Mitcham Girls High School student told suicidal, bullied girl ‘just to ignore and it will go away’

An Adelaide high school student says her school’s reaction had a terrible effect as she desperately tried to find relief from bullies crushing her mental health.

15-year-old Leah Manders was bullied so badly at Mitcham Girls High that she had to spend time on a psych ward and is now doing distance education. Picture: Kelly Barnes

A former Mitcham Girls High School student says she told teachers about being bullied and self-harming but they told her “to forget it” and gave her bandaids before sending her back to class.

Leah Manders says that on one occasion she told she had been having suicidal thoughts because the bullying was getting worse. She was sent back to class but instead went to the bathroom to self-harm.

Leah, 15, said that at the start of Year 9 last year, her friendship group abandoned her.

Soon after, far-fetched and unfounded rumours began to spread about her, leaving her isolated and alone.

She said her classmates yelled at her and made noises when she walked around the schoolyard.

Former Mitcham Girls High School student Leah Manders, 15. Picture: Kelly Barnes

She began to spend her recesses and lunchtimes hiding alone in the bathroom where she started to self-harm.

Leah built up the courage to report what was going but said teachers told her just to ignore the bullying.

She said she was told: “The best way to control this is to ignore it and all the mental health problems will go away.”

She said after she reported the bullying, the situation got worse and the bullies started calling her a “snitch”.

“I told the teachers that my mental health was getting worse. They asked to see where I had been self-harming and gave me a Bandaid … but I was never given access to proper mental health treatment.”

Leah said she later told teachers she was becoming suicidal and was again sent back to class.

In the meantime the bullying escalated.

Eventually she was admitted to a mental health ward after her parents found out what she was going through. She then left the school and now studies by distance education.

She said in the aftermath, she became increasingly angry about the “devastating impact” of the school’s approach.

Leah Manders has written a letter to SA Education Department about her experience. Picture: Kelly Barnes

Leah was especially critical of the SA Education Department’s bullying policy which says that teachers should be “fostering respectful and inclusive interactions, challenging harmful behaviour and teaching problem-solving skills”.

“But where are the consequences for the bullies?” she said.

In a recent letter to the department, Leah wrote: “I was often advised to simply ignore the situation, which deepened my feelings of isolation and caused active suicidal thoughts. I felt completely let down by the teachers and felt I had no one to turn to.

“When I arrived at school with fresh self-harm wounds on my arms, I was sent back to class without any support.”

A department spokeswoman said “extensive support” was provided to Leah, “particularly around her wellbeing and mental health, during her time at Mitcham Girls High School”.

“Throughout 2023 the school was in regular contact with the student’s family/mother (and) involved the department’s specialist social work team, and (we) are aware that the student was engaged with off-site support and counselling.

“The school’s wellbeing leader was closely involved with the student regularly and an extensive support plan was in place.

“Last week we received the student’s letter and are giving her thoughtful suggestions due consideration.”

“The department has made significant new investments in bullying prevention in recent years … However, we are committed to continue building on this work and are open to feedback and continuous improvement to support the wellbeing of students.”