Leigh St Thomas C.E. Primary School

Transcription

1 Leigh St Thomas C.E. Primary School Anti-Bullying Policy Draft March

2 1. Introduction St. Thomas C.E. Primary School 1.1 Why do we need an Anti-Bullying Policy? Persistent bullying can severely inhibit a child s ability to learn effectively or a member of staff s ability to do their job. The negative effects of bullying can have an impact on a person for their entire life. This school wishes to promote a secure and happy environment free from threat, harassment and any type of bullying behaviour, including racist and homophobic bullying. Therefore this policy promotes practices within the school to reinforce our vision, and to remove or discourage practices that negate them. 1.2 Aims and objectives 1.2a Bullying is wrong and damages individual children. We therefore do all we can to prevent it, by developing a school ethos in which bullying is regarded as unacceptable. 1.2b We aim, as a school, to produce a safe and secure environment where all can learn without anxiety. 1.2c This policy aims to produce a consistent school response to any bullying incidents that may occur. 1.2d We aim to make all those connected with the school aware of our opposition to bullying, and we make clear each person s responsibilities with regard to the eradication of bullying in our school. 1.3 We strive to:- Ensure we have a positive learning environment. Bullying is thought to be more prevalent where a learning environment is overly competitive and some pupils made to feel inadequate or inferior. Good classroom management and group dynamics can be effective in reducing ridicule and a climate that enables bullies to operate. Develop a whole school approach to tackling bullying. Ideas include encouraging a listening and telling ethos, developing a play policy, integrating antibullying work as part of the curriculum through creative writing, drama or discussion, refurbishing toilet and playground areas, holding whole school anti-bullying assemblies. Provide training for staff on classroom and playground management, understanding of bullying and its effects, supporting, listening to and involving pupils. Offer support for students. A number of approaches can be used including peer support, circle of friends, mediation or befriending projects. Distribute publicity and raise awareness. Research shows that if a policy has a high profile it will quickly produce significant change. Schools - 2 -

3 will need to agree ways in which they will maintain momentum and enthusiasm for tackling bullying with all members of the school community. 1.4 Definition of bullying Bullying is repeated, deliberate action taken by one or more people with the intention of hurting another person, either physically or emotionally. Bullying is behaviour which deliberately makes another person feel uncomfortable, distressed or threatened is repeated over time makes those being bullied feel powerless to defend themselves can include racist, sexist or homophobic behaviour Bullying may take many forms, such as physical: for example, hitting, pushing, kicking name-calling and verbal abuse: face-to-face, in writing, by phone, on-line, or by text message making racist, sexist or gender-based comments, jokes or graffiti making threats taunting or mocking spreading rumours making jokes to make someone look small shutting out a person ganging up on someone refusing to cooperate with someone hiding equipment or other possessions demanding money 1.5 Bullying is not: It is important to understand that bullying is not the odd occasion of falling out with friends, name calling, arguments or when the occasional trick or joke is played on someone. It is bullying if it is done several times on purpose (STOP). Children sometimes fall out or say things because they are upset. When occasional problems of this kind arise it is not classed as bullying. It is an important part of children s development to learn how to deal with friendship breakdowns, the odd name calling or childish prank. We all have to learn how to deal with these situations and develop social skills to repair relationships. 1.6 Recognising the signs Someone who is being bullied may be frightened of walking to or from school insist on being driven to school change the route to school be unwilling to go to school regularly have books or clothes damaged - 3 -

4 have possessions go missing continually lose money begin doing badly in schoolwork have unexplained bruises, scratches, cuts ask for money or begin stealing money become withdrawn or start stammering have noticeable and prolonged changes in mood become distressed become bad-tempered refuse to say what is wrong lose appetite, or start overeating cry himself/herself to sleep or have nightmares attempt or threaten to harm him/herself 2 The role of:- 2a Pupils... If you are being bullied:- tell someone you trust remember you are not the one with the problem! if you can, ignore the bully if you can, do not show you are upset if possible, avoid being alone in the places bullying happens be assertive, if you can walk away quickly and confidently, even if you do not feel that way inside your safety is more important than your possessions. If you are in danger, don t hold on to them if you are different in some way, be proud of who you are. 2b Friends listen and talk it through try to be sensitive try not to leave them on their own persuade the person being bullied to talk to an adult 2c Bystanders even if you don t take part in bullying but see it and walk away, you are ignoring your responsibilities get help give sympathy to the person being bullied tell someone - 4 -

