Anti-Bullying Policy

Bullying : Our School’s Values and Beliefs

• all pupils and staff have the right to feel happy, safe and included
• pupils and staff have the right to work in an environment without harassment, intimidation or fear
• all bullying, of any sort, is therefore unacceptable
• pupils and staff who experience bullying will be supported
• we recognise the effects that bullying can have on pupils’ feelings of worth and on their school work, and the school community will actively promote an anti-bullying environment

Our Intentions in producing this policy are:

• to provide a learning environment free from any threat or fear
• to reduce and to eradicate wherever possible, instances in which pupils are made to feel frightened, excluded or unhappy
• to establish a means of dealing with bullying, and of providing support to pupils who have been bullied
• to ensure that all pupils and staff are aware of the policy and that they fulfil their obligations to it
• to meet any legal obligations which rest with the school

Our Definition of Bullying

Bullying involves dominance of one pupil by another, or a group of others, is pre-meditated and usually forms a pattern of behaviour.

Bullying is therefore:

• deliberately hurtful
• repeated, often over a period of time
• difficult for victims to defend themselves against

It can take many forms but the main types are:

• physical – hitting, kicking, taking another’s belongings
• verbal – name calling, insulting, making offensive remarks
• indirect – spreading nasty stories about someone, exclusion from social groups, being made the subject of malicious rumours

Some forms of bullying are attacks not only on the individual, but also on the group to which he or she may belong. Within the school we will pay particular attention to:

• racial harassment and racist bullying
• sexual bullying
• the use of homophobic language
• bullying of pupils who have special educational needs or disabilities

Creating an Anti-Bullying Climate in School

Our school Behaviour Policy explains how we promote positive behaviour in school to create an environment where pupils behave well; where pupils take responsibility for each other’s emotional and social well being and include and support each other.

We will promote appropriate behaviour through direct teaching, and by creating an emotionally and socially safe environment where these skills are learned and practised. Our aim is to create a climate where bullying is not accepted by anyone within the school community.

Our curriculum will be used to:

• raise awareness about bullying and our anti-bullying policy
• increase understanding for victims and help build an anti-bullying ethos
• teach pupils how constructively to manage their relationships with others

Circle Time, role-play and stories will be used to show what pupils can do to prevent bullying, and to create an anti-bullying climate in school.

Bullying will not be tolerated and we make this clear in the information we give to pupils and parents when they join our school.

Posters displaying Lewannick School’s Golden Rules are displayed throughout the school and remind pupils that bullying is not acceptable.

In each class we have school council boxes which children can put notes in regarding relevant issues.

Our School Council offers a forum in which concerns about bullying can be discussed on a regular basis.

We will ask pupils where and when bullying occurs in school and we will supervise and try to eliminate any unsafe areas that they report to us.

The School’s Strategies for Dealing with Bullying

Pupils who have been bullied, or have seen others being bullied, should report this to their class teacher or the Headteacher, or another adult working in the school. Teaching Assistants and Lunchtime Supervisors approached by a pupil will inform class teachers or headteacher.

Where bullying is of a racist nature, we will report this to the Local Authority using the Racial Incident Report Form.

All reports will be taken seriously and will be followed up by an appropriate member of staff.

Members of staff who receive reports that a pupil has been bullied will take action as recommended in this policy and should report this to all staff.

We Will:

• provide support to pupils who are bullied
• reassure them that they do not deserve to be bullied and it is not their fault
• assure them that it was right to report the incident
• try to ascertain the extent of the problem
• engage them in making choices about how the matter may be resolved
• try to ensure that they feel safe
• ask them to report immediately any further incidents to us
• affirm that bullying can be stopped and that our school will persist with intervention until it does

We will interview the pupil (or pupils) involved in bullying separately and will:

• listen to their version of events
• talk to anyone else who may have witnessed the bullying
• reinforce the message that bullying is not acceptable and that we expect bullying to stop
• seek a commitment to this end
• affirm that it is right for pupils to let us know when they are being bullied
• adopt a joint problem solving approach where this is appropriate
• consider sanctions under our school’s Behaviour Policy
• advise pupils responsible for bullying that we will be checking to ensure that bullying stops
• ensure that those involved know that we have done so
• when bullying occurs, we will contact the parents of pupils involved at an early stage
• we will keep records of incidents that we become aware of and how we responded to them
• we will follow up after incidents to check that the bullying has not started again

When Tougher Measures Are Needed

If necessary we will invoke the full range of sanctions that are detailed in the school’s Behaviour Policy.

Our Responsibilities

Everyone within the school is expected to:

• act in a respectful and supportive way towards one another
• adhere to and to promote the objectives of this policy

Pupils are expected to:

• report all incidents of bullying
• report suspected incidents that victims may be afraid to report
• support each other and to seek help to ensure that everyone feels safe, and nobody feels excluded or afraid in school

Parents can help by:

• supporting our anti-bullying policy and procedures
• discussing with their child’s teacher any concerns that their child may be experiencing bullying or involved in some other way
• helping to establish an anti-bullying culture outside of school

Bullying Outside the School Premises

Schools are not responsible for bullying that occurs off the premises but we know that bullying can occur outside the school gates and on journeys to and from school. The bullying may be done by pupils from our own school, by pupils from other schools or by people who are not at school at all. Where a pupil tells us of bullying off the school premises we will:

• talk to pupils about how to avoid or handle bullying outside of school
• talk to the Headteacher of another school who pupils are bullying
• talk to the police

Concerns, Complaints … and Compliments

We recognise that there may be times when parents feel that we have not dealt well with an incident of bullying – and we would ask that this be brought to the Headteacher’s notice. If the Headteacher cannot resolve these concerns informally, parents can raise their concerns more formally through the school’s Complaints Procedure. We would also be pleased to receive compliments – feedback from parent when things have gone well.

Evaluating our Policy

We will evaluate our anti-bullying policy using the following measures:

• the numbers of incidents that are reported to staff over a given period
• pupils’ perceptions of bullying in school through structured discussions in class and circle time.
• from the comments received in our School Council meetings.
• from the comments made by visitors and other people connected with the school

Ownership of this Policy

The policy applies to all staff and to all pupils, whether temporarily or permanently on the school roll.

The Headteacher is responsible for introducing and implementing this policy. However, all staff, all pupils and their parents have an active part to play in the development and maintenance of this policy and in its success.

Related Policies

Behaviour Policy

Home School Agreement

Equal Opportunities Policy

Race Equality Policy

Child Protection Policy

Complaints Policy