What needs to be done to reduce bullying at school?

Digital image / P.K. Stowers

Opinion

Helplines are being inundated with soaring numbers of bullying-related calls, with the services saying schools are failing to protect students.

Calls about bullying to Kidsline, Youthline and the children's helpline What's Up all increased last year after dramatic incidents such as a vicious attack on 15-year-old Wanganui schoolgirl Robin de Jong, who was repeatedly punched and head-stomped by another girl.

Bullying-related calls jumped from 848 in 2010 to 3272 at Youthline, by 5 per cent at Kidsline where they made up a third of all calls, and from 16.5 per cent of calls to What's Up in 2010 to 17.6 per cent last year.

What needs to be done to reduce bullying at school? Here is the latest selection of Your Views;