Anti Bulling Policy
The aim of this policy is to ensure that pupils learn in a supportive, caring and safe environment without fear of being bullied. Only when all issues of bullying are addressed will pupils be able to fully benefit from the opportunities available at school.
Bullying is anti-social behaviour and affects everyone; it is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
Bullying is defined as deliberately hurtful behaviour, repeated regularly over a period of time,
where it is difficult for those being bullied to defend themselves.
Bullying can be:
• Emotional: being unfriendly, excluding, tormenting (e.g. hiding books,
threatening gestures)
• Physical: pushing, kicking, hitting, punching or any use of violence
• Racist: racial taunts, graffiti, gestures
• Sexual unwanted physical contact or sexually abusive comments
• Homophobic: because of, or focusing on the issue of sexuality
• Verbal: name-calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, teasing
• Cyber: All areas of internet,such as email & internet chat room misuse
Mobile threats by text messaging & calls
Misuse of associated technology i.e. camera & video facilities
However it manifests itself, bullying will not be tolerated at Whitehill Primary School.
Aims
This policy is designed to ensure that as a school we are alert to signs of bullying and act promptly and firmly against it.
To promote a secure and happy environment free from threat, harassment and any type of bullying behaviour.
- To take positive action to prevent bullying from occurring through a clear school policy on Personal and Social Development.
- To show commitment to overcoming bullying by practising zero tolerance.
- To inform pupils and parents of the school’s expectations and to foster a productive partnership, which helps maintain a bully-free environment.
- To make staff aware of their role in fostering the knowledge and attitudes which will be required to achieve the above aims.
Whole School and Individual Staff Responsibilities
- Never ignore suspected bullying.
- Don’t make premature assumptions.
- Listen carefully to all accounts and investigate as fully as possible.
- Adopt a problem-solving approach which moves pupils on from justifying themselves.
- Complete the school pro-forma for recording bullying incidents and always report to the Headteacher.
- Follow-up repeatedly, checking bullying has not resumed.
- Use of a range of teaching and learning styles and strategies which challenge bullying.
- Use interventions which are least intrusive and most effective.
Support for Parents
When parents raise a concern that their child is being bullied it is essential that this concern is taken seriously and not dismissed without further enquiries being made.
The bullying incident report form can be used as a focus of the discussion with a parent so that there is a clear record of the concern and of immediate action to be taken by school staff.
Our Pastoral leader is always on hand and parents should use her as their first point of contact if the class teacher is not available.
Procedures and Recording
Recording incidents is vital as it allows school staff to identify patterns of behaviour, as often what is perceived initially to be a trivial incident, may be part of a number of incidents which are serious for the individual child.
The following steps will be taken when dealing with any incident:
All reported incidents will be investigated immediately by the member of staff who has been approached or witnessed the incident.
- Listen to the child reporting the incident and make sure that they feel that their concerns are being taken seriously.
- Record the incident in the Incident Log which is stored centrally in the office
- Check through to establish if there are any previous incidents involving the same children.
- If you feel that this is one of a number of incidents, or particularly severe, refer immediately to a member of the SLT by completing the Incident Referral form. These are also kept in the Incident Log Folder.
- If the incident is ‘minor’ and does not merit a referral, please make sure you deal with the incident effectively and in line with the positive behaviour policy. Children must feel that their complaint has been dealt with properly. If you are unsure what to do, please seek advice.
- Once a referral to the SLT has been made, a thorough investigation of the incident involving all parties will be undertaken and recorded in writing in the appropriate section of the referral form.
- The Headteacher should always be made aware of any incidents which have been dealt with by the SLT by simply photocopying the completed form.
- After the investigation has taken place, a decision should be made as to whether a case of persistent bullying is taking place. If this is the case, the parents of the perpetrator will be invited to discuss the situation with the Headteacher or Deputy Headteacher, as appropriate.
- Parents of the bullied child must be kept informed of the whole process and it is vital that they feel satisfied with the way the incident has been dealt with.
If an allegation of bullying is made by a parent, full written details should be taken and referred to the Headteacher or Deputy Headteacher who will then complete the Bullying Allegation Form and investigate thoroughly.
When the Head Teacher is satisfied that measures put in place to resolve any bullying have been successful, an evaluation form will be completed to gather the school, pupil and parent voice. Two copies of this document will be sent to parents with an explanatory letter. This evaluation will be used to constantly improve our practice.
Support
Pupils who have been bullied will be supported by:
- Being offered an immediate opportunity to discuss the experience with a member of staff.
- Reassuring the pupil
- Offering continuous support
- Restoring self-esteem and confidence
Pupils who have bullied will be helped by:
- Discussing what happened
- Discovering why the pupil became involved
- Establishing the wrong doing and need to change
- Informing parents or guardians to help change the attitude of the pupil.
Within the curriculum the school will raise the awareness of the nature of bullying through inclusion in PSCHE, assemblies and subject areas, as appropriate, in an attempt to eradicate such behaviour.
Incidents of bullying outside the school’s premises
Although schools are not directly responsible for bullying off the school premises, we would still encourage victims “not to suffer in silence”. Actions the school could take, if deemed appropriate, include:
- talking to the local police about the problems within the Community
- talking to the Head Teachers of the schools whose pupils are involved in bullying off the premises
Bullying can also take place via text messages, MSN and other means of ‘cyber communication’. This often happens out of school hours, but has implications for the parties involved when they are in school.
We would always talk to pupils and parents about the issues and take their concerns seriously.
Adult Bullying
From time to time, adults behave inappropriately towards each other. If any parent feels that they are being treated inappropriately within our school community they must report this to the Headteacher immediately.
On occasions, when a parent suspects another child of inappropriate behaviour towards their own child, they try to take matters into their own hands. This can result in:
- parents approaching other parents in groups
- inappropriate verbal exchanges in front of pupils
- a breakdown in communication
If children are experiencing problems with other children, parents must not try to take matters into their own hands. Parents confronting other parents in the playground is not acceptable and could be viewed as adult bullying. The school should be informed immediately of any concerns so that we may intervene to resolve the problem to ensure our school community remains a happy, safe and enjoyable place where everyone wants to be.
Monitoring, Evaluation and Review of this policy will take place annually as part of the Safeguarding