a lot or a little in the previous two months of the survey being carried out, and 36 per cent had been bullied in other ways, including name calling, being left out of games, or having nasty stories spread about them on purpose.
- A total of 71 per cent knew there was someone in their school whose job was to deal with bullying; 89 per cent knew their school had rules on bullying.
- Girls are happier than boys at school, with 84 per cent of girls and 73 per cent of boys saying they were 'mostly happy' at school.
- Children who said they were mostly unhappy at school were seven times more likely to say they had been bullied in the last two months.
- Most children said they would turn to parents, family or friends if something went wrong in their lives. But 11 per cent of boys and 8 per cent of girls didn't know who they would turn to, while 5 per cent of boys and 3 per cent of girls said they would turn to no-one.
- Seventy-four per cent of children have a TV in their bedroom and 39 per cent say they watch TV a lot. The favourite programme for boys was the Simpsons and for girls, Hannah Montana.
- The thing children were most fed up hearing about on TV was adverts, followed by swine flu and the recession.
- The person children admire most is their mum or their dad.
Professor Gillian Robinson from the University of Ulster said: "This is the second Kids' Life and Times Survey and, so far, almost 7,000 children have been able to express their views on a range of issues that are important to them.
“By inviting respondents to suggest topics for the next year’s survey, we make sure that the issues covered are relevant to the lives of children in Northern Ireland today.”
The findings are available at www.ark.ac.uk/klt along with a comic-style publication of results specially designed for children.
The 2009 Kids' Life and Times Survey was funded by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister.
PA