Abingdon Prep School Anti-cyber bullying policy This policy applies to all members of Abingdon Prep School including those in the EYFS. Cyber-bullying is a specific form of bullying and reference should be made to the anti-bullying policy. What is cyber bullying? Cyber bullying can take many different forms and the table below sets out how technology can be used properly and how it can be used improperly in such a way that it becomes cyber bullying: Mobile Phones Instant Messaging Chat rooms Examples of proper use Keeping in touch by voice or text, taking and sending pictures and film, listening to music, playing games, going online and sending emails. Useful in emergency situations and for allowing children a greater sense of independence. Text or voice chatting with friends online. A quick and effective way of keeping in touch even while working on other things. Groups of people around the world can text or voice chat live about common interests. For young people, this can be as easy way to meet new people and explore issues which they are too shy to talk about in person. Examples of Improper use which is bullying Sending nasty calls or text messages, including threats, intimidation and harassment. Taking and sharing humiliating images. Videoing other people being harassed and sending these to other phones or internet sites. Sending nasty messages or content. Using someone else s account to forward rude or mean messages via their contact list. Sending nasty or threatening anonymous messages. Groups of people deciding to pick on or ignore individuals. Making friends under false pretences people pretending to be someone they re not in order to get personal information that they can misuse in a range of ways e.g. by spreading secrets or blackmailing.
email Web Cams Social Networking Sites Video Hosting Sites Virtual Learning Environments Gaming sites, Consoles and Virtual Worlds Sending electronic letters, pictures and other files quickly and cheaply anywhere in the world. Taking pictures or recording messages. Being able to see and talk to someone live on your computer screen. Bringing far-off places to life or video conferencing. Socialising with your friends and making new ones within online communities. Allowing young people to be creative online, even publishing online music. Personalising homepages and profiles, creating and uploading content. Accessing useful educational, entertaining and original creative video content and uploading your own. School sites, usually available from home and school, set up for tracking and recording student assignments, tests and activities, with message boards, chat and IM. Live text or voice chat during online gaming between players across the world, or on handheld consoles with people in the same local area. Virtual worlds let users design their own avatars a figure that represent them in the virtual world. Sending nasty or threatening messages. Forwarding unsuitable content including images and video clips, or sending computer viruses. Accessing someone else s accounting, e.g. to forward personal emails or delete emails. Making and sending inappropriate content. Persuading or threatening young people to act in inappropriate ways. Using inappropriate recordings to manipulate young people. Posting nasty comments, humiliating images/video. Accessing another person s account details and sending unpleasant messages, deleting information or making private information public. Groups of people picking on individuals by excluding them. Creating fake profiles to pretend to be someone else, e.g. to bully, harass or get the person into trouble. Posting embarrassing, humiliating film of someone. Posting inappropriate messages or images. Hacking into someone else s account to post inappropriate comments or delete schoolwork. Name-calling, making abusive / derogatory remarks. Players may pick on weaker or less experienced users, repeatedly killing their characters. Forwarding unwanted messages to other devices in the immediate vicinity.
How does cyber bullying differ from other forms of bullying? Cyber bullying can take place at any time in any location. Incidents can take place in the victim's own home, intruding into spaces that have previously been regarded as private and safe from other forms of bullying. The audience can be very large and reached rapidly. The difficulty in controlling electronically circulated messages means the scale and scope of cyber bullying can be greater than for other forms of bullying. Electronically-forwarded content is hard to control, and the worry of content resurfacing can make it difficult for the person being bullied to move on. The profile of the person being bullied and bully may not rely on traditional power imbalances a cyber bully may not be older, or physically stronger, or hold a position of greater authority than their victim. Unlike other forms of bullying, the target of the bullying will have evidence of its occurrence. The bully will leave a 'digital footprint' that can potentially be used as evidence against them. In some cases, incidents of cyber bullying may be unintentional. The person responsible may not realise that remarks are publicly accessible and persistent, or understand the amplified effect that technologies produce. They may not be fully aware of the potential seriousness or impact of their actions. Therefore prevention activities are key to ensuring the whole-school community clearly understands the serious consequences of cyber bullying, including sanctions. Prevention In order to minimise the chances of cyber bullying happening within the school day and to raise general awareness of cyber bullying we will: Ensure that all pupils are familiar with our E Learning Code of Conduct which will be explained to the pupils in an age-appropriate manner and shared with parents. Regularly teach and remind children how to remain vigilant when using technology. Raise awareness of staff and parents on how to keep children safe on the internet through training e.g. Childnet Not allow the use of personal electronic devices during school hours (eg mobile phones, tablets, laptops) unless given express permission by staff and in an appropriately supervised context and setting. Pupils have no access at all to social media websites on the school network and via the wireless network infrastructure A network wide internet filter is in place to prevent access to questionable sites or sites that promote peer to peer contact.
How might a member of staff become aware that cyber bullying is taking place? Cyber bullying or suspected cyber bullying may be communicated to staff directly by pupils, parents or members of the wider school community.staff may observe changes in behaviour that may indicate that a pupil is being cyber bullied. These include: Unwillingness to come in to school Displays of excessive anxiety - becoming withdrawn or quiet Failure to produce work / produce late work / produce poor quality work /produce work ruined by others Damage to or loss of personal property Reduced level of self-esteem / confidence Poor eye contact Dark conversation - suicide / running away from home or school. Procedures to follow if cyber bullying is reported, suspected or witnessed The procedures set out in the Anti-bullying policy are to be followed but in addition to those, the following procedures should also be put in place: - If a cyber bullying incident directed at a child occurs using email or mobile phone technology either inside or outside of school time. Make sure the person knows not to retaliate or to return the message Secure and preserve any evidence Check the person knows simple ways to prevent it from happening again. e.g. by changing contact details, blocking contacts or leaving a chat room. Inform the sender s e-mail service provider Consider informing the police depending on the severity or repetitious nature of offence. - If malicious or threatening comments are posted on an Internet site about a pupil or member of staff or associates of the school: Inform and request the comments be removed if the site is administered externally Secure and preserve any evidence Endeavour to trace the origin and inform police as appropriate Any attempt to use ICT on which to put messages or images which are damaging to individual pupils, teachers, members of staff and associates of the school or which damage the reputation of the school in any way will be treated very seriously and exclusion, whether temporary or permanent is the likely consequence. Consequences of cyber bullying In addition to the consequences set out in Steps 1, 2 and 3 of the Prep Behaviour
Policy and Steps 1-5 in the Pre-prep Behaviour Policy, the following consequences may also be applied: A temporary or permanent ban on internet/computer use. When applicable, police or local authorities may be involved. If necessary, external agencies such as Social Networking or Email Member sites may be contacted and informed. Any attempt to use ICT to damage the reputation of other pupils, teachers, employees and associates of the school and of the school itself, will be treated very seriously. A Step Three Meeting (in accordance with the Prep Behaviour Policy) and a Headmaster s meeting (in accordance with Step 5 of the Pre Prep Behaviour Policy) will be called and exclusion, whether temporary or permanent will be the likely consequence, in accordance with the Exclusion Policy. Help Organisations: Advisory Centre for Education (ACE) 0808 800 5793 Children's Legal Centre 0845 345 4345 KIDSCAPE Parents Helpline (Mon-Fri, 10-4) 0845 1 205 204 Parentline Plus 0808 800 2222 Youth Access 020 8772 9900 Bullying Online www.bullying.co.uk Reviewed: September 2015 Date of next review: September 2016