Queensland school safety, bullying, student behaviour all worsening: Department of Education survey

The Department of Education’s School Opinion Survey also reveals more than a third of kids and more than a quarter of staff believe their school does not manage student behaviour well. CHECK YOUR SCHOOL

One in five children don’t feel safe in Queensland schools, new state government data reveals.

The 2023 School Opinion Survey results also found more than a third of Queensland schoolchildren and over a quarter of staff believed their school did not manage behaviour well.

Almost 88,000 students were asked whether they felt safe at their school, with about 81 per cent saying yes, a decrease of 2.2 percentage points compared with the 2022 survey.

Students were also asked whether student behaviour was well managed at their school, with only 64.1 per cent agreeing, down 3.2 percentage points.

On the same question, out of 93,610 parent responses, less than 80 per cent agreed, a drop of 2.6 percentage points.

Only 73 per cent of staff agreed that student behaviour was well managed at their school, a decline of 3.4 percentage points.

One positive was that slightly fewer school staff reported being subjected to bullying last year: 12.4 per cent, down from 12.6 in 2022.

The Courier-Mail’s 2023 sentiment survey also revealed parents thought bullying and bad behaviour were the biggest issues needing to be addressed in Queensland schools.

The exclusive reader survey asked what are the biggest issues in schools that need to be addressed? Multiple answers could be selected.

Bullying and bad behaviour were clear priorities, both selected by over 70 per cent of the 6800 respondents.

Vaping was third, chosen by more than 45 per cent of respondents.

Other answers included academic results, which attracted just under 44 per cent. Mental health, truancy, and overcrowding were picked by less than 36 per cent.

Di Farmer (foreground) became Education Minister in last month’s Cabinet reshuffle, taking over from Grace Grace (background) who now has the State Development, Infrastructure, Industrial Relations, and Racing portfolios. Photo: David Clark.

Education Minister Di Farmer was not surprised that bullying and bad behaviour were the main issues in schools, adding that the government was taking them very seriously.

“We have significant programs in place to address bullying and bad behaviour, including student protection experts to make sure safety concerns are reported, one-on-one counselling and implementing individual student support plans, and a cyber-bullying team that gets inappropriate content removed and delivers sessions for students on cyber safety,” she said.

Queensland Secondary Principals’ Association president Mark Breckenridge said bad behaviour and bullying were issues affecting broader society, not just schools.

“Bullying and bad behaviour impact on students’ wellbeing and academic progress, and they need to remain number one issues to address in schools,” he said.

“We must also remember that the vast majority of students behave appropriately every day in our schools.”

Mr Breckenridge also said mental health was a growing issue in schools.

“That has been exacerbated through Covid, cost of living pressures, and the housing crisis. Students are not exempt to those outside pressures,” he said.

“There is also the increasing complexity of students’ mental health issues, as well as greater awareness of mental health issues nowadays.”