Anti-Bullying Policy / Guidelines

CaleGreenPrimary School

Anti-Bullying Policy / Guidelines

Academic Year 2014/15

Rationale

Bullying is a complex issue with a range of possible causes, it is important to have systems in place to promote the early identification of children, who display bullying behaviours, to assess their needs as individuals and then to identify appropriate support to help them learn new, more appropriate behaviours. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the whole school community to work together to eradicate bullying by ensuring the development of a caring and supportive ethos. This policy has been produced to help us prevent all forms of bullying and respond to bullying as part of our overall behaviour policy to encourage good behaviour

What is Bullying Behaviour?

‘Preventing and Tackling Bullying’ (see Appendix) from the Department for Education defines bullying as:

‘behaviour by an individual or group, repeated over time, that intentionally hurts another individual or group either physically or emotionally. Bullying can take many forms (for instance, cyber-bullying via text messages or the internet), and is often motivated by prejudice against particular groups, for example on grounds of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or because a child is adopted or has caring responsibilities. It might be motivated by actual differences between children, or perceived differences. Stopping violence and ensuring immediate physical safety is obviously a school’s first priority but emotional bullying can be more damaging than physical; teachers and schools have to make their own judgements about each specific case’.

‘Kidscape’ suggests a range of behaviours that constitutes bullying:

Physical: pushing, kicking, hitting, pinching, any form of violence, threats

Verbal: name calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, persistent teasing

Emotional: tormenting, threatening ridicule, humiliation, exclusion from groups or activities

Racist: racial taunts, graffiti, gestures

Sexual: unwanted physical contact, abusive comments

Cyber-bullying: use of social networking sites / text messaging / etc to maintain bullying behaviour away from school.

“A person is bullied when he or she is exposed, regularly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more persons” (Olweus, 1987)

“The long term and systematic use of violence, metal or physical, against an individual who is unable to defend himself in an actual situation” (Roland, 1990)

Acts of Bullying at Cale Green

Any behaviour that harms others who do not have the skills or resources to counter this behaviour could be seen as bullying. It may be exhibited as:

Physical harm
Threats of physical harm
Name calling, including racist abuse or teasing
Name calling, including homophobic and / or transphobic abuse or teasing
Extortion, demands for money or favours
Exclusion, deliberately leaving someone out of an activity
Cyberbullying, away from school but a continuation of bullying at school.

Not all aggression is bullying. It becomes bullying when it is exercise through the use of power rather than an exchange between two equals. One off incidents of nastiness are not bullying. When incidents involve very young children, who are often not aware of the implications of their behaviour, it is not always appropriate to label their behaviour as bullying.

The headteacher is responsible for promoting good behaviour anddiscipline in line with the Governing Body statement of general principles. When normal classroom strategies and actions used by the teacher and / or Learning Mentor fail to resolve a bullying incident, then the headteacher will begin to take action in line with our policy.

Recognising Bullying

Everyone in school is made aware of this policy and is expected to assist in dealing with, and preventing, bullying and should report any case to the class teacher and the headteacher. This means that everyone has to be on the lookout for a child who is clearly unhappy, as this unhappiness may, amongst other things, be the result of bullying as yet unobserved. Children who are being bullied will not always tell staff in school, for those children observations regarding specific behaviour patterns can be routinely established within the school. Signs of bullying may include:

Unwillingness to come to school
Withdrawn or isolated behaviour
Complaining about missing possessions
Refusal to talk about difficulties
Easily distressed
Change of behaviour at home
Damaged or incomplete work.

Where these difficulties are associated with a special needs child and/or a child from a Black or Minority Ethnic background, additional indicators may well confirm bullying is occurring. Investigations should be undertaken, checking with colleagues and maintaining rigorous vigilance. Staff will be able to use their knowledge of the children to identify changes in behaviour that might indicate bullying; these concerns should be raised at the staff meeting and shared with parents/carers.

The views of our children

We make sure that our children know thatstaff are always prepared to listen to them. We are also aware that children can be reluctant to express their concerns and they are made aware that they can report any concerns verbally and/or through the:

Worry Box
Learning Mentors
Class Teachers
Teaching Assistants
Other staff children feel confident in
Peer Supporters
Mini Play Leaders
Junior Play Leaders
School Council members
Friendship Bench.

E-Safety / Cyberbullying

As a result of social networking sites and the ready availability of mobile devices bullying which originates at school can easily be continued away from school.

