Anti-Bullying Policy (Updated November 2015) The Vyne Community School. Page 1 of 13

Transcription

1 Anti-Bullying Policy Updated: November 2015 Page 1 of 13

2 Date reviewed: November 2015 Date of next review: June 2017 Committee responsible for review of policy: Pastoral Linked policies: See Below Linked Policies and Job descriptions:- Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy Confidentiality Policy Behaviour Management Policy Restrictive Physical Intervention Policy Role of the House Leader Role of the tutor Contents: How the Policy was formulated National Guidance Where and whom the policy Applies Aims and Objectives Statement of intent A Definition of Bullying Cyber Bullying Management of Incidents Bullying Responsibilities and Duties Whole School Approaches How the policy was formulated: The Vyne Policy was formulated using the Hampshire County Council guidelines, Patent consultation and advice from The House Leaders, Tutors, CAMHs, Catch 22 and other outside agencies working with our students and with other schools. In addition the viewpoints of students was sought and used to formulate this policy via the School Student Council. National Guidance The policy was drawn up using a range of national documents: including NHSP Anti-Bullying Guidance for Schools, Anti-Bullying Alliance Statement of Purpose, UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) esp. Articles 12, 19 & 29, Children`s Act (2004), Education & Inspections Act (2006), Children`s Plan (2007), `Safe to Learn` (DCSF 2007) Local Guidance: Hampshire Children s & Young People s Plan (2009); HCC Children & Young People s Anti-Bullying policy (2009). Where and to whom the policy applies: All staff, students, parents/carers, governors and partner agencies working with. HCC C & YP Anti-bullying policy states: This will have as much to do with changing attitudes of adults who live and work with children & young people as it will with strategies to intervene when bullying happens between them. Page 2 of 13

3 HCC Safeguarding Children procedures (2007) states: schools.must have in place rigorously enforced antibullying strategies. Aims and objectives of the policy: This policy reflects the Hampshire County Council guidelines. The aim of the HCC Children & Young People`s Antibullying policy is for all children to achieve the 5 ECM outcomes: Be healthy, Stay safe, Enjoy and achieve their full potential, Be interested and fully involved in the community they live in Achieve economic independence. In particular, children and young people should expect to: Be able to grow and develop in safety and free from prejudice and discrimination Be listened to and have their views taken into account Be treated with respect Belong to and be valued in their community See their needs and interests at the heart of everything we all do (Hampshire Children and Young People s Plan, 2006) The aim of the Vyne School Anti-bullying policy, in addition to the above, is to safeguard our students and to enable them to be confident and secure in their environment. STATEMENT OF INTENT We are committed to providing a caring, friendly and safe environment for all of our students so they can learn in a relaxed and secure atmosphere. Bullying of any kind is unacceptable at The Vyne School. If bullying does occur, all students should be able to tell and know that incidents will be dealt with promptly and effectively. Anyone who knows that bullying is happening is expected to tell the staff. OBJECTIVES a) To support an ethos which is in opposition to all forms of harassment and intimidation; b) To promote the safety and wellbeing of all students within the school; c) To support a secure environment which is free from distractions to learning; d) To promote the maintenance of good discipline and order within the school; e) To provide a curriculum that includes programmes that build self-esteem, self-confidence and responsible assertiveness. f) To ensure all staff, students and governors have an understanding of what bullying is and are familiar with the anti-bullying policy g) To ensure parents/carers understand the issue of bullying, what it is and what action to take if it affects their child Page 3 of 13

