Name-calling, punches and vicious whispers are among the most obvious types of schoolyard bullying.
But a leading specialist has revealed that bullies are also targeting their classmates because of their allergies.
One child, who is allergic to eggs, had a jar of mayonnaise placed in their locker as a mean-spirited prank.
And a boy with a potentially deadly peanut allergy was chased around his playground by classmates tormenting him with a nutty cereal bar.
His mum said the incidents went to show that there remains a lack of understanding around food allergies – which can prove fatal in the case of extreme reactions.
She said: “Thankfully he was OK, and the school dealt with it very well by using it as an opportunity for learning.
“I have to think the children didn’t understand the possible consequences of their actions, it is hard enough living a life with these allergies at the best of times.”
And the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital’s allergy expert, Lorraine Clark, recounted some of the incidents patients have told her about.
She said: “Having allergies, which can mean carrying around auto-injectors to relieve reactions, can make children self-conscious.
“But I have heard from patients who have had a jar of mayonnaise put in their locker because of their egg allergy, or who have been chased with nuts.
“I feel that if more parents educated their children about how harmful these allergies can be, perhaps this sort of thing wouldn’t happen.”
Aberdeen City Council approved a new anti-bullying policy last summer, shaped in the aftermath of the killing of 16-year-old Bailey Gwynne at Cults Academy in 2015.
And last night, education convener John Wheeler reiterated that bullying in any form would not be tolerated – while suggesting allergy bullying was an issue they may specifically look at in the future.
He said: “Our anti-bullying policy is explicit in stating that no form of bullying will be tolerated within our schools regardless of the form that bullying takes. Education staff are all required to be familiar with our policy and children and young people should avoid any kind of bullying behaviour and should watch out for signs of this behaviour among their peers – this would include allergy bullying which is, of course, potentially lethal.
“Our pupils are made aware of the options they have to report incidents of bullying behaviour and that they can offer support to those experiencing bullying behaviour and, if possible, help them to tell a trusted adult or report directly.
“While it would not be possible to design learning events around each and every form bullying can take, this is something that we can perhaps look into at some point.”
Peter Rabbit tackles bullying
The issue of allergy bullying was recently brought into focus via an unlikely source, in the form of the animated Peter Rabbit movie.
In the film, there is a scene where the title character and his friends taunt a farmer by pelting him with blackberries in the knowledge he is allergic to the fruit.
At one point the characters shoot one into the man’s mouth, and he has to inject himself in the leg with an EpiPen to stop going into anaphylaxis.
Several groups representing allergy sufferers have condemned the movie, saying it “mocks the seriousness of allergic disease”.
Sony Pictures later apologised for including the controversial scene, admitting they should not have made light of allergic reactions “even in a cartoonish way”.
Stonehaven teenager, Gemma Banister, suffers from a range of severe allergies and is among many who failed to see the funny side.
The 17-year-old, who wants to work in science and help develop allergy medication, said: “They made out it was OK, because the farmer character had his EpiPen, but in reality he could have died.
“Little kids might think it is fine to throw food at someone who is allergic to it because of that, which is concerning.”
