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Journeys
Fears about safety limit young people’s use of local amenities.
While most children feel safe most of the time, there are those who
fear they will be bullied on public transport or in the street,
near school gates or on the journey home. The Tellus 3 survey found
that 5% said they felt ‘very unsafe’ on public transport while 22%
felt ‘a little unsafe’. Several children consulted for this
guidance said bullying occurs on buses to and from school. Many
also mentioned that it happens walking to or from school. In one
survey, approximately half of the respondent at secondary age said
it happened ‘in the street’.
Journeys offer unsupervised situations in which large numbers of
children and young people may be travelling to or from school, or
to other activities. A child may feel he or she cannot get off the
bus or train if they are being bullied – there may not be another
bus for some time in rural areas and they may risk being late for
school or returning home.
Bullying and disruptive behaviour can occur when bus routes
meet, bringing pupils from different schools to the same bus
station, making some children vulnerable every day.