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Anti-Bullying
Model Policy
October 2016
Aim:
At Westmorland school we are committed to working with children, staff, governors and parents/carers to create a school community where bullying is not tolerated.
We define bullying as:
‘Behaviour by an individual or a group, usually repeated over time, where an imbalance of power is used to intentionally hurt another either physically or emotionally.’
Identifying and supporting vulnerable children
We work closely in school to identify particularly vulnerable groups, perhaps minority ethnic groups, travellers, refugees, LGBT pupils, midterm arrivals, pupils who transfer late into the school, children or young people in care, young carers, teenage parents and those with other special needs who may find it more difficult to make or sustain friendships.
As a school we plan positive action to support these pupils with all relevant staff members and provide additional support where necessary, for example peer support through buddy schemes and help them access clubs and out of school provision.
Who is bullied?
Anybody could be subject to bullying at any time in their life. It is not only something that affects children and young people
These are some factors that can make people vulnerable:
Types of Bullying
There a various types of bullying which can be summarised as:
Who is bullied?
Anybody could be subject to bullying at any time in their life. It is not only something that affects children.
A person is bullied when, either as an individual or part of a group, she or he suffers in any way from the direct result of intentional and persistent harassment and/or victimisation by another individual or group.
A person who has been bullied may commonly find it difficult to combat victim behaviour or report their experiences to those who may be able to help them.
Children and young people who are at most increased risk of being the victims or perpetrators of bullying are those who:
• are in foster care or residential homes (looked after children)
• have specific special educational needs (especially on the autistic spectrum)
• have a disability or impairment
• are from minority ethnic backgrounds
• are refugees or asylum seekers
• start a school or activity group mid term
• are, or are perceived to be, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or questioning of their sexuality or gender
• speak a first language other than English
• are young carers
• have suffered bereavement
• have suffered domestic violence
• have experienced physical or emotional trauma
• have a parent that was a victim of bullying.
Methods of bullying:
There are a number of methods of bullying which can be summarised as:
• Physical aggression – hitting, kicking, tripping up, spitting, taking or damaging property, use of threat or force in any way, intimidation or demands for money or goods
• Verbal – name calling, insulting, teasing, ‘jokes’, mocking, taunting, gossiping, secrets, threats. Reference to upsetting events e.g. bereavement, divorce, being in care
• Non-verbal – staring, body language, gestures
• Indirect – excluding, ostracising, rumours and stories, emails, chat rooms, messaging phones, notes, inappropriate gestures
• Cyber – text messaging, internet chat rooms, , burn pages (on Facebook), , the misuse of camera or video facilities offensive questions (on ask.fm), nasty inbox messages
We acknowledge that some acts of bullying will constitute a criminal offence and in these cases other organisations will need to be contacted e.g. the Police or Social Care
Possible indicators of bullying include:
We recognise that the following behaviours may suggest someone is being bullied. However we also recognise that the list is not exhaustive.
We ask families to share any concerns with us as part of our duty of care for their child and we will share our concerns with them to support all our community as effectively as possible.
This may mean that we as a school may need to help a child become aware of the impact of their behaviour/ attitudes or language on others and work with them over time to change.
To prevent bullying in our school we will:
Develop our wider curriculum to ensure:
Developing a whole school approach
At -------- school we work closely with members of the schools’ community to ensure the involvement and participation of students, parents, staff, governors and the wider community as part of the development of policy related to supporting a positive ethos within the school.
Recording and reporting:
We maintain a system of data collection and analysis in relation to any reported incidents of bullying in school. Termly feedback is made available for governors via the Headteacher report.
All staff will use the agreed reporting format to alert the HT/designated SLT member of any bullying related incidents.
Dealing with an Incident
The school community needs to be made aware that when a bullying incident, including cyber bullying, has come to the attention of adults in the school, it has been taken seriously and action has resulted
Although incidents may not be bullying they should always be followed up thoroughly by the school and dealt with appropriately.
Any incidents will be dealt with restoratively, where all parties needs and views are expressed and there is an opportunity for harm to be repaired'.
Safeguarding procedures will be followed when child protection concerns arise
Monitoring and evaluation:
We will check through a range of pupil voice, circle work and other activities, the experience our children have of our anti-bullying policy in relation to:
This overview, together with the data analysis, will be the starting point of the policy review and change in practice.
Ratification
The governing body ratified this policy at their meeting.
This policy will be reviewed at least every two years after full consultation with children, parents, staff and governors.
Signed: Chair of Governors Date:
Links to other school policies:
This anti-bullying policy links to a range of policies/strategies, including:
Equalities and diversity policy
Behaviour policy
Care and control policy
PSHE policy
Safeguarding policy
Responsible Use policy
School Development plan
Restorative Approaches strategy
Appendices
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Should we prioritise tackling some types of bullying over others?
