Cairnshill Primary School Policy for Anti-Bullying
Cairnshill Primary School
Policy for Anti-Bullying
Cairnshill Primary School Anti-‐Bullying Policy In Cairnshill Primary School we believe all members of the School community have a right to work in a secure and caring environment. Each member of the community has the responsibility to contribute to the protection and maintenance of such an environment. This community is completely opposed to any form of bullying and will not tolerate it. Definition Bullying is an act of aggression causing embarrassment, pain or discomfort to someone else. It can take a number of forms: physical, verbal, making gestures or exclusion. It is an abuse of power. It may be planned and organised, or it may be unintentional. It may be perpetrated by individuals or by groups of pupils. Aims • To promote self-‐discipline and proper regard • To encourage good behaviour and respect for others and to ensure as far as is reasonably practicable the prevention of all forms of bullying among pupils • To have a consistent approach for dealing with incidents of bullying • To ensure pupils’ standard of behaviour is acceptable. • To regulate pupils’ conduct • To ensure that all pupils, parents and staff are aware of this policy with their roles and responsibilities in contributing to its success.
Action to Reduce Bullying In order to create a bully-‐free ethos in Cairnshill Primary we will endeavour to establish, implement and maintain the following preventative measures: • A code of conduct as detailed in Cairnshill Primary School’s Positive Behaviour Policy • A set of curriculum based strategies suitable for all key stages • That pupils, staff and parents are made aware of their responsibilities through the Code of Conduct in the Anti-‐ Bullying Policy. • Consideration is given to the school environment, procedures and practices in order to reduce the risk of bullying behaviour occurring. • Provision of staff awareness (including non-‐ teaching staff) to ensure that all individuals are competent in delivering the policy. • Use of School Council and circle time to discuss current bullying issues. • Provision of appropriate advice for victims and perpetrators.
Code of Conduct for Staff, Pupils and Parents Staff recognise the issue of bullying is a matter of partnership: to include all pupils, staff and parents. We are committed to providing a safe and secure learning environment for our children which includes employing strategies to deal with the problem of bullying. Sensitivity to the different emotional needs of our pupils will be recognised and we will endeavour to apply the strategies put forward by SEELB “Strategies to combat bullying”. Responsibilities of our Teachers and Staff Staff should: • Demonstrate, by example, the high standard of personal and social behaviour that we expect from our pupils • Foster self-‐esteem, self-‐respect and respect for others in our pupils • Be alert to signs of bullying • Take all reports of bullying seriously • Discuss bullying and its effects with our pupils • Obtain witness account if possible • Listen to children who have been bullied, take what they say seriously and act to support and protect them • Log all incidents • Follow up any complaint by a parent about bullying, reporting back promptly and fully of the action being taken • Report suspected cases of bullying to the designated teacher for protection. • Inform other staff, i.e. assistants, about any reported incidents. • Seek an apology from the bully. • Celebrate good behaviour Responsibilities of our Pupils Pupils should: • Not suffer in silence, if they should, they become victims of bullying • Refrain from becoming involved in any form of bullying • Act in a respectful and supportive manner to fellow pupils • Report to a member of staff any witnessed or suspected instances of bullying • Intervene to protect the pupil who is being bullied by reporting the incident to an adult Responsibilities for Parents We ask our parents to support us by: • Stress to children the importance of social behaviour • Advising their children to report any incidents of bullying to their teacher, an assistant, the Principal or the designated teacher. • Watch for any signs of their child being bullied • Reassure the child that something can and will be done to stop the bullying • Inform the school of any suspected bullying and or concerns
Co-‐operate with the school in matters of bullying whether their child is the victim or the perpetrator. • Actively support the schools Anti-‐Bullying Policy. Parents will be made welcome to discuss any problems or difficulties their child may be experiencing at school. We would like parents to share their problems so they can be resolved as soon as possible and with the minimum of distress to the child. If the problem is urgent please contact the Principal immediately. For a less urgent problem, appointments can be made with the class teacher. In Cairnshill Primary School we believe it is the responsibility of all involved in the school community to work together to combat and eradicate bullying in our school. •
HOW NOT TO BE A BULLY Sometimes it is difficult to know what is or is not bullying. Often, actions start out just being fun, but may at some point actually turn into bullying. If you are not sure whether something has become bullying, stop, think and ask yourself these questions: • Are my actions or words hurting someone else’s feelings? • Are my actions or words hurting someone else physically or making that person feel afraid? • Would I want someone else to do this to me? • Am I unfairly taking my anger out on someone? • Am I trying to control someone against his or her will? Strategies for dealing with incidents of bullying: • Pupils accused of bullying will be interviewed by: initially the Class Teacher to identify the issue; then if necessary the Designated Teacher or Principal. • The victim and any witnesses will also be interviewed separately. • Bully and victim will be interviewed together unless the victim is unwilling to allow this to happen. • Both parties will be made aware of the effects of bullying and will be reminded of the school policy on bullying. • In the event of the bullying being proven, the bully will be given a verbal warning and the incidents recorded. • Further bullying will result in the parents being informed of reported incidents. • An interview with parents will be arranged. The bully will also be present • Parents of both the bully and the victim will both be informed of any sanctions taken. • There may be a period of recorded observations • If the complaint is of a very serious nature, it should be recorded and Principal advised • If the issue becomes such that an outside agency should need to be involved, contact with the relevant agency will be made.
