Rachelle Arnott, 16, has been bullied since she started year seven.

It started with rumours and name-calling and escalated to abusive phonecalls, text messages and cyber bullying.

Earlier this year, Rachelle sought an intervention order against one of her classmates.

She said the bullying had lessened, although not entirely abated.

Rachelle has been undergoing counselling for her ordeal.

“After I had been having counselling for a while, I decided to speak up about my situation,” she said.

“I asked my main bullier why she continually bullied me. She replied, ‘I don’t know. We just could because we knew you wouldn’t do anything about it’.

“This is why I want more awareness of bullying – so people who are being bullied know it is alright to stand up and say, ‘enough’.”

Rachelle said she approached her school co-ordinator about her classmates’ behaviour.

“They told me there was nothing much the school could do and recommended I go to the police,” she said.

Rachelle said a police officer visited the school to speak with the students involved.

“They stopped for about a week,” she said.

“Eventually the police said an intervention order was the way to go because I was concerned for my safety,” she said.

“It was getting to the stage I was considering home-schooling.”

Rachelle said she considered moving schools but did not want to leave Horsham or compromise her education.

“I was worried I was going to fall behind,” she said.

“I was scared I wouldn’t make year 11 or be able to do exams.”

Rachelle’s mother Vicki said she felt helpless watching her daughter struggle. 

“It’s hard as a family to see what she’s been going through,” she said.

“You want to protect your child, but you’re told by the school that you’re not allowed to address the students.”

Mrs Arnott said she understood the school was in a difficult position.

“The school is not allowed to speak to students without their parents’ permission,'' she said.

“But the school does have an anti-bullying policy. I think they need to activate it and use it.”

National Centre Against Bullying founder and prominent child psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg said bullying in schools was common, with much of it unreported.

“In every bullying study that’s been done, whether it be in pre-school, primary school, secondary school, university, TAFE or the workplace, there’s evidence of bullying,” he said.

He said about 20 per cent of Australian secondary school students said they had experienced bullying, including cyber-bullying.

“Boys and girls are equally involved,” he said.

“The answer is for schools to have good policies and practices that are properly implemented.”

Dr Carr-Gregg said a whole-of-school approach – involving parents – was best.

“Often schools try to do everything they can to reduce harm,” he said.

“It’s not easy for schools. A lot of bullying goes on online, which is outside the school’s jurisdiction.”

Dr Carr-Gregg said it was important to educate parents.

“Many cannot make the distinction between what is bullying and what is not bullying,” he said.

He said disliking or disagreeing with someone did not constitute bullying.

“Bullying is the repeated harassment of someone in a position of lesser power by someone in a more powerful position with intent,” he said.

He suggested people download the Bullying Hurts pamphlet from www.ncab.org.au to find out more about bullying and what they could do.

Dr Carr-Gregg said it was also important to mobilise bystanders.

“Eighty per cent of bullying has witnesses, but less than 20 per cent do anything about it,” he said.

“It’s important to educate people about how they can do something about it.”

Rachelle said using resources provided by the National Centre Against Bullying, the Alannah and Madeline Foundation, Brodie’s Law and RU OK? had been useful.

She said she would like to host an information session about bullying at her school in the future.

Rachelle said people had generally been supportive of her decision to speak out against bullying.

“A few people have said they’d heard what happened and that it wasn’t right,” she said.

“I want people in the same position to know they can come and speak to me about it.

“The main message I want to get out is that people should talk to someone – they don’t have to go through this alone.”