The schools where teachers stamp out bullying – and those where they do not

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Data from across all Victorian secondary schools reveals a stark trend of the damage bullying can do to schools and the preventative role a strong school culture has.

Teenager Esther Abram wore a hat to school for years to hide her hair loss from chemotherapy, but the taunting she received became unmanageable.

Abram’s diagnosis of a rare brain cancer initially triggered a flood of sympathy from peers. But she said some at the outer-suburban private school began to spread suspicions about her illness and question the special consideration and prolonged absences she was granted.

“People would pick on me because I had a hat,” Abram said. “I had special consideration to go home early, and teachers wouldn’t always be supportive of it. From there it probably just got worse.”

Above all, she remembers the isolation: “If you don’t have anyone to talk to at school, it doesn’t feel like a safe place.”

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