What makes ‘cyberbullying’ particularly distressing for the bullied is that there is no escape from the bully at school when they are at home and it can happen at any time of day and night and at the weekends and during holidays.

Incidents of this nature are just as serious as any other form of bullying and are treated as such. However, greater family support will be needed to change this type of bullying behaviour at home.

The Effects of Bullying

Bullying can anddoes have a very damaging effect on the life of a school by undermining the personal, social and academic development of both victims and bullies. Victims often believe that being bullied is tangible proof of their own inadequacies. In addition, being victimised can and often does, lead to one or more of the following:

Depression
Poor concentration
Not realising academic potential
Emotional/behavioural difficulties
Social isolation
Low self-esteem
Being emotionally volatile
Having physical injuries which the victim can’t explain
Poor attendance
Being late to arrive at, or leave, school.

Victims will often be wary of disclosing incidents of bullying for fear of reprisals, so it is essential for staff, friends and family to be vigilant in order to identify and support those pupils who are being bullied.

The Bully

People who rely on aggression in order to express their needs or views are likely to experience difficulties in all areas of their lives – in school, in employment, relationships and in the wider community.

Bullies do not fit into neat categories, but there are common characteristics.

They often have:

Low self-esteem (although not always)
Lack of the social skills necessary for expressing needs and feelings without resorting to aggression
Lack of empathy and understanding of others’ situations
Lack of insight into the causes or consequences of their behaviours
Lack of remorse for their behaviour and its effects.

Bullying in Groups?

Bullies often have significant power within their peer group and may use their power to encourage others to bully. Collective bullying will further isolate the victim and make it less likely that:

The bullying behaviour will be reported
The bully will take sole responsibility or blame if it is reported.

When dealing with a group who have been involved in bullying, it is helpful to remember that a group of bullies is, in reality a collection of individuals and, although it is time consuming, the individual needs of the group need to be taken into account and dealt with.

Immediately adopting a punitive approach can backfire as it can nurture group solidarity and further isolate the victim.

Responding to Bullying

The key to successfully reducing incidents of bullying in school rests with a whole-school Behaviour Policy. Those children who then still fail to conform may require additional support / provision.

Our Behaviour Policy attempts to ensure that all children are aware of:

How they are expected to behave
The positive consequences of meeting those expectations
The negative consequences of failing to meet those expectations.

During the development of our whole school Behaviour Policy two key issues have emerged:

Sanctions

We have agreed that a consistently applied hierarchy of sanctions can stop inappropriate behaviour, however sanctions can:

Damage the relationship between a teacher and a child
Simply teach a child not to get caught
Suppress a behaviour which will emerge later
Not teach new or appropriate behaviours
Damage a child’s self-esteem
Result in a child’s real needs not being met, because it is the symptoms rather than the cause that is being dealt with
Reinforce inappropriate behaviour.

Self-Esteem

This issue includes:

The influence of low self-esteem on the bully’s behaviour
The influence of low self-esteem on the victim’s behaviour
The impact of bullying on the victim’s self-esteem.

People with low self-esteem may display their insecurities by:

Becoming overcritical or boastful
Becoming aggressive or withdrawn
Looking for ways to avoid academic or social challenges
Finding it hard to relate appropriately to others and appearing uncomfortable in unfamiliar company or situations
Experiencing difficulty in making or keeping friends.

Self-esteem is a crucial component in the development of assertiveness. Assertiveness is the determining factor regarding our ability to express ideas, needs and feelings without resorting to aggression or submission.

At Cale Green we believe that by enhancing the self-esteem of our children, we can help them to:

Improve their behaviour, academic achievement and social skills
Make informed decisions when addressing such issues as bullying, drugs or alcohol.

In short, the need to protect and nurture self-esteem should be at the heart of our curriculum and inform the behaviour management strategies we use in school. Circle Time is one of the most effective processes we can use and has been adopted as a whole school approach alongside other strategies such as Peer Support, Relax Kids, Peer Massage and self-esteem support groups such as the ‘Happy 2B Me’ project.

Guidelines for Dealing with a Bullying Incident at Cale Green

The aim is not to rescue the victim or punish the bully, but to help them both to gain insight into their behaviour and to consider ways of avoiding or resolving the difficulties they are experiencing. We need to offer support that is informed by the individual child’s needs.

Support the victim by:

Ensuring that the child feels he/she is listened to
Assuring the child that all incidents of bullying are taken seriously
Explaining how they will be supported and how the incident will be dealt with.