4 A DEFINITION OF BULLYING The Government definition, adopted by Hampshire County Council is Behaviour by an individual or group, usually repeated over time, which intentionally hurts another individual or group either physically or emotionally (there is a power imbalance that makes it hard for the victim to defend themselves). Behaviour is Bullying if it intentionally hurts or undermines another person or group of people, if it is deliberately intended to lower self-esteem and/or if the behaviour is intimidating and threatening. Bullying can take a range of forms including: homophobic, racial, gender, SEN/disability, G&T, looked after children, young carers and their families, cyberbullying. 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 or gender (transphobic) 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 CYBER BULLYING Whilst The Vyne School embraces the advantages of modern technology in terms of the educational benefits it brings, the School is mindful of the potential for bullying to occur. Central to the School s Anti-Bullying policy is the belief that, all pupils have a right not to be bullied and that bullying is always unacceptable. The School also recognises that it must, take note of bullying perpetrated outside school which spills over into the School. Definition By cyber bullying, we mean bullying by electronic media: bullying by texts or messages or calls on mobile phones use of mobile phone cameras to cause distress, fear or humiliation, to include happy slapping filming violent physical attacks posting threatening, abusive, defamatory or humiliating material on web sites, to include blogs, personal websites, social networking sites using or other forms of instant messaging to message others hijacking accounts for malicious purposes making threatening, abusive, defamatory or humiliating remarks in chat rooms, to include but not limited to Facebook, Myspace, Youtube, Ask.fm and Ratemyteacher Legal issues Cyber bullying is generally criminal in character. The law applies to cyberspace. It is unlawful to disseminate defamatory information in any media including internet sites Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 makes it an offence to send, by public means of a public electronic communications network, a message or other matter that is grossly offensive or one of an indecent, obscene or menacing character The Protection from Harassment Act 1997 makes it an offence to knowingly pursue any course of conduct amounting to harassment. Page 4 of 13

5 School commitments The School educates its students both in the proper use of ICT and about serious consequences of cyber bullying: through Ethics and Philosophy and in ICT lessons and assemblies, the School will continue to inform and educate its student body in these fast changing areas the School trains its staff to respond effectively to reports of cyber bullying or harassment and has systems in place to respond to it the School endeavours to block access to inappropriate web sites, using firewalls, antivirus protection and filtering systems the School audits, where appropriate and responsible, ICT communications the School informs parents/carers of its policy on procedures and offers advice about the use of computers by students at home ensuring both students and staff are aware of and signed up to the schools E Safety Policy on a periodic basis or upon request. School statement Whilst education and guidance remain at the heart of what we do, the School reserves the right to take action against those who take part in cyber bullying. all bullying is damaging but cyber bullying and harassment can be invasive of privacy at all times. These acts may also be criminal acts. the School supports victims and, when necessary, will work with the Police to detect those involved in criminal acts the School will use, as appropriate, the full range of sanctions to correct, punish or remove Students who bully fellow students or harass staff in this way, both in or out of School the School will use its power of confiscation where necessary to prevent students from committing crimes or misusing equipment all members of the student community are aware they must bring to the attention of senior staff any example of cyber bullying or harassment that they know about or suspect. Advice to staff If you suspect or are told about a cyber-bullying incident, follow the protocol outlined below: Mobile phones: ask the student to show you the mobile phone note clearly everything on the screen relating to an inappropriate text message, to include the date, time and names make a transcript of a spoken message, again record date, times and names tell the student to save the message go with the student and find their HL, SGL, a member of the Family Support Team or a member of the Senior Leadership Team Computers ask the student to get up on-screen the material in question ask the student to save the material go to the Network manager s office with the student and show the offending material Page 5 of 13

6 print off the offending material straight away make sure you have got all pages in the right order inform the HL, Family Support Team and/or a member of the SLT as a matter of course the normal procedures to interview students and to take a statements will then be followed the Headteacher will be informed, particularly if a child protection issue is presented. Advice to students If you believe you or someone else is the victim of cyber bullying, you must speak to an adult as soon as possible. This person could be a parent, your tutor, your HL, a SGL or a member of the SLT. Do not answer abusive messages but log and report them Do not delete anything until it has been shown to a member of staff (even if it is upsetting, the material is important evidence which may need to be used later as proof of cyber bullying) do not give out personal IT details never reply to abusive s never reply to someone you do not know stay in public areas in chat rooms block abusive persons from having access to you online Advice to Parents/Carers It is vital that Parents/carers and the School work together to ensure that all pupils are aware of the serious consequences of getting involved in anything that might be seen to be cyber bullying. The School will advise Parents/carers, through communication to home, on how to deal with malpractice and ways to safeguard their children. Parents/carers can help by making sure their child understands the School statement and, above all, how seriously the school takes incidents of cyber bullying Parents/carers should also explain to their sons or daughters legal issues relating to cyber bullying If parents/carers believe their child is the victim of cyber bullying, they should save the offending material (if need be by saving an offensive text on their or their child s mobile phone), and make sure they have all relevant information before deleting anything they should contact their child s HL If the incident falls in the holidays, parents/carers have the right to contact the parents/carers of the other child involved. However, as stated in the Anti-Bullying Policy, the School reserves the right to take action against bullying perpetrated outside the School which spills over into the School. E safety at home Several sites offer helpful advice to parents/carers, particularly with respect to how they can best monitor their child s use of the computer at home. Important and useful information can be found on the following sites: _parents_on_cyberbullying.pdf Page 6 of 13

