Anti-bullying Policy

Transcription

1 Westfield Primary Community School Anti-bullying Policy APPROVED BY School Development Committee DATE 11 th November 2013 Review Date November 2016 York s Children & Young People s Plan Our Vision York is a city making history and its children are our future. Every child and young person in York deserves to live their dreams. We will stretch, support, nurture and release them to do so. Working with them and their families, we will make York the best place in Britain in which to grow up.

2 Important Disability Discrimination Act In operating this Policy/Procedure it is very important to ensure compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act. Discrimination against an individual with a disability would occur if: 1. For a reason relating to an individual s disability, the school treats him/her less favourably than it treats, or would treat, others to whom that reason does not apply, or would not apply; and 2. It cannot show that the particular treatment is justified. (To be justified the actions have to be for a material and substantial reason relating to the circumstances of the case.) This form of discrimination is referred to as less favourable treatment. The school must take such steps as it is reasonable to take to ensure discrimination does not take place. These are known as reasonable adjustments. Each Policy/Procedure, as part of a review process, will be subject to an Equality Impact Assessment to ensure that any barriers to disabled people are identified and reasonable adjustments are put into place to prevent disability discrimination. If you have any questions concerning the application of the Disability Discrimination Act in relation to this Policy/Procedure always refer to the matter to the Headteacher.

3 Statement of Intent The Law: The School Standards and Framework Act 1998: Section 61 (amended) is the principal legislation, and requires head teachers to determine measures to prevent all forms of bullying. In addition, the Education Act 2002 and its Regulations (e.g. the Education (Pupil Exclusions and Appeals (Maintained Schools) (England) Regulations 2002, SI 2002/3178) are relevant to exclusions. We aim to establish a safe school, in line with our Mission Statement, where bullying is not tolerated. This includes racist, sexist, homophobic bullying, and also bullying relating to disabilities. We want all our children to be happy at school, and to be relaxed at home during the evening, and not in a position where they are frightened to come to school, or worrying about particular activities or times of the day. When bullying is reported: When bullying is reported to an adult, staff should respond in line with the steps in our behaviour policy. This involves class teachers in the first instance, but may also include phase leaders, deputy head, and finally the head teacher if the bullying continues (see behaviour policy). Staff should make use of the yellow/red card behaviour system in the first instance as a sanction for bullying, unless the episode is severe or continuous. What Is Bullying? Bullying is the use of aggression with the intention of hurting another person. Bullying results in pain and distress to the victim. Bullying can be: Emotional being unfriendly, excluding, tormenting (e.g. hiding books, threatening gestures) Physical pushing, kicking, hitting, punching or any use of violence Racist racial taunts, graffiti, gestures Sexual unwanted physical contact or sexually abusive comments Homophobic because of, or focussing on the issue of sexuality Verbal name-calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, teasing Cyber All areas of internet,such as & internet chat room misuse Mobile threats by text messaging & calls Misuse of associated technology, i.e. camera &video facilities (further details see our e-safety policy) Disability name-calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, or teasing centred around an individual s disability Why is it Important to Respond to Bullying? Bullying hurts. No one deserves to be a victim of bullying. Everybody has the right to be treated with respect. Pupils who are bullying need to learn different ways of behaving. Schools have a responsibility to respond promptly and effectively to issues of bullying.

4 Objectives of this Policy: All governors, teaching and non-teaching staff, pupils and parents should have an understanding of what bullying is. All governors and teaching and non-teaching staff should know what the school policy is on bullying, and follow it when bullying is reported. All pupils and parents should know what the school policy is on bullying, and what they should do if bullying arises. As a school we take bullying seriously. Pupils and parents should be assured that they will be supported when bullying is reported. Bullying will not be tolerated. Signs and Symptoms: A child may indicate by signs or behaviour that he or she is being bullied. Adults should be aware of these possible signs and that they should investigate if a child: is frightened of walking to or from school doesn't want to go on the school / public bus begs to be driven to school changes their usual routine is unwilling to go to school (school phobic) begins to truant becomes withdrawn anxious, or lacking in confidence starts stammering attempts or threatens suicide or runs away cries themselves to sleep at night or has nightmares feels ill in the morning begins to do poorly in school work comes home with clothes torn or books damaged has possessions which are damaged or " go missing" asks for money or starts stealing money (to pay bully) has dinner or other monies continually "lost" has unexplained cuts or bruises comes home starving (money / lunch has been stolen) becomes aggressive, disruptive or unreasonable is bullying other children or siblings stops eating is frightened to say what's wrong gives improbable excuses for any of the above is afraid to use the internet or mobile phone is nervous & jumpy when a cyber-message is received These signs and behaviours could indicate other problems, but bullying should be considered a possibility and should be investigated. Procedures: 1. Report bullying incidents to staff. Staff should always distinguish between one-off incidents of unkindness, and on-going systematic acts of bullying. Usually, children respond to intervention from class teachers and / or the Children s Champions and the situation is resolved. In these instances, the teacher should make use of the yellow/red card system which is part of the behaviour policy.

