PENNINGTON CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL
Anti-Bullying Policy (April 2016)
There are a number of statutory obligations on schools with regard to behaviour which establish clear responsibilities to respond to bullying. In particular section 89 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006.
It is a Government requirement that all schools have an anti-bullying policy. In June 2012 Ofsted published results of its survey “No Place for Bullying”. The aim of this survey was to evaluate the effectiveness of actions that schools take to create a positive school culture and to prevent and tackle bullying.
OUR DEFINITION OF BULLYING
Bullying involves dominance of one person by another, or a group of others, is pre-meditated and usually forms a pattern of behaviour.
Bullying is therefore:
· Deliberately hurtful
· Repeated, often over a period of time
· Difficult for victims to defend themselves against.
It can take many forms but the main types are:
· Physical – hitting, kicking, taking another’s belongings
· Verbal – name calling, insulting, making offensive remarks
· Indirect – spreading nasty stories about someone, exclusion from social groups, being made the subject of malicious rumours, sending malicious e-mails or text messages on mobile phones/social networking sites.
Some forms of bullying are attacks not only on the individual, but also on the group to which he or she may belong. Within school we will pay particular attention to:
· Racial harassment and racist bullying
· Sexual bullying
· The use of homophobic language
· Bullying of pupils who have special educational needs or disabilities.
OUR INTENTIONS AND AIMS IN PRODUCING THIS POLICY ARE:
· To express our belief that all pupils should be included fully in the life of the school.
· To provide a learning environment free from any threat or fear, which is conducive to the achievement of individual aspirations.
· To reduce and to eradicate, wherever possible, instances in which pupils are made to feel frightened, excluded or unhappy.
· To reduce and to eradicate, wherever possible, instances in which pupils are subject to any form of bullying.
· To respond effectively to all instances of bullying that are reported to us.
· To establish a means of dealing with bullying, and of providing support to pupils who have been bullied.
· To provide support for pupils who are accused of bullying, who may be experiencing problems of their own.
· To meet any legal obligations which rest with the school.
Bullying is wrong and damages individual children. We therefore do all we can to prevent it, by developing a school ethos in which bullying is regarded as unacceptable and positive social interaction is encouraged. Our school’s Behaviour for Learning Policy explains how we promote positive behaviour in school to create an environment where pupils behave well; where pupils take responsibility for each other's emotional and social well-being; and where they include and support each other.
We also promote a positive ethos through our school charter that was developed with the whole school community, through the school council, in consultation with parents and governors.
We aim to make all those connected with the school aware of our Pennington Charter in which it states:
A Pennington Child
Has the right to belong to the Pennington Family
And the responsibility to welcome everyone.
Has the right to be safe at school
And has the responsibility to look after themselves and others.
Has the right to share ideas and opinions and say what they feel with confidence
And has the responsibility to listen to others and care about their feelings.
Has the right to have friends
And the responsibility to be a friend to others.
Has the right to say sorry
And the responsibility to forgive others.
Has the right to be themselves and be proud
And the responsibility to respect that everybody is different.
In order to eradicate bullying and ensure everyone is aware of our no tolerance ethos toward bullying, we make clear each person’s responsibilities.
Everyone’s Responsibilities
Everyone within school is expected to:
· Act in a respectful and supportive way towards one another, and
· Adhere to and to promote the objectives of this policy.
The role of the governors
The governing body supports the headteacher in all attempts to eliminate bullying from our school. Any incidents of bullying that do occur will be taken very seriously, and dealt with appropriately.
The governing body monitors incidents of bullying that do occur, and will review the effectiveness of this policy regularly. The governors require the headteacher to keep accurate records of all incidents of bullying, and to report to the governors on request about the effectiveness of school anti-bullying strategies.
A parent/carer who is dissatisfied with the way the school has dealt with a bullying incident can ask the chair of governors to look into the matter. The governing body responds within ten days to any request from a parent/carer to investigate incidents of bullying. In all cases the governing body notifies the headteacher, and asks him/her to conduct an investigation into the case, and to report back to the governing body. If parents/carers feel the issue is not resolved then they should follow the school Complaints Policy.
The role of the headteacher
It is the responsibility of the headteacher to implement the school anti-bullying strategy, and to ensure that all staff (both teaching and non-teaching) are aware of the school policy, and know how to identify and deal with incidents of bullying. The headteacher reports to the governing body about the effectiveness of the anti-bullying policy on request.
The headteacher ensures that all children know that bullying is wrong, and that it is unacceptable behaviour in this school. The headteacher draws the attention of children to this fact at suitable moments. For example, if an incident occurs, the headteacher may decide to use an assembly as the forum in which to discuss with other children why this behaviour was wrong, and seek a solution to the problem.
The headteacher endeavours to set the school climate of mutual support and praise for success, so making bullying less likely. When children feel they are important and belong to a friendly and welcoming school, bullying is far less likely to be part of their behaviour. The School Mission and Vision Statements also supports the rights and responsibilities of all the pupils in school and is clearly stated on the school web site and displayed around school. It is also referred to in classrooms and assemblies. The school actively participates in Anti-Bullying Week, usually during November.
