All Saints’ CE Junior School - Anti Bullying Policy Entitlement Children deserve to receive their education free from humiliation, oppression and abuse associated with bullying. Everyone who is part of our school has a responsibility to take action to care for each other. Our Aims At All Saints’ C of E Junior School, we are committed to providing a safe, caring and happy environment for all our pupils. Bullying in our school is seen as an unacceptable behaviour, which affects everyone and will not be tolerated. We will ensure that:
all reports of bullying will be treated seriously and dealt with calmly
we develop effective strategies to prevent bullying
all children are regularly informed of the school’s rules and sanctions for inappropriate behaviour (see Good Behaviour policy)
The school develops a pupil friendly version of this policy to be displayed.
It is the school’s legal duty to prevent bullying among pupils (see School Standards and Framework act 1998) Bullying in terms of this policy is defined as
A deliberate intention to hurt or humiliate
As a power imbalance that makes it hard for the victim to defend themselves
Persistent negative actions towards a group or individual.
There are four main types of bullying: 1. Physical ( e.g. hitting, kicking, theft, hair pulling, pushing ) 2. Emotional (name calling, racist remarks ,taunting, exclusion from groups) 3. Indirect (eg, spreading rumours, excluding someone from social groups, damaging someone’s property) 4. Cyber ( inappropriate text messaging and e-mailing; sending offensive or degrading images by phone or via the internet Bullying is not when two people have an occasional fight or disagreement – this is relational conflict. The school defines bullying as deliberate, persistent and frequent negative behavior aimed at an individual or group. Some features of bullying: Some, but not all pupils have certain characteristics that may make them more susceptible to being bullied. These could include:
lack of close friends in school
are shy
come from an over-protective family environment
from a different racial or ethnic group from the majority of children
have special educational needs or a disability
behave inappropriately
possessing expensive toys ( e.g. computer games or clothes)
Sexual orientation
Appearance
Racist bullying often occurs where the victims are singled out because of the colour of their skin, or their religious and cultural beliefs.
Evidence of bullying The school looks out for early signs of distress in pupils:
deterioration of work
frequent absences
isolation
frequent illness
clinging to adults
sadness
low self-esteem
These early signs may indicate the early onset of bullying; although these signs are only indicators and do not necessarily prove existence of bullying. Further investigation would be required. Where does bullying occur? This can occur in the classroom environment or can often occur out of adult sight, eg in the playground, corridors or toilets. It can take place in the presence of others. Our school has a set of rules for in the classroom and playground environment. They give clear guidelines on what is acceptable behaviour (See Good Behaviour Policy). In addition the Playtime Policy seeks to minimise potential 'hotspots'. Schools are not directly responsible for bullying incidents off their premises, however our school will encourage children to discuss outside incidents and offer support where appropriate which may involve contacting parents, other schools or outside agencies.
What children should do Pupils need to:
trust staff to take action if being bullied
be aware of the school’s rewards and sanctions and understand that their actions will have consequences
tell staff if they are being bullied or worried about a friend being bullied
challenge pupils if it is seen that bullying is taking place
try to be helpful and kind to people at all times
accept the sanctions if found bullying
Procedure for dealing with an alleged incident It is important that all connected to the school are aware and familiar with the procedure that follows an alleged incident. This policy will be available on the school website. The procedure should be followed consistently and persistently. Physical or verbal incidents (accidental or otherwise) occurring outside of class must be recorded on the playground incident slips and filed appropriately in the year group folders. Incidents that happen within class time will also be recorded. Concern may be raised by anyone including a child, parent or member of staff. It is important that staff are aware that they can raise an incident where they have a concern about a particular child even though no allegation of bullying has been made as a child may be reluctant to report an incident themselves. If an incident is significant then the Red Book system may be activated (see Good Behaviour Policy) Staff should also be aware that other incidents, for example being left out of games, may need to be recorded to track whether this is happening regularly. The class teacher will monitor these as an aid to identifying any patterns and possible bullying issues. Where a pattern is identified and bullying behaviour is confirmed then an Integrated Bullying and Racist Incident Record must be completed. The situation will be closely monitored, further investigations made and support given for all parties. Once the Integrated Bullying and Racist Incident Record (attached) has been raised the Derbyshire County Council recommended procedures must be followed. (attached)
Speak to the child responsible Often a simple word or two from the teacher may be all that is required (See Good Behaviour policy for sanctions in the classroom environment) Immediate action Action should always be taken as soon as possible after an incident.
