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Afraid to be different
Nurses are ideally placed to help pupils harassed because of their sexuality, says Jennifer Trueland
Often the first time that homophobic bullying comes to light in a school is when a distressed pupil turns up in the school nurse's office.
Sometimes a teacher will have made the referral, concerned that the pupil is listless, or his or her work has deteriorated. In some cases the pupil seeks help for a sore stomach or other physical symptom.
How the nurse responds depends on the young person, says Jessica Streeting, a senior school nurse in London. 'The first conversation is important - it could be the first time that they are able to express things that have been bottled up.'
The boy or girl may have endured months of harassment such as name-calling, kicks, shoves, punches, nasty texts or being shunned.
'Sometimes young people want me to go with them to a teacher to tell them what is going on,' says Ms Streeting. 'There may be a need for referrals for sexual health support, or to the child and adolescent mental health services. It is important to make it clear to the child that it is not their problem and it is not their fault. They have done nothing wrong.'
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The RCN Publishing Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Royal College of Nursing, the world's largest organisation for nurses. RCN Publishing produces one weekly, eight monthly and two quarterly nursing publications. Nursing Standard, the flagship journal, is the UK's biggest selling weekly for nursing. It is produced by RCN Publishing Company along with a suite of specialist nursing journals - Cancer Nursing Practice, Mental Health Practice, Learning Disability Practice, Nursing Children and Young People, Nursing Management, Emergency Nurse, Nursing Older People, Nurse Researcher and Primary Health Care. RCN Publishing Company also produce the RCN Bulletin, a major source of up-to-the-minute information for RCN members in all specialities, grades and working environments. With the latest nurse vacancies from trusts nationwide, it has become the most cost-effective nurse recruitment magazine available.