Fulston Manor School (Academy Trust)

Transcription

1 Fulston Manor School (Academy Trust) Anti-Bullying Policy Version (Date): September 2016 Review (Date): September 2017 Member of Staff Responsible: Mrs S Burden Deputy Headteacher

2 ANTI-BULLYING POLICY The aim of the anti-bullying policy is to ensure that students learn in a supportive, caring and safe environment without fear of being bullied. We believe that the House system and vertical tutor group will encourage this supportive environment. Bullying is anti-social behaviour and affects everyone; it is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Only when all issues of bullying are addressed will students be able to fully benefit from the opportunities available at school. Our school community: Discusses monitors and reviews our anti-bullying policy on an annual basis Supports staff to promote positive relationships and identify and tackle bullying appropriately Ensures that students are aware that all bullying concerns will be dealt with sensitively and effectively; that students feel safe to learn; and that students abide by the anti-bullying policy Reports back to parents/carers within 24 hours regarding their initial concerns on bullying and deals promptly with complaints. Parents/carers in turn work with the school to uphold the antibullying policy Seeks to learn from good anti-bullying practice elsewhere and utilises support from the relevant external organisations when appropriate Monitors incidents of bullying in school so that we can identify patterns of behaviour that need to be addressed Definition of bullying Bullying is Behaviour by an individual or a group, usually repeated over time that intentionally hurts another individual either physically or emotionally. Bullying can include but is not limited to: name calling, taunting, mocking, making offensive or intimidating comments; kicking; hitting; taking belongings; inappropriate text messaging and electronic messaging (including through web-sites, Social Networking sites and Instant Messenger); sending offensive or degrading images by phone or via the internet; producing offensive graffiti; gossiping; excluding people from groups and spreading hurtful and untruthful rumours. Forms of bullying covered by this Policy Bullying can happen to anyone. This policy covers all types of bullying including, but not limited to: Bullying related to race, religion or culture Bullying related to special educational needs Bullying related to appearance or health conditions Bullying related to sexual orientation Bullying of young carers or looked after children or otherwise related to home circumstances. Sexist or sexual bullying Cyber bullying Bullying of any sort is not, and will not, be tolerated at Fulston Manor School. Students who are being bullied may show changes in behaviour, such as becoming shy and nervous, feigning illness, taking unusual absences or clinging to adults. There may be evidence of changes in work patterns, lacking concentration or truanting from school. The bully typically thrives within a protective shell of silence. The pastoral systems of the school and the relationships between staff and students are designed to ensure that such a silence does not exist. Fulston Manor School (Academy Trust) 1 Anti Bullying Policy

3 Preventing, identifying and responding to bullying We will: Work with staff and outside agencies to identify all forms of prejudice-driven bullying Consider all opportunities for addressing bullying including through the curriculum, through displays, through peer support and tutorial time and through the School Council Train all staff including lunchtime staff, teachers, teaching assistants and office staff to identify bullying and follow school policy and procedures on bullying Actively create safe spaces for vulnerable children and young people Actively provide systematic opportunities to develop students social and emotional skills, including their resilience Dealing with incidents: Teaching and non-teaching staff will: If bullying is suspected or reported, the incident will be dealt with immediately by the member of staff who has been approached A clear account of the incident will be recorded and given to the Head of House The Head of House will arrange for all those involved to be interviewed and will record the incident Form tutors will be kept informed and if it persists the form tutor/head of House will advise the appropriate subject teachers Once a parent has made an initial contact with the school, the relevant Head of House will respond within 24 hours to discuss the incident. If an investigation is required the Head of House will make contact at the end of the investigation to discuss outcomes. The normal investigation period is between 3 to 5 working days. Punitive measures will be used as appropriate and in consultation will all parties concerned Liaison with parents and carers We will: Ensure that parents /carers know whom to contact if they are worried about bullying Ensure parents know about our complaints procedure and how to use it effectively Ensure parents / carers know where to access independent advice about bullying Specific procedures to combat bullying at Fulston Manor School Reporting Incidents: We encourage anyone who is bullied or aware of others being bullied to bring the matter to the school s attention by reporting to any member of staff, teaching or non-teaching so the problem can be addressed. In the first instance, parents should contact the Head of House of the student being bullied, or Mrs Calvert Deputy Headteacher and Mr Vigeon for Sixth Form. We have also created a variety of strategies to support victims of bullying, we provide students with a Drop in centre which is opened every lunch-time and is staffed by a fully qualified peer mentor students from Year The mentors are trained to help any member of the school community with any issue. They are supported by trained staff. We also provide Bully boxes in all the House areas and in the library. Students can leave a note to report concerns which are dealt with by the mentors and co-ordinators. Our aim is to create a culture of open rather than anonymous reporting where possible, as this makes it far more possible for us to put effective interventions in place. Fulston Manor School (Academy Trust) 2 Anti Bullying Policy

