Anti Bullying Policy

Rationale

Aim

Objectives

Definition: What is bullying?

Detection

What is a bully?

Recognising victims

Immediate responses to bullying

Investigation Procedure

Prevention

Rationale

It is our belief at Green Lane Primary School that every child has the right to be educated in a stable, safe environment, free from all threat of verbal or physical abuse. In order to ensure that this atmosphere prevails, school policy operates on the following levels:

1. A programme, built into the PSHCE curriculum which deals in a positive way with building relationships, helping children to develop affective social skills and to deal with difficulties in an acceptable manner.

2. Clear guidelines to staff for dealing with bullying if it occurs, including how to help both victim and bully, and where to find support from colleagues.

3. Enlisting parental support through providing information about school policy and involvement where there is concern about their own child, either as victim or bully. Back to top

Aim

To provide a secure environment for all children to exist in, without fear of being hurt, threatened or frightened by others. Back to top

Objectives

1. To involve the whole School community in developing and implementing the anti-bullying ethos.

2. To ensure behaviour of pupils is consistently managed by all adults, according to the Behaviour Policy.

3. To teach pupils:
· to have self-control;
· to take responsibility for their actions;
· to be accountable for their actions;
· that actions and choices have consequences.

4. To teach children the strategies for dealing effectively with incidents of bullying.

5. To ensure immediate action is taken and agreed procedures followed when bullying has taken place.

6. To provide a safe, supportive environment for victims and perpetrators of bullying to talk about their experiences.

7. To ensure that effective supervision of pupils occurs throughout the day in order to prevent bullying behaviour occurring.

8. To use the PSHCE curriculum and other curriculum areas as a vehicle for raising awareness of issues relating to bullying.

9. Through training, to ensure all staff are informed about the anti-bullying policy and are skilled in applying the guidelines.

10. To provide resources to support the PSHCE/anti-bullying ethos in school, in accordance with the provisions of the School Improvement Plan.

11. To review, and monitor, the anti-bullying policy and procedures regularly, through the school Self Evaluation processes. Back to top

Definition: What is bullying?

A definition of bullying is difficult, since what constitutes bullying in one person?s eyes may be deemed playing, or simple mischief, or even harmless fun in others. However, in order to maintain consistency and consensus in school, we have defined bullying as:-
· Bullying is the wilful, conscious desire of a person or persons to threaten or frighten someone else.
· Bullying is deliberate, behaviour which may be repeated over a period of time.
· Bullying can take many forms.
- physical: hitting, kicking, taking belongings etc.
- verbal: name-calling, insulting, racist remarks;
- emotional: spreading nasty stories about someone, excluding someone from social groups, inciting others to join in to hurt or harm
- racist: racial taunts, gestures, name calling
- Technological abuse e.g ? texting, video-texting, MSN etc


The person / persons carrying out the bullying will have some sort of power over the victim / victims. This power might be due to:
- greater physical strength (older or bigger child bullies smaller or younger child).
- greater numbers (a gang bullying a single child). Back to top

Detection

Bullying can be covert and is sometimes difficult to detect. Children, especially victims, may be reluctant to expose incidents of bullying, even if not directly involved. Since incidents may take place covertly or in secluded parts of the school, witnesses may not exist and even when they do, may not feel able to speak. Creating an open, frank atmosphere where bullying is discussed with children and making them aware of what to do if they are being bullied, can help in detection. Silence and secrecy nurture bullying. Given that detection is difficult, staff need to be watching for signs within their own classroom and around the school. There are several clues which may point to a child being bullied:
- signs of distress (deterioration of work, erratic attendance, desire to remain with adults)
- unexplained cuts, bruises, aches and pains.
- wanting to stay in at playtimes, feeling sick or ill.
- unexplained loss of possessions, money, clothes, books.
- damage to property.
- mood / personality changes (crying, withdrawn, etc).
- concentration lapses.
- changes in behaviour patterns.
- unhappiness;
- depressed.
- introvert behaviour.
- self-isolation from friends.
- stealing / coveting.
- secrecy about reasons for unhappiness.

Staff need to be aware of children?s behaviour in their own classrooms and around the school. A senior member of staff will always be on duty at lunchtime, to deal with children who need assistance. Back to top

What is a bully?

Bullies are often stereotyped as male, physically well-developed, academically poor or personally inadequate. This is not necessarily the case. Children who bully may be male or female and have a wide range of characteristics. They may operate alone or in groups.