7 A child may indicate by signs or behaviour that he or she is being bullied. Staff should be aware of these possible signs. Where staff see repeated or multiple symptoms from the list below, or are suspicious of student behaviours they should investigate further the possible cause. Behaviour patterns that may indicate a cause for concern include when a student: 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 frequently unusually hungry (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 MANAGEMENT OF BULLYING INCIDENTS In the event of a student being bullied or another student or member of staff witnessing such an incident it is vital that this does not go unchallenged or reported. Students who are being bullied or students or staff who witness bullying must;- a) Inform the appropriate member of staff or colleague of the nature of the bullying b) Ensure all incidents of bullying are reported to the students tutors, House Leader (HL), Senior Guidance Leader (SGL) or Family Support Team; c) The HL will liaise with teaching staff as necessary and will ask them to record any incident in writing and pass it to him/her; d) The HL will also receive a record of events in writing from the alleged bully; e) Witnesses to an incident of bullying will be asked to record what they have seen in writing by the HL and other involved staff; f) Both the teacher(s) concerned and the HL will record their discussions with both parties and any witnesses to the dispute; Page 7 of 13

8 g) The parents/carers of the students involved will be informed in by the HL or SGL of the outcome of any investigation; h) The parents/carers of the students concerned may be asked to respond to the report or to come into school to meet with the HL or SGL; i) The HL and other members of the teaching staff have the right to use appropriate sanctions, in addition to routine counselling, as described in the school policy on behaviour management j) Serious incidents may be referred to the Assistant Headteachers for further action where the enaction of the school policies have failed to deter the bully k) In the most extreme cases where intervention at Assistant Headteacher level has been unsuccessful they will refer the matter to the Headteacher. l) The Headteacher will review the paperwork collected, interview students as appropriate and speak with parents/carers if necessary; m) If an incident is very serious, or a student persistently bullies others, the Headteacher will issue a formal warning to the effect that any further case of bullying will result in automatic exclusion. This warning will be put in writing to the parents/carers concerned; n) Fixed Term Exclusions (FTE) may become permanent if a student persists in bullying others. As specified in the Behaviour Management Policy the Headteacher has the power to impose sanctions for acts of bullying outside of school where students are identifiable as members of the school. This may include incidents on the way to and from school or on public transport. RESPONSIBILITES AND DUTIES The House Leader (HL) and Teaching Staff It is a teacher s duty to ensure the maintenance of good order and discipline among the students and to safeguard their health and safety. These are duties required to ensure the efficient conduct of the education process and also to protect students against causing harm to themselves and more importantly to other students. Teachers cannot reasonably be expected to see or to foresee every incident which may be described as bullying, nor, of course, to be everywhere on the school premises at the same time. Further, the teacher is not under a duty to run the risk of personal injury by, for example, breaking up a fight. However, he/she has the right to intervene and restrain a student if necessary, (refer to Restrictive Physical Intervention Policy 2015) The Assistant Headteachers (AHT) a) The Assistant Headteachers will liaise with the appropriate SGL or HL to ensure that any incidents are being properly handled in accordance with the school policy; b) Serious incidents may be referred to the AHT for further action where the inaction of the school policies have failed to deter the bully. They will consider the use of approved sanctions when dealing with individual incidents; c) In the most extreme cases where intervention at AHT level has been unsuccessful they will refer the matter to the Headteacher. The Headteacher The Headteacher will promote self-discipline and proper regard for authority and encourage good behaviour and respect for others. He/she must secure an acceptable standard of behaviour and regulate the conduct of students. Page 8 of 13