TEXT BULLYING Mobile phones are great – young people can stay in touch with friends, chat to new friends, and have fun with ring tones, photos and video-‐clips. But bullies can use mobiles too. Text bullying is when someone abuses or threatens a Person by text and it’s just as bad as them doing it at school or in the street. And because there’s loads one can do with mobiles and P C’s now – like checking emails on a mobile, picture messages and online chat – someone could also use those to bully you through a mobile or PC.
Links with other Policies The Code of Practice When a teacher recognises inappropriate behaviour and uses normal classroom strategies to deal with the behaviour and finds that they are ineffective and that the behaviour is affecting the teaching and learning in the classroom, then the child should be placed at Stage 1 of the Code of Practice. Our Anti-‐Bullying Policy is in agreement and integrated with other school policies currently in place: Child Protection Positive Behaviour Review and Evaluation The policy will be reviewed annually. During this review we will endeavour to evaluate the effectiveness of our provision for Pastoral Care. Evaluation Procedures In order to assess the effectiveness of this policy Cairnshill Primary School will measure: • Reported incidents over a given period • Analyse incident returns by age, gender, ethnicity, etc. • Collect qualitative data on consequences of bullying, e.g. truancy. AG September 2015
Policy for Anti-Bullying
Cairnshill Primary School Anti-‐Bullying Policy In Cairnshill Primary School we believe all members of the School community have a right to work in a secure and caring environment. Each member of the community has the responsibility to contribute to the protection and maintenance of such an environment. This community is completely opposed to any form of bullying and will not tolerate it. Definition Bullying is an act of aggression causing embarrassment, pain or discomfort to someone else. It can take a number of forms: physical, verbal, making gestures or exclusion. It is an abuse of power. It may be planned and organised, or it may be unintentional. It may be perpetrated by individuals or by groups of pupils. Aims • To promote self-‐discipline and proper regard • To encourage good behaviour and respect for others and to ensure as far as is reasonably practicable the prevention of all forms of bullying among pupils • To have a consistent approach for dealing with incidents of bullying • To ensure pupils’ standard of behaviour is acceptable. • To regulate pupils’ conduct • To ensure that all pupils, parents and staff are aware of this policy with their roles and responsibilities in contributing to its success.
Action to Reduce Bullying In order to create a bully-‐free ethos in Cairnshill Primary we will endeavour to establish, implement and maintain the following preventative measures: • A code of conduct as detailed in Cairnshill Primary School’s Positive Behaviour Policy • A set of curriculum based strategies suitable for all key stages • That pupils, staff and parents are made aware of their responsibilities through the Code of Conduct in the Anti-‐ Bullying Policy. • Consideration is given to the school environment, procedures and practices in order to reduce the risk of bullying behaviour occurring. • Provision of staff awareness (including non-‐ teaching staff) to ensure that all individuals are competent in delivering the policy. • Use of School Council and circle time to discuss current bullying issues. • Provision of appropriate advice for victims and perpetrators.
