Linslade Academy Trust (Linslade School) Anti Bullying Policy Document Status Author KS Date of origin May 2011 Version Review requirements Date of next review Approval Body Ratified by Publication V3 Nov-15 Bi-annually Nov-17 Executive Leadership Team Full Governing Body Staff Handbook/ Staff Intranet School Website/ Governors Induction Pack This policy and procedure is subject to The Equality Act 2010 which recognises the following categories of individual as Protected Characteristics: Age, Gender Reassignment, Marriage and Civil Partnership, Pregnancy and Maternity, Race, Religion and Belief, Sex (gender), Sexual orientation and Disability Linslade Academy Trust, a charitable company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales with company number 07621395, registered office address: Linslade School, Mentmore Road, Linslade, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, LU7 2PA.
At Linslade School we take all forms of bullying seriously. We believe it is everybody s responsibility to deal with incidents of bullying in line with this policy, as and when they occur. Throughout their education, everyone who learns and teaches in our school has the right to: Stay safe: Be protected from harm and neglect and to learn about protective behaviours. Enjoy and achieve: In order to be able to maximise their life choices and make a positive contribution to school and our community as a whole. RATIONALE As a Values Education School, we seek to model the behaviours we identify within a supportive and caring school. We believe these values underpin good relationships between all members of the school community are central to its well being. Bullying will not be condoned as it can cause serious long term damage to the victim s and the perpetrator s health, educational attainment and outlook on life. AIMS The aim of this policy is to work towards prevention of bullying by creating a safe environment, which promotes trust, confidence, and fairness for all, by consistently: Recognising bullying. Dealing with bullying quickly and effectively when it occurs. Raising staff, pupil and parent/carer awareness of bullying. Adhering to the school agreed procedures for monitoring and recording of incidents of bullying. Involving parents/carers actively in solutions and outcomes. Providing support and strategies for dealing with bullying/intimidating situations. Creating an ethos where pupils are encouraged to talk about concerns. Actively implement the schools equality policy Identify appropriate support programmes for pupils and their parents/carers as and when bullying occurs. DEFINITION There are many definitions of bullying, but most consider it to be: Deliberately hurtful (including aggression) Repeated over a period of time Difficult for victims to defend themselves against Where the relationship involves an imbalance of power Bullying can take many forms, but three main types are: Physical Bullying Pushing, hitting, kicking, and punching. Taking money or personal belongings or throwing them around. Sexual assault, including unwanted physical contact or comments. 2
Verbal Bullying Name calling. Teasing. Sarcasm. Threats Racist and Sexist remarks. Indirect Bullying Spreading rumours or starting gossip. Continually ignoring the person. Getting somebody else into trouble for no real reason. Excluding the person. Cyber Bullying is included in indirect Bullying and includes the following: Text message bullying. Phone call bullying Picture/video-clip bullying (via mobile phone cameras). Mail bullying. Chat-room bullying. Bullying through instant messaging. Bullying via websites/other social media. There are also different types of bully: Occasional Persistent The occasional bully does not bully consistently, and often bullies in response to something that is happening to them at a particular time. The persistent bully is defined as someone who is not in control of their behaviour, and as someone likely to be consistently behaving badly towards others. Specific targeted types of bullying: Racist Bullying a member of the school community is singled out because of their ethnicity or background. Incidents can include: Verbal abuse by name calling, racist jokes and offensive language Physical threats or attacks Wearing provocative badges or insignia Bringing racist leaflets, comics or magazines Inciting others to behave in a racist way Racist graffiti or other written insults Sexual Bullying affects both genders. In general sexual bullying is characterised by: Abusive name calling Looks and comments about appearance, attractiveness, emerging puberty Inappropriate and uninvited touching Sexual innuendoes and propositions Pornographic material, graffiti with sexual content 3
In its most extreme form, sexual assault Homophobic Bullying relates to singling out an individual because of their sexual orientation. Homophobic bullying can include: Rumour mongering Social isolation Text messaging Frightening looks In addition to more obvious forms of bullying such as name calling OBJECTIVES Linslade School is committed to challenging all bullying behaviour in order to: Enable all pupils to stay safe and enjoy and achieve. Present effective models of behaviour Create an environment where pupils can raise bullying issues confidently and safely Build on a developing reputation as an effective and caring school. The school recognises that the anti-bullying policy is an implicit element of an effective behaviour policy. Our Behaviour Policy is based on fair, explicit and consistent rules of conduct that encourage and reward appropriate behaviour. We believe that good behaviour is based upon respect and regard for and of personal and communal rights and all pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for their own behaviour. The promotion of good behaviour involves all staff, pupils, school and home and this approach enables school and home to engage in a positive partnership based on shared expectations. A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO ANTI-BULLYING At