5 2d Staff St. Thomas C.E. Primary School 2d.1 All staff in our school take all forms of bullying seriously, and intervene to prevent incidents from taking place. They keep their own records of all incidents that happen in their class and that they are aware of in the school. 2d.2 If staff witness an act of bullying, they do all they can to support the child who is being bullied. If a child is being bullied over a period of time, then, after consultation with the headteacher, the teacher informs the child s parents. 2d.3 When we become aware of any bullying taking place in school, we deal with the issue immediately. This may involve counselling and support for the victim and the person who has carried out the bullying. We spend time talking to the child who has bullied: we explain why the action of the child was wrong, and we endeavour to help the child change their behaviour in future. Seven Steps Approach. Stage 1 Step One Interview with the victim. When the teacher finds out that bullying has happened he/she starts by talking to the victim about his/her feelings. The teacher does not question the victim about the incidents but he/she does need to know who was involved. The child may wish to talk about the incidents. The teacher will get agreement from the victim before he / she talk to the bullies. Step Two Convene a meeting with the people involved. (The victim will not meet with the bullies) The teacher arranges to meet with the group of pupils who have been involved. This will include some bystanders or colluders who joined in but did not initiate any bullying. It is found that a group of six to eight young people works well. Step Three Explain the problem. The teacher tells the group about the way the victim is feeling and might use a poem or piece of writing or a drawing to emphasis his/her distress. At no time does the teacher discuss the details of the incidents or allocate blame to the group. Step Four Share responsibility. The teacher does not attribute blame but states that she knows that the group are responsible and can do something about it. Step Five ask the group for their ideas. Each member of the group is encouraged to suggest a way in which the victim could be helped to feel happier. The teacher gives some positive responses but he/she does not go on to extract a promise of improved behaviour

6 Step Six Leave it up to them. The teacher ends the meeting by passing over the responsibility to the group to solve the problem. He/she arranges to meet with them again to see how things are going. Step Seven Meet them again. About a week later the teacher discusses with each student, including the victim, how things have been going. This allows the teacher to monitor the bullying and keeps the young people involved in the process. Stage 2. We keep an anti-bullying logbook in the staff room where we record all incidents of bullying that occur outside lesson time, either near the school or on the children s way home or to school. If any adult witnesses an act of bullying, they should record the event in the logbook. All instances of bullying will be recorded on the Local Authority Sentinel system. If a second or subsequent case of bullying by an individual or group is reported, the member of staff will inform the Key Stage Co-ordinator who will begin a Report on Suspected Bullying form. An investigation will be carried out and the details recorded on the form. If the investigation does reveal a bullying problem, then the Head of department will, at this stage, inform the Headteacher who will inform each child s parents. Pupils who have reached this stage will miss out on playtimes and dinner times, representing school, Discos, Parties, Stars In Their Eyes, or other activities (e.g. Activity Holiday). A follow up to the original incident will be carried out within seven days. The situation will be monitored each week for the following three consecutive weeks. If the problem has been completely resolved then the form will be signed All clear. Stage 3. In more extreme cases, for example where these initial discussions have proven ineffective, the Headteacher may contact external support agencies such as the behaviour support team or social services. All these reports will be kept in a central file and cross checked if further incidents occur. Stage 4. A Pastoral Support Plan (PSP) will be set up which may lead to a fixed term exclusion. 2d.4 At least one staff meeting a year will provide training for staff and a review of the policy, which enables them to become equipped to deal with incidents of bullying and behaviour management

7 2d.5 Teachers attempt to support all children in their class and to establish a climate of trust and respect for all. By praising, rewarding and celebrating the success of all children, we aim to prevent incidents of bullying. 3 The role of parents 3.1 Any of the behaviour above (Section 1.3) may indicate other problems. But, if you become aware of and are concerned by any of this behaviour, and think your child is being bullied:- encourage him/her to talk about the problem reassure him/her of your support try to listen calmly and not overreact attempt to find out when and where the bullying takes place. Is there a pattern? contact the Head of Key Stage (Mrs Barnes / Mrs Packwood)to discuss the problem work with the Head of Key Stage (Mrs Barnes / Mrs Packwood)to support your child within or outside school if the bullying takes place outside school, report the matter to the police 3.2 Parents who are concerned that their child might be being bullied, or who suspect that their child may be the perpetrator of bullying, should contact their child s class teacher immediately. 3.3 Parents have a responsibility to support the school s anti-bullying policy and to actively encourage their child to be a positive member of the school. 4 The role of the Headteacher 4.1 It is the responsibility of the Headteacher to implement the school anti-bullying strategy and to ensure that all staff (both teaching and non-teaching) are aware of the school policy and know how to deal with incidents of bullying. The headteacher reports to the governing body about the effectiveness of the anti-bullying policy on request. 4.2 The Headteacher ensures that all children know that bullying is wrong, and that it is unacceptable behaviour in this school. The Headteacher draws the attention of children to this fact at suitable moments. For example, if an incident occurs, the headteacher may decide to use assembly as a forum in which to discuss with other children why this behaviour was wrong, and why a pupil is being punished