Code of Conduct for Staff, Pupils and Parents Staff recognise the issue of bullying is a matter of partnership: to include all pupils, staff and parents. We are committed to providing a safe and secure learning environment for our children which includes employing strategies to deal with the problem of bullying. Sensitivity to the different emotional needs of our pupils will be recognised and we will endeavour to apply the strategies put forward by SEELB “Strategies to combat bullying”. Responsibilities of our Teachers and Staff Staff should: • Demonstrate, by example, the high standard of personal and social behaviour that we expect from our pupils • Foster self-‐esteem, self-‐respect and respect for others in our pupils • Be alert to signs of bullying • Take all reports of bullying seriously • Discuss bullying and its effects with our pupils • Obtain witness account if possible • Listen to children who have been bullied, take what they say seriously and act to support and protect them • Log all incidents • Follow up any complaint by a parent about bullying, reporting back promptly and fully of the action being taken • Report suspected cases of bullying to the designated teacher for protection. • Inform other staff, i.e. assistants, about any reported incidents. • Seek an apology from the bully. • Celebrate good behaviour Responsibilities of our Pupils Pupils should: • Not suffer in silence, if they should, they become victims of bullying • Refrain from becoming involved in any form of bullying • Act in a respectful and supportive manner to fellow pupils • Report to a member of staff any witnessed or suspected instances of bullying • Intervene to protect the pupil who is being bullied by reporting the incident to an adult Responsibilities for Parents We ask our parents to support us by: • Stress to children the importance of social behaviour • Advising their children to report any incidents of bullying to their teacher, an assistant, the Principal or the designated teacher. • Watch for any signs of their child being bullied • Reassure the child that something can and will be done to stop the bullying • Inform the school of any suspected bullying and or concerns
Co-‐operate with the school in matters of bullying whether their child is the victim or the perpetrator. • Actively support the schools Anti-‐Bullying Policy. Parents will be made welcome to discuss any problems or difficulties their child may be experiencing at school. We would like parents to share their problems so they can be resolved as soon as possible and with the minimum of distress to the child. If the problem is urgent please contact the Principal immediately. For a less urgent problem, appointments can be made with the class teacher. In Cairnshill Primary School we believe it is the responsibility of all involved in the school community to work together to combat and eradicate bullying in our school. •
HOW NOT TO BE A BULLY Sometimes it is difficult to know what is or is not bullying. Often, actions start out just being fun, but may at some point actually turn into bullying. If you are not sure whether something has become bullying, stop, think and ask yourself these questions: • Are my actions or words hurting someone else’s feelings? • Are my actions or words hurting someone else physically or making that person feel afraid? • Would I want someone else to do this to me? • Am I unfairly taking my anger out on someone? • Am I trying to control someone against his or her will? Strategies for dealing with incidents of bullying: • Pupils accused of bullying will be interviewed by: initially the Class Teacher to identify the issue; then if necessary the Designated Teacher or Principal. • The victim and any witnesses will also be interviewed separately. • Bully and victim will be interviewed together unless the victim is unwilling to allow this to happen. • Both parties will be made aware of the effects of bullying and will be reminded of the school policy on bullying. • In the event of the bullying being proven, the bully will be given a verbal warning and the incidents recorded. • Further bullying will result in the parents being informed of reported incidents. • An interview with parents will be arranged. The bully will also be present • Parents of both the bully and the victim will both be informed of any sanctions taken. • There may be a period of recorded observations • If the complaint is of a very serious nature, it should be recorded and Principal advised • If the issue becomes such that an outside agency should need to be involved, contact with the relevant agency will be made.
TEXT BULLYING Mobile phones are great – young people can stay in touch with friends, chat to new friends, and have fun with ring tones, photos and video-‐clips. But bullies can use mobiles too. Text bullying is when someone abuses or threatens a Person by text and it’s just as bad as them doing it at school or in the street. And because there’s loads one can do with mobiles and P C’s now – like checking emails on a mobile, picture messages and online chat – someone could also use those to bully you through a mobile or PC.
Links with other Policies The Code of Practice When a teacher recognises inappropriate behaviour and uses normal classroom strategies to deal with the behaviour and finds that they are ineffective and that the behaviour is affecting the teaching and learning in the classroom, then the child should be placed at Stage 1 of the Code of Practice. Our Anti-‐Bullying Policy is in agreement and integrated with other school policies currently in place: Child Protection Positive Behaviour Review and Evaluation The policy will be reviewed annually. During this review we will endeavour to evaluate the effectiveness of our provision for Pastoral Care. Evaluation Procedures In order to assess the effectiveness of this policy Cairnshill Primary School will measure: • Reported incidents over a given period • Analyse incident returns by age, gender, ethnicity, etc. • Collect qualitative data on consequences of bullying, e.g. truancy. AG September 2015