Linslade School we seek to raise awareness of the issue of bullying whilst providing measures to deal with it and see our commitment to Values Based Education as one of our preventative approaches to bullying. By using the school s positive values it is hoped that that each value s message will influence the pupils and therefore bullying behaviour will become a rare occurrence throughout the school. Through our commitment to anti-bullying week, our assembly programme, PSHE, other curriculum areas and in individual interactions with pupils, we encourage all pupils to tell any adult about any type of bullying, whether it is happening to them or another pupil. A considerable number of pupils will find this difficult, and may be afraid of the consequences of doing so. The message of not keeping bullying a secret must be constantly reinforced. The following is a list of strategies in order to support our proactive approach to anti-bullying: Listening carefully to pupils and providing opportunities for them to express their views and opinions formally and informally Raising the profile of anti- bullying across the curriculum Raising the profile of anti-bullying during the national anti-bullying week by planning activities with a specific anti-bullying focus Through Assemblies Form times and within tutor groups Impromptu chat 4
A School Council focus Using restorative justice to resolve conflict between pupils Recording all incidents of bullying (see under recording procedures) Involving parents/carers Individual support Practical advice Displays which promote services and key anti-bullying messages. Improve self-esteem and assertiveness through individual interactions, modelling, PSHE, and extended curriculum opportunities Referring pupils of bullying and pupils who bully for support, either from our School, Child and Family Link Officer or our Learning Mentor. Monitoring by HOYs and ELT via the Behaviour Log. Sanctions which may lead to exclusion in extreme circumstances Providing opportunities for achieving success in social situations e.g. acknowledging a general improvement in behaviour, school trips/visits, meetings. PROCEDURES FOR DEALING WITH BULLYING There are five key points to remember when addressing all incidents of bullying: 1. Never ignore suspected bullying 2. Don t make premature assumptions 3. Listen carefully to all accounts several pupils saying the same does not necessarily mean they are telling the truth 4. Adopt a problem solving approach e.g. solution focus with all pupils involved which helps to move the pupils forward and away from a cycle of blame. 5. Follow-up repeatedly, checking bullying has not resumed When dealing with incidents of bullying, the staff member must make an assessment of the incident (the staff member may wish to include a member of the ELT if they feel the bully(s) will respond negatively when challenged). The response may differ dependent on several factors e.g. whether the bullying is carried out by an individual or by a group, frequency and duration, the severity of the bullying etc. Issues to consider when discussing consequences with pupils: Has the bully picked on someone they have had no relationship with or is it on someone that there is an on-going relationship with, or was a past relationship with? Is the bullying against an individual or are there other victims? Is the behaviour out of character or is there a past record of bullying or related behaviours? How is the bullying affecting the class / group? Is the bully seen as a negative influence and /or intimidating force by other pupils in the group? What is the nature and severity of the bullying? Where there is a group undertaking bullying are all equally involved? And therefore equal consequences? It is important that the victim is placed in the driving seat. Staff must explore solution based approaches with the pupils involved. This will include restorative justice. The staff member dealing with an incident of bullying must follow through with what has been promised and communicate what has been done back to the victim. 5
Whilst each case will be considered on its own merits prior to a sanction being applied, the following constitutes possible consequences for bullies in order of escalation: Pupil apology (verbal, written) accompanied by a warning that this behaviour must not be repeated. Withdrawal of privileges. Lunchtime exclusions Isolation Internal exclusion External fixed term exclusion Permanent exclusion When any incident of bullying has been recorded, parents of the victim/s and the bully(s) will be contacted by the member of staff dealing with the incident to inform them of what has happened and alert them to the fact that the school is aware of the problem and will be addressing it. Parents / carers will be kept informed throughout any investigation of bullying and notified of the outcomes. PROCEDURES FOR REPORTING BULLYING All incidents of bullying, or suspected bullying, must be recorded and copied to the relevant HOY and ELT. Then depending on the severity of the bullying the incident is either investigated by the form tutor or HOY/ELT. Incidences of bullying will be emailed/forwarded to the Deputy Headteacher (Inclusion) and a log will be compiled. The record of all the incidents of bullying will be kept by the Deputy Headteacher (Inclusion) who will analyse patterns and relevant interventions all parties involved. The analysis will enable the school to create a preventative ethos. Governors will receive a report on bullying, racist and homophobic incidents in the Headteacher s termly report to governors. SUPPORT FOR STAFF Support for staff is available through: The Induction Programme INSET training in-house and external CPD opportunities SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES: Support for families is available: In school via the School, Child and Family Link Support Officer Via online resources e.g. Parentline Plus, Kidscape, BeatBullying, ThinkUknow. Other agencies: e.g Access and Inclusion (Central Bedfordshire Council) 6