9 The Headteacher will define the aims of the school in relation to standards of behaviour, create conditions for establishing wide agreements of those standards and how they will be achieved and ensure that the standards are consistently and fairly applied. When dealing with specific incidents, the following procedures will be observed. a) The Headteacher will deal with persistent cases of bullying brought to him by the Assistant Headteachers; b) The Headteacher will review the paperwork collected, interview students as appropriate and speak with parents/carers if necessary; c) If an incident is very serious, or a student persistently bullies others, the Headteacher will issue a formal warning to the effect that any further case of bullying will result in automatic exclusion. This warning will be put in writing to the parents/carers concerned; d) Fixed term exclusions may become permanent if a student persists in bullying others. The Governing Body The Governing Body will ensure that it develops appropriate policies designed to combat bullying and ensure that the Headteacher acts in accordance with them and has regard to any particular guidance offered by the Governing Body. The Governors will take steps to ensure that students and their parents/carers are aware of their policies and they will ensure that appropriate provisions are made within the school to deal with particular incidents of bullying. Through the medium of the Governors Pastoral Committee, Governors will ensure that the curriculum is used as a means of combating bullying particularly with regard to the Citizenship scheme of work. The Governors will also set up procedures for dealing with specific complaints from parents/carers. Outside Agencies The school will seek support from outside agencies such as the Police and the Educational Welfare Service to assist them in combating bullying where it is appropriate. The school does not accept that cases of assault, for example, should be dealt with differently simply because they occur on school premises. Involvement of Parent/Carers Parents/carers are notified, via the website and the school Facebook Page about Anti-Bullying initiatives. House Leaders or members of Family Support/Pastoral Team will telephone and/or meet with parents/carers as required regarding specific and individual reported cases of bullying. In some instances a letter will be the appropriate method of communication and this will be sent after other initiatives have taken place. Regular contact with parents/carers will be made as required and the formal reporting process (including written reports and parents/carers evenings) will take place. Where appropriate issues of bullying will be discussed at CP/safeguarding meetings where parents/carers are present. Effective liaison with parents/carers is vital to tackle bullying successfully. The parent is expected to take an active interest in their child s welfare. When a parent believes that their child is being bullied they should:- a) Talk to their child and investigate the issues which may have led to bullying b) Inform the School. The Tutor or HL is the best person to talk to c) Make an appointment to meet with the Tutor or HL and discuss the issues fully. Assist in the development of a resolution or strategy Page 9 of 13

10 d) Keep records or notes if bullying persists but do not encourage your child to hit back or seek revenge. It can take time for the school to investigate, gather all the information and for young people to deal with their emotions e) Keep informed of the latest information and advice by contacting, visiting or looking online at one of the support organisations or agencies:- KIDSCAPE Parents Helpline (Mon Fri, 10 4) KIDSCAPE Website Family Lives (Previously Parentline Plus) BullyingUK Online f) Feedback to the school of outcomes of any intervention that may have occurred. The Tutor or HL will be monitoring the situation following your meeting g) If you remain unhappy you may ask to speak to the Assistant Headteachers or Headteacher to discuss the situation further WHOLE SCHOOL APPROACHES The Vyne Values Staff and students will use the Vyne Values to encourage respect and social tolerance. The Values will be used to help with the ant-bullying policy through; 1 to 1 conversations with students Assemblies Promotion in Citizenship and all other subject areas The Curriculum The Citizenship education programme contains specific information on bullying. In addition, all subjects will teach the need for social tolerance and social skills and devise ways of rewarding non-aggressive and positive behaviour. Opportunities must be provided for discussion of the issues and strategies that might be used to deal with particular cases. This may be done in any lesson but particularly within the Citizenship curriculums. The school s opposition to bullying and its procedures to deal with it are presented on a repeated basis throughout the student s career. Page 10 of 13

