Anti-Bullying Policy Statement

Transcription

1 Anti-Bullying Policy Statement RATIONALE Bullying is the willful, conscious desire to hurt, threaten or frighten someone else. Our school will not tolerate behaviour of any kind that makes another person feel uncomfortable or causes them actual physical injury. AIMS We regard bullying as particularly serious and to ensure that all pupils, teacher, ancillary staff, dinner supervisors, caretaker, cleaners, parent helpers and governors are aware that appropriate action will always be taken. We positively encourage a sense of caring and a sense of belonging, we value difference and actively discourage bullying. We support and train mid-day supervisors by ensuring their status and respect from children. Regular discussions and meetings are held with lunchtime supervisors. Bullying is not something, which happens frequently in our school. We make every effort to prevent bullying. Our school council members think bullying is something, which is: - Regular it happens often; a one off argument or unpleasantness is not bullying Intentional it happens on purpose; upsetting someone by accident is not bullying A serious issue bullying will always be dealt with promptly However, it is not bullying when children enjoy rough play, provoke each other, fall out with a good friend, borrow things without asking or use nicknames the other likes. Our school council thinks bullying can be: - Physical hurting you by actions (hitting, pulling/pushing, trip up) Verbal hurting you or someone in your family by words you don t like Written unpleasant notes/letters Name calling it is your choice to not like the name; it is not a joke if you don t find it funny Difference whether your race, religion, sex, colour of skin or hair, or learning ability Deliberately asking for money/damaging or hiding your property Key words: force, deliberate, frequent, persistent, threaten, harm Our children know bullying can happen.. Face to face talking to you, giving you the bad eyes Behind your back talking about you, spreading rumours Cyber bullying messages to or about you by text, phone, or internet 1

2 Without you leaving you out of games, never picking you for teams or refusing to include you repeatedly With you someone nicely persuading you to do something you don t want to or know your should not do (like give them money) Children s views on the impact of bullying: Feeling sad Feeling left out Being lonely or alone Becoming a bully yourself Children know how to get help Be Assertive say how you feel, explain your point of view Talk to a peer mentor Talk to a staff member Talk to your parents Look at our school website Internet sites can also help Don t suffer in silence If you see bullying happen in our school Tell someone Speak to a peer mentor Grab a grown up NEVER keep it to yourself NEVER join in with it Don t be a bystander If you think you are bullying someone and want help Talk to someone a peer mentor or a member of staff Apologise to the person we can help you with this What we do in our school We listen you can trust us We take bullying seriously We take appropriate action We help you We have anti-bullying week every year to give children advice and support Appendix 1 Further information for staff Actions to tackle bullying 2

3 For all staff, part time and full time: 1. All reported incidents of bullying will be taken seriously. The classteacher of the reported victim will take initial responsibility for investigating any incident and will refer to phase leaders, Assistant Headteacher and Headteacher for advice/support 2. Record and date all incidents and discussions with all children involved. Use the school proforma, delete as applicable and place in observation notes on tracker. Copy to Phase Leader and Assistant Head 3. Involve parents of bullies and victims and explain action taken, why and what they can do to reinforce and support If further action is required 4. Report to governors 5. Official complaints procedure LEA Corporate complaints procedure Suggested strategies for addressing bullying Stress that watching and doing nothing is supporting the bullying don t be a bystander Reward non-aggressive behaviour in school, using our Churchtown Stars and points system Follow up any allegation, to support the victim and prevent reoccurrence Make clear to parent unacceptability of bullying i.e. no hit him back attitude Use peer mentors to help the children involved In service training/discussion, staff conferences We will discuss with the children the issues appropriate to the incident and to their age and level of understanding Each pupil will be given an opportunity to talk and the discussion will remain focused on finding a solution to the problem and stop the bullying recurring Role play, drama, circle time will be used to educate the children as part of ther Personal, Social and Health Education sessions We will work with children to raise their confidence and self esteem and will encourage children to talk to a range of adults both in school and at home Assemblies will also be used to promote good relationships and an anti bullying message Make parents aware of school policy through the o Prospectus o Emotional Development Curriculum o School website see Guidance for parents attached Sanctions If a child is bullying: The school behaviour policy will be applied and parents will be informed Discussions with the Headteacher, Assistant Headteacher or Phase Leader Full apology and recompense for the victim where appropriate Careful monitoring by the senior member of staff involved A bullying incident will be kept on his/her record and further action will be taken if there is a recurrence Treatment of the victim 3