4 An address has been created which allows students to report bullying without others knowing they are doing so; s are monitored by a trained member of staff and are reported to the appropriate Head of House. Creating a bullying-free culture We will use PSHE lessons, vertical tutorial time, assemblies and other programmes, including the SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning programme), to discuss issues around diversity and draw out anti-bullying messages. We see creating an open and honest anti-bullying culture as a whole-school, whole-curriculum issue. We annually review our ICT policies, including Acceptable Use Policies for access to the school computer network, to ensure that pupils understand what constitutes cyber-bullying and that it is not tolerated at our school. We will review records of bullying incidents and feedback from parents and students to identify patterns and problems so that we can adapt our response to be more effective as necessary. Support Pupils who are bullied We will immediately offer the opportunity to discuss the experience with a form tutor or a member of staff of their choice. Staff will listen to students who are being bullied and to provide them with support and reassurance, including advising on safe spaces for those who are vulnerable and strategies to help prevent recurrences (e.g. by providing advice on blocking people from buddy lists if they have been bullied online). Whilst we will act to deal with perpetrators of bullying, we will also work to build the resilience and self-esteem of those who are victims, to help them feel safe and happy in and out of school. Dealing with those who are bullying other: We will apply sanctions fairly, proportionately, consistently and reasonably to (a) impress upon the perpetrator that what he/she has done is unacceptable; (b) deter him/her form repeating that behaviour and (c) signal to other pupils that the behaviour is unacceptable and deter them from doing it. The actions we will take will include: Working with students to help them face up to their responsibility for their actions, and supporting them in putting right the harm they have caused by, for instance, mediating meetings between them and those they have bullied Engaging with parents and carers so that they are aware of the behaviour that has caused concern whenever bullying occurs Detention Internal or external exclusion for aggressive or repeated incidents Referring the matter to other agencies, including the police, where the seriousness or nature of incidents merits outside intervention We will also work to provide support for those who are demonstrating bullying behaviour through the provision of help such as anger management counselling where appropriate. Guidance for parents/carers If your child has been bullied: Calmly talk with your child about his/her experiences Make a note of what your child says including who was involved, how often the bullying has occurred, where it happened and what happened Make contact with your child s Head of House Reassure your child that he/she has done the right thing to tell you about the bullying Fulston Manor School (Academy Trust) 3 Anti Bullying Policy

5 Explain to your child that should any further incidents occur he/she should report them immediately to a member of staff Explain to your child's Head of House the problems your child is experiencing When talking with teachers about bullying: Try to stay calm and bear in mind that members of staff may have no idea that your child is being bullied or may have heard conflicting accounts of an incident Be as specific as possible about what your child says has happened, give dates, places and names of other children involved Ask if there is anything you can do to help your child or the School Stay in touch with the school and let them know if things improve as well as if problems continue If your child is bullying others: Talk with your child and explain that what he/she is doing is unacceptable and makes other children unhappy Discourage other members of your family from bullying behaviour or from using aggression or force to get what they want Show your child how he/she can join in with other children without bullying Make an appointment to see your child s Head of House and explain the problems your child is experiencing as well as discussing how you can work together to stop him/her bullying others Regularly check with your child how things are going Give your child lots of praise and encouragement when he/she is co-operative or kind to other people If your child is experiencing any form of electronic bullying: Supervise their access to the Internet and social messaging sites Check exactly when a threatening message was sent Parents should not delete messages or images before reporting Where necessary report incidents to the Police Ensure your child is careful whom they give their mobile phone number and address to Monitoring, Evaluation and Review The school will review this policy annually and assess its implementation and effectiveness. The policy will be promoted and implemented throughout the school. Fulston Manor School (Academy Trust) 4 Anti Bullying Policy