No single reason for violence in schools, says counsellor Ben Teinakore-Curtis

School counsellor Ben Teinakore-Curtis says a number of factors impact a child's behaviour at school. Photo / Ben Fraser

There's no one reason why some children are displaying violent, threatening behaviour in Rotorua schools, a local counsellor and a clinical psychologist say.

The comments follow three incidents in just over a week at local schools.

The first was at Kaitao Intermediate on May 21, when a pupil was repeatedly kicked in the head by a fellow pupil and a video of the incident was posted online.

A week later a student wrote a threatening message on a whiteboard at Edgecumbe College, which was of such concern police and the Ministry of Education became involved.

Then, the very next day, a John Paul College pupil took a knife to school and pulled it out to frighten a group of peers.

The spate of incidents follows a police investigation in early March when a video captured at Western Heights High School showed three boys approaching a seated student, kicking him, seemingly unprovoked, in the face.

Ben Teinakore-Curtis, a Rotorua Intermediate School counsellor, said violent behaviour in children was an unfortunate aspect of society.

"Schools have students for a short period of time but the rest of their time is spent with their families. A lot of stress is placed on these kids, they don't know how to deal with certain issues," Teinakore-Curtis said.

"I know for a fact that schools face that challenge and have put in programmes to prevent situations from occurring. More education around this issue needs to be promoted to families and within our community."

Teinakore-Curtis said bullying and concerning behaviour was not uncommon.

"This has been going on through time. It stems from way back," he said. "The use of social media has brought this issue more to the surface.

"It's a sad situation the behaviour is being displayed in schools. The behaviour, the way I see it, is a social issue that needs to be addressed."

Massey University senior professional clinician Terence Edwards said the fact several issues came to attention close together didn't necessarily indicate trends.

"The causes are multiple and varied. There are many things that would cause them to react in those ways, their individual background, how connected they are to the school and the community," he said.

"Individual causes are better analysed than clusters in the community but when we have consistent, persistent examples, it might be there are community issues."

Edwards said the solution to preventing incidents like those reported last month was to find the cause.

"If a student is feeling alienated, the solution is to make them feel included, and identify how best to achieve that outcome."

Edwards said other behavioural factors included individual capacity for self-control, ability to interact with peers and the community, values and relationships.

"If an individual has someone who cares about them ... someone that cares genuinely and authentically, it can make a huge difference."

Lifeline executive director Glenda Schnell said bullying had always been an issue the phone service received calls about.

Lifeline is a non-profit organisation that provides a free, 24-hour telephone crisis-support service.

"There are times that bullying calls are higher than other times. Our numbers go up and down each month.

"We are unable to see a clear trend and we can't categorically say which places around the country have more or fewer people calling on any subject," Schnell said.

She said there were several things which could be done to combat bullying in schools.

This included having good processes for reporting bullying in schools, having clear ways to deal with it, and creating a positive culture in schools celebrating diversity.

"Students can also have some education on the effects of bullying, knowing how to recognise bullying as different to having fun and when and how to step in to stop it or report it."

Rotorua-based youth and community co-ordinator Senior Sergeant Graeme Hill said police worked with schools when appropriate.

"When issues arise, we work with schools to determine whether police intervention is appropriate and to ensure the safety and needs of victims are met," Hill said.

"Any form of bullying can cause serious harm to those targeted. We encourage young people to talk to a trusted adult, such as a parent or a teacher."

Kaitao Intermediate principal Phil Palfrey did not want to comment on the issue and John Paul College did not respond to requests for comment.

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Source: Mental Health Foundation