Sydney’s prestigious Ascham School hit by bullying claims

One of Sydney’s most prestigious all-girls schools has been shaken by claims of bullying among its youngest students.

One of Sydney’s most prestigious all-girls schools has been shaken by claims of bullying among its youngest students.

Parents at the Ascham School in Edgecliff received a notice last week detailing claims about the behaviour of Year 7 students, both in person and on social media.

In particular the letter detailed claims of “name-calling” and “offensive language” that the elite school said went against its “core values”.

“The central tenets to Ascham’s core values are respect and kindness, namely treating others as you wish to be treated, as well as showing warmth, friendliness and and generosity to others,” the notice read.

The Ascham School in Edgecliff.

“Recently, there have been concerns raised regarding the behaviour of some Year 7 students that you should be aware of.

“Unfortunately, some students have not been treating others with the respect and kindness that is expected in the Ascham community.

“Of particular concern are incidents of name-calling, both on the playground and on social-media.

“The students are aware that any use of offensive language, particularly if it is directed at another student, is unacceptable.”

Ascham School is regularly ranked among the state’s top academic performers and has produced a long list of business, political and societal leaders.

As part of the letter from its Year 7 coordinator, Ascham said students would undergo an educational program to teach them about respect.

The school also asked parents to talk with their children about their communication with other students, both face-to-face and online.

Leading child psychologist Dr Anne-Marie Youlden said one of the biggest difficulties for modern parents was keeping across the ever expanding list of social media sites and apps being used by young people.

The Ascham School is a private girls school in Edgecliff.

But Dr Youlden did not discourage parents from allowing children to use social media, but said they should not be on it until they reach high school age.

“I don’t think they should be independently on social media until the age of 12 or 13,” she said.

“But unfortunately, when life gets busy young people are expected to deal with things independently and so parents need to know what these social media sites and apps are about before their children are interested in them.

“It all boils down to the fact that parents have to be parenting and spending time with their kids in order to avoid some of those conflicts from happening.

“So it’s not rocket science, but it can be difficult.”

Ascham School has been contacted for comment by The Daily Telegraph.