A: Immediate physical safety obviously comes first. All bullying, whatever the motivation or method, is unacceptable and should not be tolerated. Some issues will be more familiar to schools than others and this guidance points to other specialist organisations for further information about how to tackle specific types of bullying. Please see ‘Further Sources of Information’ at the end of this document.
Q: Should I discipline pupils for bullying outside the school?
A: Yes. If an incident of bullying outside the school premises is reported to the school, it is important that it is investigated and appropriate action is taken. This will send a strong signal to pupils that bullying will not be tolerated and perpetrators will be held to account.
Q: How can we involve parents more in our anti-bullying work?
A: Schools should talk to parents about their anti-bullying policy and make it available to them and prospective parents as part of their behaviour policy. Schools should ensure that parents know what measures are being taken to prevent bullying, as well as how incidents are responded to, and may also encourage positive messages about good behaviour and respect for others at home.
Q: Should I record incidents of bullying?
A: Staff should develop a consistent approach to monitoring bullying incidents in their school and evaluating whether their approach is effective. For some schools, that will mean recording incidents so that they can monitor incident numbers and identify where bullying is recurring between the same pupils.
DfE Preventing and tackling bullying
Advice for headteacher, staff and governing bodies
October 2014
For additional information and advice please click on the link below
Appendix 2 - A self-review tool for challenging bullying in schools
A self review tool for challenging bullying in schools
The following procedure can be used to gather evidence for the individual checklists then to create an anti-bullying action plan:
Individual group Anti-bullying Audit
Group:
Teacher:
Date:
Area of Concern
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Reasons given for concern |
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Whole school Anti-bullying Audit & Plan
School:
Antibullying lead:
Area of Concern
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Reasons given for concern |
Action to be taken |
Date for action to be in place |
Impact/Evaluation |
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Anti-bullying checklist for schools–
Issue |
Evidence |
In place |
Partly in place |
Not in place |
Action |
POLICY |
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A clear definition of bullying is included in our school policy |
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The definition of bullying is clearly understood by: Staff Children and young people Parents/Carers Governors |
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Our anti-bullying policy is in place and makes clear reference to: Faith based bullying Racist bullying Homophobic bullying Cyber-bullying Disability based bullying |
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Policy is reviewed bi-annually by Governing Body in consultation with school community |
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We have a Governor (or group) with a nominated responsibility for anti-bullying |
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Policy is communicated effectively to the school community using a range of methods eg: the school website, posters, newsletter, leaflets, logos around school |
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DEALING WITH INCIDENTS |
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Children and young people are clear about how to report bullying in our school |
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Children and young people are confident to report bullying in school |
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We have clear structures in place which identify who deals with incidents of bullying that emerge in school |
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We have clear mechanisms in place for recording incidents of bullying |
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Records of bullying incidents include the support provided to: The victim(s) The bully |
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The Governors in our school are aware of the scale of bullying via reports from HT |
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Actions to challenge bullying behaviour are widely known by: Staff Children and young people Parents/Carers Governors |
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Our school includes restorative approaches in its toolkit to address bullying behaviour |
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Our school provides access to self-help resources for children and young people |
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Our school provides peer to peer support e.g.: playground buddies, peer mentoring etc. |
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Our school takes care to ensure that the improvement for the victim is sustained |
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Where necessary our school calls upon other services to support children (both the victim and the bully) involved in incidents, and may use CAF/TAC where appropriate |
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PREVENTION |
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Our school challenges all verbal comments that could underpin a culture of bullying including: Racist language Homophobic language Discriminatory language |
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We specifically teach sessions around: Cyberbullying Homophobic bullying Racist bullying Faith based bullying Disability based bullying (consider the following as options)
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Cross curricular opportunities are taken |
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Our commitment to the anti-bullying agenda is visible to our whole school community for example:
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Participate in national programmes eg: Anti-Bullying week |
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IMPACT |
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As a school we have robust procedures on place to find out how safe our children feel when they are in school |
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As a school we are clear that we know how safe children feel across our whole site (see anti-bullying audit provided by BSS) |
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As a school we have robust procedures in place to ensure that we know the perceptions parents have about how safe we keep their children |
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ONGOING SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT |
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As a school we are confident that we act upon the perceptions of children and parents about how safe children feel in our school |
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We use information about trends in incidents of bullying to:
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Our school has everything in place to prepare us for signing Stockport’s anti-bullying charter |
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Appendix 4 - Organisations that can offer Support
NAME |
DETAILS |
CONTACT |
Anti Bullying Alliance |
UK’s leading organisation in the field of bullying. Lots of resources and information on the website. |
0207 843 1165 National Children’s Bureau, 8 Wakley Street, London EC1V 7QE |
Beatbullying |
Fully interactive 3D anti-bullying website. Organises local and regional seminars for young people, and establishes cross-community anti-bullying partnerships for young people who are disadvantaged socially, economically, personally or culturally. |
020 8768 1017 77-79 Church Road, London SE19 2YA |
BM Schools Out / LGBT History Month |
Provides formal and informal support network for all people who want to raise profile of homophobia, transphobia and heterosexism in education. Campaigns on LGBT issues as they affect education and those in education. |
020 7635 0476 National London, London WC1N 3XX |
Bully Free Zone |
Specialist anti-bullying charity offering help, support and information to children young people and families affected by bullying. Also work in partnership with schools and local authorities.