Head teacher intervention may be necessary
possible time out from an activity, golden time or playtime session
record alleged bullying behaviour
inform parents or guardians of incident
monitor child’s behaviour
follow up repeatedly to check bullying has not resumed
It may be necessary to involve outside agencies, e.g. educational psychologists and educational social workers. Parents All parents should be aware of the school’s anti bullying policy. Parents can be involved and provided with information advising them of the possible consequences of incidents that may involve their children. It is important to involve parents at an early stage when an incident involving their child has been reported. Parents should be invited in to discuss their child’s behaviour not to be told that their child has been bullying another child. Blame can make the parent react defensively and make it much harder to reach a resolution. Parents of the victim should also be informed at an early stage. Parents will want to see the bullying incidents cease and it is important that the school reacts appropriately including comprehensive consultation with all those involved in the incident, raising awareness and continued communication. Implications for parents
watch for signs of stress in the children ( eg, unwilling to come to school, isolation, feigned illness, damaged clothing or bruising
encourage the child to talk about school life and friendships
contact school if they are aware or suspect that their child is being bullied or is acting as a bully
encourage their children not to be aggressive with other people
to support school if further action is required
to be sensible in their accusations about a child being bullied
Children Supporting the victim The school would aim to support the victim by:
providing protection, support and reassurance
developing self-confidence and self esteem
developing a more effective range of strategies to avoid situations in the future
Supporting the bully
be critical of the behaviour not the person
offer opportunities to make amends and change behaviour
deal with the situation in a direct but non-aggressive manner
ensure that the bully gives a record of his/her version of the event
Implications for all pupils If a child sees another child being bullied they should:
stand up to the bully in a group
never watch and say nothing
never join in the bullying
tell a teacher what is happening
Educating the children At All Saints’ Juniors we feel the best way to stop bullying in our school is through educating the children to prevent it from occurring in the first place. Our school will: raise awareness about bullying and the anti-bullying policy
increase understanding of the victim’s feelings and help build on the anti-bullying ethos
teach pupils constructively to manage their relationships with other pupils
teach pupils to play co-operatively
teach pupils that they do not lose face if they apologise
teach pupils to examine behaviour to see if it is provocative
We can address the above issues and raise awareness through:
the issue of a 'Child Friendly Anti-bullying Policy'
involvement of the School Council by including 'anti-bullying' as a regular agenda item
school assemblies
promoting anti-bullying week in school
special visitors, (eg theatre company, links with church or community)
co-operative group work and play activities
drama activities, role play,
co-operative games
problem solving activities
videos, software and the Internet
playground learning
involving parents
Co-operative group work The school provides many cross-curricular activities involving pupils working in a group co-operatively. This enables the children to be more tolerant of each other and willing to listen. It can develop trust for the opposite gender, those with special educational needs and other ethnic groups. PSHCE The school’s curriculum allows for teachers and pupils to take part in PSHCE (personal, social, health, citizenship, education) lessons. Within a PSHCE session, time may be used to address issues of concern. Time is also used to deal with issues relating to anti-bullying as well as enabling children to work together amicably. The use of PSHCE :
creates a safe space to explore issues of concern
explores relationships with adults and peers
promotes effective communication
develops the self-esteem of each pupil
allows children to work together in pairs, small groups or as a whole class
Our pupils are encouraged to:
focus on their own feelings and the feelings of others
listen to each other
take turns
Monitoring The Headteacher will take overall responsibility for anti-bullying including e-safety within school. An anti-bullying coordinator will identify and record where necessary the success and the need to further develop the policy. They may also look at patterns of positive and negative referrals. Appropriate feedback may come from staff, pupils, governors or parents. Staff will need to review incident slips and evidence of any reported incidents on a regular basis. It is essential that the school reviews the success of the policy and that it is frequently revisited by all staff, pupils, governors and parents, particularly those who are new to the school. Evaluation A regular review is required to evaluate the effectiveness and appropriateness of the school policy. A survey will be carried out annually with the next one being in July 2015.
Useful Web sites
http://.antibullying.net
www.education.gov.uk
http://www.childline.org.uk/explore/bullying/pages/bullying.aspx
www.kidscape.org.uk
Approved at Full Governors’ Meeting – 14 July 2015 Minute Number 139/14
