One student was routinely punished for her “ADHD behaviours” at school, another was locked in a classroom, while another was sent home 85 times in a single year.
These are just some of the responses we had in a new survey of parents and caregivers about their disabled children’s experiences in Australian schools.
We also heard from students who described “being picked last for everything”, teasing and physical pushing as well as students and staff saying they were “faking” their disability.
In two reports released today for advocacy group, Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA), we reveal alarming rates of bullying and exclusion in Australian schools.
Tracking the lived experiences of students with disability
Since 2010, CYDA has done formal surveys of students with disability and their parents. National data on bullying is not comprehensively collected, making these results both rare and significant.
We conducted the two latest national reports on behalf of CYDA. This new round of surveys repeats the last survey done in 2022, so we can track trends.
The parent survey was conducted from December 2024 to February 2025, with 253 respondents, tracking issues such as bullying, inclusion, restrictive practices and complaints.
The student survey was collected in parallel, hearing directly from 118 primary and high school students with disability about safety, belonging, friendships, and participation in their time at school. Students attended a mix of mainstream, distance schools and special schools.
Both surveys combined quantitative data with free-text responses to show not just how many students are affected, but how deeply bullying and exclusion impact their lives.
A bullying crisis
The results from parents and caregivers paint a troubling picture: 60% reported their child had been bullied at school, representing a 10% increase from 2022.
Estimates of bullying in the general school population vary but are not as high as we found for students with disability. For example, according to federal governments estimates, one in four students say they have been bullied in person.
Bullying in our survey included verbal, physical, social and cyberbullying, with many reports of staff as perpetrators. Some students were “bullied to the point that [they] also now bully,” showing the cyclical harm caused by unaddressed victimisation.
One parent described how
several teachers were clearly antagonistic to my son and didn’t believe in ADHD […] Essentially gave the impression they thought we were just pandering to him and he was ‘playing’ us.
The accounts from young people are equally concerning. Of those surveyed, 39% said they do not feel welcome or included at school. Many described being singled out, left out of group activities, and targeted by peers with little or no intervention by staff.
As one young person told us:
Most of my peers they don’t have basic and correct knowledge about hidden disabilities. They see me as weird, so they refuse me to join for the group work.
Being excluded from camps, excursions and class
The bullying documented in these reports cannot be separated from broader patterns of exclusion, restrictive practices, and low expectations.
More than half (57%) of parents reported their child was excluded from school activities such as excursions or camps. As one child explained in the youth survey:
The school was too scared to let me go on a trip because they did not believe that I was capable enough to participate, even with my own and doctor’s reassurances.
Almost 30% of parents reported the use of restrictive practices by staff, up from 25% in 2022. Restrictive practices use force to limit a student’s ability to move, such as strapping someone to a chair, holding someone down or locking someone’s wheelchair.
Meanwhile, 25% reported seclusion, such as being locked in a room on their own or put in offices on their own. This figure is up from 19% in 2022. Some students reported dedicated wellbeing and low sensory spaces were repurposed as spaces for such punishment.
This signals ongoing problems that were highlighted by the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability in 2023.
Respondents also linked bullying to students experiencing mental health crises, disengagement from learning and school refusal. The link between bullying and later mental health disorders is well established in research.
As one young person told us:
Some teachers would make me feel really stupid and I left as I didn’t need an HSC [Year 12 certificate] for the career I’m pursuing.
How the bullying rapid review can help
Our findings come as the federal government conducts a rapid review into school bullying, making this research a crucial evidence base for reform.
The reports show how bullying of students with disability is not an isolated problem but is entrenched in a wider pattern of systemic discrimination.
This has several lessons for the rapid review:
schools need targeted anti-bullying strategies that specifically include students with disability, not just generic approaches that may overlook their abilities and capabilities
staff training must focus on recognising and responding to bullying of students with disability, including addressing situations where staff themselves are the perpetrators
schools need to respect and value difference, rather than stigmatise it. This is fundamental to lasting change
schools need accountability measures to ensure bullying complaints are addressed transparently and safely.
Every student should be able to learn
Beyond bullying, both reports show how for many students with disability, educational experiences are stagnant or worsening. High rates of exclusion, inadequate teacher training, and unsafe complaints processes point to a system in urgent need of reform.
Every student with disability deserves to be safe, welcome, and able to learn alongside their peers. The data is clear, the stories are heartbreaking, and the need for action has never been more urgent.
Catherine Smith has previously received research funding from Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA).
Helen Dickinson receives funding from Australian Research Council, National Health and Medical Research Council, Medical Futures Fund and Australian governments.
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