8 4.3 The Headteacher ensures that all staff receive sufficient training to be equipped to deal with all incidents of bullying. 4.4 The Headteacher sets the school climate of mutual support and praise for success, so making bullying less likely. When children feel they are important and belong to a friendly and welcoming school, bullying is far less likely to be part of their behaviour. 5 The role of governors 5.1 The governing body supports the headteacher in all attempts to eliminate bullying from our school. This policy statement makes it very clear that the governing body does not allow bullying to take place in our school, and that any incidents of bullying that do occur are taken very seriously and dealt with appropriately. 5.2 The governing body monitors the incidents of bullying that occur, and reviews the effectiveness of the school policy regularly. The governors require the headteacher to keep accurate records of all incidents of bullying and to report to the governors on request about the effectiveness of school anti-bullying strategies. 5.3 The governing body responds within ten days to any request from a parent to investigate incidents of bullying. In all cases, the governing body notifies the headteacher and asks him/her to conduct an investigation into the case and to report back to a representative of the governing body. 6 Curriculum based approach 6.1 The curriculum will be used to:- Raise awareness about bullying behaviour and about our school s anti-bullying policy Challenge attitudes about bullying behaviour, increase understanding for bullied pupils and help build an anti-bullying ethos in our school. 6.2 Through the curriculum the following issues will be explored:- What is bullying What causes people to bully each other? How does it feel to be bullied / bully? What are the effects of bullying behaviour on bullied pupils: on pupils who bully others: on bystanders? What would our school be like if bullying behaviour was acceptable? Why should we try not to bully each other? What can we do to stop bullying? What should we do if we see bullying behaviour? - 8 -

9 6.3 We will use at least one assembly a term to raise awareness of bullying. This will sometimes be tied in with other strategies including SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning) and Anti-bullying week. 7 Monitoring and review 7.1 This policy is monitored on a day-to-day basis by the headteacher, who reports to governors about the effectiveness of the policy on request, through feedback from parents / carers and children in our annual questionnaires 7.2 This anti-bullying policy is the governors responsibility and they review its effectiveness annually. They do this by examining the school s anti-bullying logbook, and by discussion with the headteacher. Governors analyse information with regard to gender, age and ethnic background of all children involved in bullying incidents. Signed:.. Date: - 9 -

10 Anti-bullying Procedure Summary St. Thomas C.E. Primary School believes that all pupils have a right to an education free from bullying or harassment. It is the responsibility of all adults and pupils to ensure that the education of students takes place in a safe, caring and protective environment. The procedure we follow when bullying is reported to us:- Stage 1 Step One Interview with the victim. Step Two Convene a meeting with the people involved. Step Three Explain the problem. Step Four Share responsibility. Step Five ask the group for their ideas. Step Six Leave it up to them. Step Seven Meet them again. Stage 2. When we become aware of any bullying taking place in school, we deal with the issue immediately. This may involve counselling and support for the victim and the person who has carried out the bullying. We spend time talking to the child who has bullied: we explain why the action of the child was wrong, and we endeavour to help the child change their behaviour in future. The incident will be recorded in the anti-bullying logbook in the staffroom. If a second or subsequent case of bullying by an individual or group is reported, the member of staff will inform the Key Stage Co-ordinator who will begin a Report on Suspected Bullying form. An investigation will be carried out and the details recorded on the form. If the investigation does reveal a bullying problem, then the Head of department will, at this stage, inform the Headteacher who will inform each child s parents. Pupils who have reached this stage will miss out on playtimes and dinner times, representing school, Discos, Parties, Stars In Their Eyes, or other activities (e.g. Activity Holiday). A follow up to the original incident will be carried out within seven days. The situation will be monitored each week for the following three consecutive weeks. If the problem has been completely resolved then the form will be signed All clear. Stage 3. In more extreme cases, for example where these initial discussions have proven ineffective, the Headteacher may contact external support agencies such as the behaviour support team or social services. All these reports will be kept in a central file and cross checked if further incidents occur. Stage 4. A PSP (Pastoral Support Plan) will be set up which may lead to a fixed term exclusion