5 2. In cases of serious or continuous bullying, the incidents will be recorded by staff on the Behaviour Tracking Sheets in accordance with the behaviour policy, and a copy passed to the Deputy head teacher for recording in the Bullying Folder. At this stage, the class teacher should be making contact with parents/carers, who will be asked to come in to a meeting to discuss the problem. 3. If necessary and appropriate, police will be consulted. 4. The bullying behaviour or threats of bullying must be investigated and the bullying stopped quickly. 5. An attempt will be made to help the bully (bullies) change their behaviour, through use of the Children s Champions. Outcomes: 1) The bully (bullies) may be asked to genuinely apologise. Other consequences may take place. 2) In serious cases, suspension or even exclusion will be considered. The ultimate sanction for repeated episodes of bullying, or for extreme incidents of bullying is exclusion, and this sanction is taken at the head teacher s discretion 3) If possible, the pupils will be reconciled 4) After the incident / incidents have been investigated and dealt with, each case will be monitored to ensure repeated bullying does not take place. Prevention: As and when appropriate, actions may include: writing a set of school rules signing a behaviour contract writing stories or poems or drawing pictures about bullying listening to stories about bullying during a class or whole school assembly making up role-plays having discussions about bullying and why it matters taking part in workshops/events organised by outside visitors Each class will take part in Anti-Bullying Week every year (usually in November) and run activities in class and through assemblies to support our preventative work. Activities also take place during Anti-Bullying week in the West Cluster. Children and parents will be signposted to further information, particularly regarding staying safe online and how to contact sources of support, via our school website This policy is also available to read online. Bullying guidance for children: Tell your mum or dad. or Tell the dinner lady or Tell your teacher..

6 or Tell your teaching assistant If you are being bullied at school you must be clear about: what has happened to you how often it has happened who was involved who saw what was happening where it happened what you have done about it already Bullying guidance for parents: Bullying is unacceptable and parents, teachers and others working with children all share responsibility for tackling it. Identifying the problem and dealing with it: One of the most difficult times in a child's school life can be if they are bullied. Bullying is the use of aggression with the intention of hurting another person. Bullying results in pain and distress to the victim. Bullying can be: Emotional being unfriendly, excluding, tormenting (e.g. hiding books, threatening gestures) Physical pushing, kicking, hitting, punching or any use of violence Racist racial taunts, graffiti, gestures Sexual unwanted physical contact or sexually abusive comments Homophobic because of, or focussing on the issue of sexuality Verbal name-calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, teasing Cyber All areas of internet,such as & internet chat room misuse Mobile threats by text messaging & calls Misuse of associated technology, i.e. camera &video facilities Disability name-calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, or teasing centred around an individual s disability Signs to watch out for: Parents and families are often the first to detect symptoms of bullying, though sometimes school nurses or doctors may first suspect that a child has been bullied. Common symptoms include headaches, stomach aches, anxiety and irritability. It can be helpful to ask questions about progress and friends at school; how break times and lunchtimes are spent; and whether your child is facing problems or difficulties at school. You should trust your instincts if your child is acting out of character at home and contact the school immediately.

7 What you should do if your child is being bullied: If your child tells you they are experiencing bullying at school, there are certain people you can speak with in order to resolve the problem. Initially, you should speak to the class teacher, and if you feel the situation is continuing you should take up your concerns with the Key Stage phase leader, then deputy head. If you still feel concerned you should write to the head teacher and express your concerns. If that does not help, you could then write to the Chair of Governors, and then to the local education authority (LA). If the problem still remains unresolved, the Department for Education can investigate the allegations with the school. You could also ring the helpline at Parentline Plus on for general information Help your child's school deal with bullying: Parents have an important role to play in helping schools deal with bullying. What you can do to help is: watch out for signs that your child is being bullied, or bullying others. discourage your child from using bullying behaviour at home or elsewhere. Support the school s anti-bullying policy If a child is being bullied, they can get free advice and support by calling ChildLine on , 24 hours a day, seven days a week If your child is bullying: Often parents are not aware that their child is the one involved in bullying. This can be embarrassing for you, but it is important to remember not to become angry with your child. Try to stop their bullying by: talking with your child. Let them know what they are doing is unacceptable and making other children unhappy. discourage other family members from bullying behaviour, or from using aggression or force to get what they want. show your child how they can join in with other children without bullying. make an appointment to see your child's teacher and explain the problems your child is experiencing. discuss with the teacher how you and the school can stop them bullying. regularly check with your child how things are going at school. give your child lots of praise and encouragement when they are co-operative or kind to other people. HELP ORGANISATIONS: Advisory Centre for Education (ACE) Children's Legal Centre KIDSCAPE Parents Helpline (Mon-Fri, 10-4) Parentline Plus Youth Access Bullying Online