Their common characteristics are these:-
- they tend to be assertive and aggressive and have little control over their feelings.
- they tend to lack empathy and find it hard to imagine how the victim feels.
- they tend to lack guilt and feel that somehow the victim deserves their treatment.
- from research, most common perpetrators of bullying behaviour are individual boys or groups of several boys.
- girls who bully others are usually in a group, rather than on their own.
- children who bully others can come from any kind of family, regardless of social class or cultural background.
- some bullies may experience poor discipline / excessive physical punishment / abuse problems at home by parent and / or sibling.
- other children who bully may take part because friends do so.
- However, beware the stereotype expectation - pupils who bully others are not easily recognisable. Back to top

Recognising victims

Signs for recognising the existence of bullying have been outlined earlier.

Stereotypes of victims can be just as misleading as for bullies, but some children may be more vulnerable than others:-
- children who are new to a class or school
- children who are different in speech or appearance or background from the majority.
- children who suffer from low self-esteem
- children who react ?entertainingly? to being taunted, e.g. who have tantrums, lose control, etc.
- children who are nervous or anxious

Staff can take positive steps to find out what is happening in their own classrooms by being watchful, but also by using the topic for discussion possibly during Circle Time or in the course of other relevant work. It may be helpful to keep informal notes during the early stages of concern. Back to top

Immediate responses to bullying

Staff who come across or suspect bullying in school can employ the following strategies:-
- deal with the situation calmly. Do not react angrily as the bully may feel they are controlling your emotions.
- act as quickly as possible.
- decide whether action needs to be private or public - does the bully want an audience?
- reassure the victim.
- make it clear to the bully that you disapprove (direct your disapproval at the behaviour, not the individual).
- encourage the bully to see the victim?s point of view.
- punish bully immediately if you feel it is appropriate.
- inform Head Teacher and instigate investigation procedure if appropriate and tell child you are doing so. (Procedure outlined later).
- explain why punishment is being given, in a calm manner (reacting aggressively or punitively can reinforce the child?s view that might is right).
- inform all relevant people of incident and actions.
- if a trigger to the incident was discovered, try to avoid this in future. Back to top

Investigation Procedure

If Staff discover the existence of bullying, the following procedure will be implemented:-

PRELIMINARY STAGE

- Staff will inform team leaders and/or Head Teacher
- if an incident occurs at lunchtime, the senior member of staff on duty will inform the child?s / children?s class teacher
- Team leaders will regularly update the Head Teacher / Deputy Head Teacher with regard to children are causing concern, either as victims or bullies.
- if member of staff responsible considers it necessary, the full investigation procedure will be instigated by the Head Teacher / Deputy Head Teacher.

FULL INVESTIGATION

- if a child complains of bullying, or it is discovered, a written account should be drawn up by the child, with the support of the learning mentor, which describes the incident (who, what, when and where).
- if the bully is named, a written account of the incident should also be given by them with the same support
- the investigating adult should record an account of the investigation and
- parents of victims and bullies should be informed and invited to school separately to discuss the incident
- action should be decided upon by this parent/teacher group, or teacher responsible if parents do not accept invitation to attend.

Parents, Staff, support staff and children should be aware of the procedure and know the name of the teacher responsible. They need to know that the school takes bullying seriously and that action will be taken.


ACTION

Action, agreed by Staff and parents at the investigation meeting should be made clear to bully and victim.

The form of action taken will vary depending on the circumstances but may involve the following:

For the bully
- sanctions, eg removal from yard.
- set up home / school book or other system.
- monitoring / discussion sessions with named person. E.g. Learning Mentor
- drawing up a plan/contract to avoid further bullying
- sanctions at home (restricted TV etc).
- involvement of support services

Also
- direct disapproval at behaviour, not individual.
- tell everyone else what sanctions are.
- discuss appropriate behaviour.

For the victim
- discuss incident with a member of staff.
- provide sanctuary (staying in at playtimes, etc).
- communicate with parents.
- make the victim aware of what sanctions have been taken.
- opportunity to have support of member of staff for support / discussion sessions.
- opportunity to draw up a prevention plan

Mediation Services for pupils and/or parents may be used to support if necessary. Back to top

Prevention

As well as implementing the procedure to deal with bullying, there are other strategies that the staff can use to help prevent incidents of bullying.

A programme of study raising social awareness and teaching skills of building relationships helps to prevent bullying. This programme is built into the PSHCE curriculum. A wide range of activities designed to enhance children?s self image and create good relationships are outlined in the ?Ways to Enhance Self Image? section. Back to top