11 The school will seek active student involvement arising from consultation, through increased student leadership and voice opportunities, increased student participation and other strategies, such as:- Work on the Rights Respecting Schools Award in lessons and within steering groups and the student council. Participation in anti-bullying Month/Week (November) Tutor group work Great Men Initiative Visiting Music and Drama productions focussing on an Anti-bullying message Focussed Anti-bullying assemblies Literacy Buddy System involving students from different Year groups helping with Reading project. The House System The New House system shown on has been introduced to further improve behaviour, continue to promote the Vyne Values and to engage a greater number of students in extra-curricular activities and in making a positive contribution to the school community. The House System will also be important when combating bullying through; Promote team spirit amongst students and also creates a competitive environment through a range of Inter-House activities Develop the school s sense of community by developing relationships between students in different year groups Peer support to combat bullying School Assemblies Every opportunity will be taken to reinforce school policy and state the school s opposition to bullying within an assembly or when a large number of students are gathered together. This is particularly appropriate to whole school assemblies or other special events. The Vyne Bullying Poster The Vyne Bulling poster Show Bullying the Red Card is displayed in every classroom and in every corridor. Tutors and teachers will refer to this poster to reinforce the Vyne s Anti-Bullying Policy. The poster will remind students of their responsibilities and the staff who will help in the event of bullying. The poster states staff responsibilities if students are being bullied and reminds students who they need to go to if they are being bullied or have witnessed someone being bullied. Page 11 of 13

12 The School Student Council The School Council will debate matters relating to bullying in general terms on appropriate occasions. Staff Training The school will seek to offer advice and training for staff so that their role in setting a positive tone and having consistent expectations about attitudes and behaviour are practiced. The school will ensure that all staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities in preventing and responding to bullying. Specific safeguarding training will take place for all staff and further student safeguarding and welfare sessions will be held for staff when they first join the school. School Inclusion Team and Family Support Team All members of the school inclusion team regularly meet with students 1.1 or in small groups to proactively seek to ensure that this anti-bullying policy is known. Support to students may be through many strategies, such as:- Individual or group counselling (ELSA and School Counsellor) Anger management Self-esteem group work Peer mentoring from prefects and buddies Students are aware of the support offered by the Family Support Team and other outside agencies such as Young Carers. All staff are familiar with policies related to this policy; these are listed at the start of the policy. Monitoring and review of the anti-bullying policy and school practice The school shall regularly monitor current practice through a range of systems to ensure that the policy and school procedures are clear and effective in preventing and dealing with bullying. They shall include:- a) Regular discussion at academic monitoring meetings with tutors, HL, SGL and SLT b) Analysis of annual student surveys c) Analysis of annual parental surveys d) Analysis of exclusion data e) Feedback from discussions at the Student council and RRSA steering group Conclusion The school will encourage students to think about their actions and to recognise that they must not act in a way that will threaten or cause harm to others. Bullying, physical violence, verbal abuse or a lack of thought for the needs of others will not be accepted. Allegations of bullying will be investigated and action taken as necessary. Page 12 of 13

13 In line with UNICEF s Rights Respecting Schools Award, the above policy demonstrates that the following articles are embedded in The Vyne School s practices:- Article 1 Article 2 Article 3 Article 12 Article 16 Article 19 Article 28 Article 29 Article 30 Article 34 Article 39 Everyone under 18 has all the rights of the convention Applies without discrimination All organisations concerned with children work towards what is best for each child Respect for the Views of the Child Right to privacy Protection from harm Right to an education Education to develop respect for others Right to own culture, religion, language Protection from sexual abuse The right to help if neglected, abused or hurt GOVERNORS BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT POLICY PASTORAL COMMITTEE Date reviewed November 2015 Date of Next review June 2017 Approved Headteacher (Mark Kingswood) Date Approved Committee Chair (Debbie Blackmore) Date Page 13 of 13