Norton Canes High School. Anti-Bullying Policy 2016

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1 Aims and Objectives Norton Canes High School 2016 To reduce and eradicate wherever possible instances in which pupils are subjected to bullying in any form To establish appropriate means of providing after-care should an incident of bullying occur To ensure that all pupils and staff are aware of this policy and fulfil their obligations to it Our ultimate aim is to provide a learning environment free of any threat or fear which will enable us to support the aspirations, achievement and welfare of everyone in the school community. Definition Bullying is when someone wilfully, knowingly and persistently hurts someone else. This hurt can be. Emotional - being unfriendly, excluding, tormenting (eg hiding books, threatening gestures) Physical - pushing, kicking, hitting, punching or any use of violence Racist - racial taunt, graffiti, gestures Sexual - unwanted physical contact or sexually abusive comments Homophobic - because of, or focussing on issue of sexuality Verbal - name calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, teasing Cyber - all areas of internet, such as and internet chat-room misuse - mobile threats by text messaging and calls - misuse of associated technologies, ie camera and video facilities.

2 The values and beliefs underlying this Policy are: All bullying is unacceptable, regardless of how it is delivered or what excuses are given to justify it At Norton Canes High School we believe that it is the entitlement of all young people in our school to receive their education free from humiliation, oppression and abuse The school recognises the detrimental effect on pupils who may be subjected to bullying and will work actively to minimise the risks Both those who are bullied and those who bully will be treated in a supportive manner, rather than being regarded as a burden to staff and peer groups The harmful effect on pupil performance which can affected by bullying is recognised and the school is committed to combating all bullying behaviour Action to Combat Bullying Among the activities which the school will establish and maintain in an effort to combat bullying behaviour are: Adherence to The Norton Standard and the Norton Ethos as published in planners and advertised around the school The range of rewards and sanctions outlined in the school s behaviour and discipline policy Allocation of specific roles and responsibilities, both at staff and pupil level, in order that incidents may be detected, behaviour monitored, and appropriate after-care delivered Progress Directors and form tutors with responsibility for delivering the anti bullying policy through the PSHEE programmes and through counselling of all pupils involved in bullying incidents The systematic compilation of a bully and victim register through which all incidents are collated and periodically reviewed and reported to the Governors Individual pupil records to be kept by Progress Directors/ Behaviour & Attendance Leaders working with Form Tutors and Subject staff A sharp awareness of the potential vulnerabilities of particular groups of children, i.e. those with special educational needs, looked after children, children from an ethnic minority background, socially and economically disadvantaged children, children who fall under the umbrella of child protection and traveller children

3 The annual use of questionnaires, focus groups and mapping exercises to research the extent and nature of bullying in the school Consideration by Inclusion Leadership of preventative measures such as alteration to the school environment, procedures and practices, in an effort to reduce the risks of bullying behaviour occurring Staff training to ensure that all responsibilities in respect of this Policy can be delivered in a competent, caring and efficient manner Recognise that the confines of this policy will include incidents of bullying away from school premises when travelling to and from school by whatever means Work with outside agencies such as the EWS,CEOP Police and PCSOs whenever it is deemed necessary Fund a Relate counsellor in school amongst whose duties it is to work on self esteem with victims Run a major annual anti bullying event in conjunction with School Council designed to maintain a high profile in respect of bullying Procedures The school seeks to ensure a consistent approach to incidents of bullying in terms of reporting, investigating and responding to an incident. Guidance for teachers as to the action required against bullying is published in the Staff Handbook. Any pupil may use the red forms confidentially to report Bullying. Staff witnessing or becoming aware of an incident should report it as soon as possible via the referral system (as outlined in the school s behaviour and discipline policy) to the appropriate Behaviour & Attendance Leader Pupils witnessing an incident should report it in confidence to their form tutor,behaviour & Attendance Leader or Progress Director as soon as possible acting in a respectful and supportive manner to their fellow pupils, reporting any incidents which the victim may be afraid to report. Victims and/or their parents should feel safe and supported in reporting an incident to their form tutor or Head of Year secure in the knowledge that it will be taken seriously and fully investigated The Behaviour & Attendance Leader will inform and involve the parents of both perpetrator and victim at an early stage of the investigation

4 The Behaviour & Attendance Leader will investigate, collate findings and respond as follows: A first instance of proven bullying will be logged on both perpetrator s and victims files, parents will be informed and a mediation meeting will follow employing solution focused and restorative justice techniques A second instance of proven bullying will employ all of the above but the perpetrator will be punished with a period of time spent in isolation A third instance of proven bullying will employ all of the above but the perpetrator will be excluded from school after which he or she will return via a reintegration interview, be placed on bully report to a member of SLT and be placed on the school s bully register In all proven cases the victim will be offered support as appropriate ranging form access to a safe haven area to being placed on victim report to a member of SLT designed to build self esteem and confidence. The victim will also be placed on the school s victim register. Individual Responsibilities It is important that pupils and parents recognise the difficulties which staff may encounter in ensuring that the purpose and intent of the can be effectively introduced and enforced. We cannot respond to situations we know nothing about, telling is vital. Parents can help by: Stressing to pupils the importance of good social behaviour Reporting any misgivings they have concerning bullying Actively endorsing and supporting the Noting that it is never appropriate to use physical violence against, or in any other way seek to bully, a bully. Evaluation Procedures In order to assess the effectiveness of this policy, the following indicators will be used as a means of measuring performance: analysis of behaviour data peer mentor records external agency records surveys from both students and parents/carers feedback from teachers and teaching assistants

5 Adopted by the governors on: Date January 2016 Review due: Date January 2017