The victim shouldideally be supported by the member of staff he/she has confided in or has expressed confidence in. The disclosure will usually have occurred as a result of the child identifying someone who cares or who can help andwe must respond to this trust and confidence. It is important, in the first instance, to believe the victim’s perception of what has happened and to assure him/her that they have acted correctly in coming to you. Ask the child to tell you what has happened, using prompt questions such as:

“Tell me exactly what happened?”
Who was involved?”
When and where did this happen?”
“What did you say or do at the time?”
“Has this happened before? If so how often?”
“Was there anyone else who saw or heard this?”
“Have you spoken to anyone else about this incident?”
“How do you feel about this?”

It will not be helpful to the victim if you conduct an interrogation, or if you make comments or ask questions that make him/her feel that she/he is responsible in some way for what has happened.

Do not give the impression that the child’s complaint is trivial or a waste of time.

Explain to the child that you will act to stop what is happening, that you will speak to the child in a few days and if anything further happens, they must speak up straight away. Make sure that this is followed up.

Ensure that the bully is dealt with fairly by:

Describing the reason for the meeting at the same time, do protect the victim and the identity of any witnesses
Remaining calm and non-judgemental in order to ensure that the child feels that he or she is listened to
Assuring the child that all incidents of bullying are taken seriously and that, regardless of the reasons, we disapprove of all acts of bullying
Accepting the bully’s account initially, in order to keep him/her talking.

The pre-determined goal when talking with the bully is to get him/her to feel that the situation of the victim is something to feel concerned about.

When talking with the bully about his/her behaviour and working towards a resolution try to use the following format of questions and statements:

“I would like to talk to you because I’ve heard that X has been having a bad time.”

“I need your help. X has been rather upset recently. What do you know about all this?”

“What have you seen or heard?”

After you have made the first few statements/questions, remain silent and wait for the bully to respond. This may seem to take forever, but whenever possible don’t rescue him/her by talking to ease the situation.

While the bully tells you his/her side of the incident, do not interrupt, but encourage him/her with ‘active listening’. Occasional nods and phrases such as “oh”, “really”, “that’s interesting”.

When you detect a note of concern from the bully for the victim, reinforce the notion that you agree that something is wrong with X.

Elicit constructive solutions: “What do you think we can do about this situation?”

If appropriate accept the bully’s suggestions and arrange to meet again in a few days.

Be prepared to spend a considerable amount of time ‘following up’ such an incident. This is essential in terms of maintaining support and monitoring the situation.

Ensure that parents / carers are kept fully informed of all incidents and developments.

All cases of bullying and the action taken will be reported to all staff at the weekly staff meeting. The headteacher will report any concerns about these children to the Midday Assistants.

Bullying Incident Report Form

If a bullying incident cannot be resolved by intervention from the class teacher and / or learning mentor and / or headteacher then the headteacher will complete a Bullying Incident Report Form and will take overall responsibility for the incident, maintaining support from the class teacher / learning mentor.

The Bullying Incident Report Form will be logged in the record files of all pupils involved. Racist Incidents are logged separately. The Bullying Incident Report Form will record:

The details of the incident
The future conduct of the children, as identified and agreed in the meetings
The actions either child should take if there is further bullying or provocation
Monitoring arrangements to ensure it does not happen again
The date when these arrangements should be reviewed.

The advantage of the Bullying Incident Report Form is that it helps to:

Set clear and consistent procedures for dealing with bullying
Monitor the progress of individual pupils
Monitor and review the Anti-Bullying Policy
Everyone directly concerned with the welfare of the children is aware of what has happened and why
Decisions can be made about further action.

If an incidence of bullying cannot be resolved immediately and informally then the procedure below should be followed:

Step 1

Parents of all the children concerned will be invited into school (this may be verbal / written / email), outlining the incident and the action taken and inviting them into school.

Step 2

Areview meeting after two weeks, repeating the initial procedure and then meeting the children separately. This is less threatening for both parties and is more likely to result in frank and open discussion. The ‘cause for concern’ letter will be sent to parents at the time of the review. All incidents of bullying must be reported to parents. The headteacher will explain what action has been taken and ask parents / carers how satisfied they feel about this action. This approach allows the bully to know the full extent of what he/she is doing. It should develop a feeling of empathy that is important in preventing children from becoming bullies or violent. It is also an opportunity to foster reconciliation.