Westmorland Primary School

 

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.’

 

 

We believe that:

 

• All bullying is unacceptable irrespective of how it happens and/or what excuses are given in an attempt to justify it.
• We must investigate all incidents of bullying and take action where necessary, supporting both the bully and the victim at all times.
• Children who bully must be held to account for their wrongdoing, but may need support to change their attitudes and behaviour.
• All inappropriate language that perpetuates attitudes underpinning bullying behaviour must be challenged at all times.
• Everyone in our school has a responsibility to respond promptly and effectively to all instances of bullying.
• We must communicate with parents/carers regarding any concerns about bullying and deal promptly with complaints.
• All our children must feel safe and be confident that any reported incidents will be dealt with effectively by all responsible adults.
• It is important to focus upon preventing bullying behaviours in school.

 

 

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:

 

 

• Racist and faith based – name calling, derogatory assumptions or generalisations about race, culture, religious faiths and beliefs

 

• Homophobic – based on actual or perceived sexual orientation, and can include name calling, exclusion and gestures, negative stereotyping based on sexual orientation, using ‘gay’ as a negative term, warning others about a person, graffiti, etc.

 

• Appearance – based on weight, size, hair colour, unusual physical features

 

• Sexual – touching, repeated exhibitionism, voyeurism, sexual propositioning, verbal personal comment or deviant desires communicated

 

• Disability – name calling, exclusion, talking over a person, mimicking, physical overpowering (e.g. moving a wheelchair), laughing at a difficulty

 

• Health – based on physical or mental conditions

 

• Income based – of living on a low income

 

• Transgender – based on perception of gender identity

 

• Caring responsibilities - name calling, negative assumptions/misunderstandings about young carers

 

 

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

 

• that underpins any type of bullying behaviour as listed above must be challenged at all times.

 

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.

 

• disturbed sleep
• bed-wetting
• head and stomach aches
• problems with concentration,
• changes in behaviour and attitude
• truanting
• bullying other children
• damaged or missing clothes / money / property,
• asking for more money than usual or stealing money
• withdrawn or changes in their usual behaviour patterns or attitude
• distressed or emotional and finds it hard to articulate their feelings
• changes in their eating patterns
• changes in their online activity
• shows evidence of self-harming or even for extreme cases  potential suicide
•  is unusually tired without a reasonable explanation
•  has unexplained bruises or marks on their body, (some may refuse to change for PE)
•  repeatedly comes to school without dinner money or a packed lunch
• seems afraid to be alone and requires more adult interaction.

 

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:

 

• All members of the school community feel listened to and valued through the integration of Restorative Approaches into all areas of school life.
• All children and young people are clear about the roles they can take in preventing bullying,   including the role of bystanders.
• A climate exists where bullying and violence are not tolerated
• Develop peer support systems to prevent and respond to bullying
• Promote safe play areas

• Audit our site regularly to establish that children feel safe, especially known vulnerable areas
• Ensure that staff model positive relationships at all times
• Train all staff to identify and address bullying

 

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:

 

• Being heard
• Being able to report bullying and get help
• Being confident in the school’s ability to deal with the bullying
• Being aware that steps are taken to help them feel safe again
• Being helped to rebuild confidence and resilience
• Being aware of how they can get support from others

 

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
• Stockport’s Anti-bullying Charter
• BSS Audit
• Anti-bullying Checklist for schools
• Organisations that can offer support

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/368340/preventing_and_tackling_bullying_october14.pdf