4 If a child has been a victim of bullying: Involvement of the Headteacher, Assistant Headteacher or Phase Leader following initial complaint Enable the pupils: o To deal more adequately with the situation o To know when, where and from whom to seek help o To support peers if appropriate o Whole family involvement when necessary The victim will always be told to report any incidents immediately in school to a member of staff Keep parents informed and involved will be circulated to all staff with photos of the children concerned and basic information Support Agencies Educational Welfare Officer Psychological Service Social Services Governors Agreement: Autumn 2015 Staff Agreement: Autumn 2015 Policy Review: September

5 Churchtown Primary School Guidelines for Parents Please do not approach other parents. Bullying issues should always be dealt with through school; initially please speak to the class teacher Signs and Symptoms A child may indicate by signs or behaviour that he or she is being bullied. Kidscape suggest that 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 (sometimes called school phobia) 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 imporobable excuses for any of the above Is afraid to use the internet or mobile phone Is nervous and jumpy when a cyber message is received All of these signs and behaviours could also indicate other problems, but bullying should be considered a possibility and should be investigated. If you have any concerns above bullying Calmly talk to your child about it Make a note of what your child says particularly who was involved; When it happened (i.e. playtimes, lunchtimes) how often the bullying has occurred; where the bullying happened; other details Reassure your child that telling you about the bullying was the right thing to do Explain that any further incidents should be reported at school immediately Make an appointment to see the child s class teacher Explain to the teacher the problems that your child is experiencing Please do reinforce the school s advice to your child, for example no hitting back 5

6 Talking to adults about bullying Try and stay calm bear in mind that the class teacher or other adults may have no idea that your child is being bullied or may have heard conflicting accounts of an incident, and we would appreciate parents being open to hearing both sides of the story. Be as specific as possible about what your child says has happened give dates, places and names of other children involved Make a note of what action the school intends to take Ask if there is anything that you can do to help your child or the school Stay in touch with the school. Let us know when things improve as well as if problems continue If you are still worried Speaking to the school should resolve problems. However, if you still feel concerned: Make an appointment to see the Headteacher or Assistant Headteacher Give time for the matter to be investigated and progress reviewed You can follow the school s complaints procedure as outlined in the prospectus If your child is bullying other children Many children may be involved in bullying other pupils at some time or other. Often parents are not aware. Sometimes children bully other children because: They don t know what is wrong They are copying older brothers and sisters or other family members they admire Their friends encourage them to bully They are going through a difficult time and are acting out aggressive feelings They have a specific and diagnosed disorder e.g. Autistic Spectrum To stop your child from bullying others Talk to your child explain that bullying is unacceptable and makes others unhappy Discourage family members from bullying behaviour or from using aggression or force Show your child how they can join in without bullying Make an appointment to see your child s class teacher and explain the difficulties your child is having Discuss with the teacher some strategies to use both in school and at home Regularly check with your child how things are going at school Give your child lots of praise and encouragement when they are co-operative and kind to other people 6

7 Appendix 3 Talking to Children About Bullying Name: Date: Others involved I THINK I AM BEING BULLIED. A tool for discussing allegations of bulling with pupils o Physical (e.g. hitting, punching) o Verbal abuse (e.g name calling) o Spreading rumours o Racial/religion o Not respecting my personal belongings o Leaving me out on purpose o Cultural/homophobic o Texting/ o Being forced to do something you don t want to o Other This is happening: o Once o Now and then o Every week o Every day How long has this been going on for? Which area of the school is this happening? (e.g. toilets, hall, playground, classroom) What time of day is this taking place? (In/between lessons, lunchtime, playtime, before/after school) Have you reported this incident before? Who did you talk to? 7