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01204 454958 23 Palace Street, Bolton BL1 2DR |
Child Exploitation and Protection Online (CEOP) |
Works across the UK supporting providing internet safety for children, young people and their families. Also delivers free education programmes – to children and young people, parents and professionals. “Polices” the internet. |
0870 000 3344 33 Vauxhall Road, London SW1V 2WG
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Childline |
UK’s free 24 Helpline for children and young people to call about any worry – more calls on bullying than any other issue. Also run CHIPS (Childline in Partnership with Schools) – they work closely with schools to help them set up effective support for pupils.
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020 7650 3231 45 Folgate Street, London E1 6GL Helpline 0800 1111 |
Childnet |
Non profit organisation working with others to help make the internet a great and safe place for children. KnowITAll, Digizen.org, Kidsmart, Young people and the internet, Young people and social networking |
0207 639 6967 Studio 14, Brockley Cross Business Centre, 96 Endwell Road, London SE4 2PD |
NAME |
DETAILS |
CONTACT |
LGBT Northwest |
LGBT Youth North West is a regional organisation that seeks to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans young people in the North West of England |
http://www.lgbtyouthnorthwest.org.uk |
Kidscape |
National charity dedicated to preventing bullying and child sexual abuse. They work with young people under the age of 16, and their parents / carers, plus people who work with them. Helpline for parents of children who’ve been bullied. Website info re keeping children safe. Assertiveness training for young people.
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0207 730 3300 2 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1W 0DH Helpline 08451 205 204
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MENCAP |
UK’s leading learning disability charity. Provides support for young people who have a learning disability and their parents / carers. Running a campaign to stop the bullying of young people with a learning disability. |
0207 696 6019 123 Golden Lane, London EC1Y 0RT |
NSPCC |
Works to end cruelty to children, and provides a range of direct services for children and young people, and for their parents / carers and families. 24 Freephone Helpline. |
0207 650 6855 Weston House, 42 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3 NH Helpline 0808 800 5000 |
Parentline Plus
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Biggest independent provider of parenting support in the country – national charity. Free confidential 24 hour Helpline. Run groups and workshops – face to face and by telephone. Also a free text phone for people who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech impairment – 0800 783 6783 |
0207 824 5549 520 Highgate Studios, 53-79 Highgate Road, Kentish Town, London NW5 1TL Helpline 0808 800 2222 |
Stonewall |
Support schools prevent and tackle homophobic bullying and celebrate difference. Read more |
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NAME |
DETAILS |
CONTACT |
Terence Higgins Trust |
Set up in response to the HIV epidemic, and has been at the forefront of the fight against HIV and AIDS ever since. Provides a very side range of services, including support for young people with HIV / AIDS who are being bullied. Also emotional support via the telephone (Helpline). |
0207 812 1600 314 – 320 Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1X 8DP www.tht.org.uk Helpline 0845 1221 200 |
Think U Know |
This is a site from CEOP for children and young people and practitioners to focus on how to stay safe on line |
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UK Safer Internet Centre |
Works across the UK to provide support for children and staff. They have a professionals helpline and useful resources to support safe and responsible use of the internet |
professional’s online safety helpline 0844 381 4772 |
Victim Support |
National charity for people affected by crime, including bullying. Free and confidential service. National Helpline, Victim Supportline, provides information, support and referral to local services. |
0207 896 3769 Cranmer House, 39 Brixton Road, London SW9 6DZ Helpline 0845 3030 900 |
Young Minds |
National charity dedicated to improving the mental health of all babies, children and young people. Parents Information Service for anyone with concerns about the mental health of a child or young person. Wide range of publications covering issues affecting children, including bullying. Advice and support for young people contemplating self harm and suicide. |
0207 336 1458 48-50 St John Street, Clerkenwell, London EC1M 4DG |