The role of the teacher and support staff
All the staff in our school take all forms of bullying seriously, and seek to prevent it from taking place.
All incidents that happen in the classroom are noted in class behaviour books that are reviewed regularly at pupil progress meetings. If teachers witness an act of bullying, they will either investigate it themselves or refer it to the headteacher. Teachers and support staff do all they can to encourage children to confide their anxieties over bullying in a caring and considerate manner and watch children carefully for signs of introverted or anxious behaviour that could be linked to bullying of any description. If a child is being bullied over a period of time, then, after consultation with the headteacher, the teacher informs the child’s parents/carers.
All serious incidents of bullying that occur are documented and records retained by the Headteacher. If any adult witnesses an act of bullying they should report this to a member of staff. We also record incidents that occur near the school, or on the children’s way between school and home. Midday supervisors are also aware of this policy and of the steps necessary should they witness bullying in the playground.
If teachers become aware of any bullying taking place between members of a class, they will deal with the issue immediately. This may involve counselling and support for the victim of the bullying, and consequences for the child who has carried out the bullying. Time is spent talking to the child who has bullied: explaining why his/her action was wrong, and that child is encouraged to change his/her behaviour in future. If a child is repeatedly involved in bullying other children, we inform the headteacher. We then invite the child’s parents into the school to discuss the situation. In more extreme cases, for example where these initial discussions have proven ineffective, the headteacher may contact external support, This support may be the headteacher of a triad school or the Local Leader in Education.
Teachers use a range of methods to help prevent bullying and to establish a climate of trust and respect for all. They are detailed in Appendix 1
Key stage 1 and 2 classes have a ‘Cares and Worries Box’ in which individuals can deposit any concerns anonymously, which can then be dealt with, for example, as a theme for Circle Time and ensures the teacher is aware of areas of concern. The headteacher sees all ‘cares and worries’ placed in the cares and worries box and ensures appropriate action is taken, offering advice or a second opinion to teachers who want to discuss issues and appropriate action. Assemblies are used on a regular basis to address relevant issues with the whole school and often children are asked to plan or help plan and participate to strengthen the message and ensure it is relevant and pitched at the appropriate level for other children to understand. A group of ten Year 6 pupils have also been elected as Penn Pals. Their role is to ensure no children are isolated and lonely at playtimes. They work on a rota system and any pupil, regardless of age, who is in need of a friend will be welcomed to join them to play or talk.
In addition children can be identified by the class teacher or by parents and may speak to Mrs Wright about emotional related issues. Mrs Wright will discuss with the headteacher whether the pupil may need regular support. Her timetable is reviewed half termly. Children may be seen individually or in small groups.
See Appendix 2 for Responding to Bullying Advice for Staff.
The role of parents/carers
· To support our anti-bullying policy and procedures.
· To encourage their children to be positive members of the school community.
· To discussing with their child’s teacher any concerns that their child may be experiencing bullying or if they are unhappy in some other way.
· To help to establish an anti-bullying culture outside of school.
· In the event of dissatisfaction with school action, they should follow the school’s complaints procedure, as detailed on the school web site.
The role of pupils
· Pupils are encouraged to tell anybody they trust if they are being bullied, and if the bullying continues, they must keep letting people know. Pupils who have been bullied should report this to:
· Their identified adult in school
· Any member of staff (Teachers, Teaching Assistants or Midday Supervisors)
· Their pupil buddy
· Their class member of the school council
· Their parents
· A school friend
· Report all incidents of bullying and suspected incidents that victims may be afraid to report.
Support each other and to seek help to ensure that everyone feels safe and nobody feels excluded or afraid in school.
BULLYING OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL PREMISES
Schools are not directly responsible for bullying that occurs off the premises but we know that bullying can occur outside the school gates and on journeys to and from school. The bullying may be done by pupils from our own school, by pupils from other schools or by people who are not at school at all. Where a pupil or parent tells us of bullying off the school premises we will:
· Talk to pupils about how to avoid or handle bullying outside of school.
· Talk to the Headteacher of another school whose pupils are bullying.
· Talk to the police.
The DfES says that, “exceptionally failure to take disciplinary steps to combat harmful behaviour outside the school might breach the school’s common duty of care.” Legal Services advise that schools can take disciplinary action against pupils for incidents that occur outside of school.
CONCERNS, COMPLAINTS … AND COMPLIMENTS
We recognise that there may be times when parents feel that we have not dealt well with an incident of bullying and we would ask that this be brought to the Headteacher’s notice. If the Headteacher cannot resolve these concerns informally, parents can raise their concerns more formally through the school’s Complaints Procedure a copy of which may be obtained from the school office.
We would also be pleased to receive Compliments – feedback from parents when things have gone well.
EVALUATING OUR POLICY
We will evaluate our anti-bullying policy using the following measures:
The numbers of incidents that are reported to staff over a given period
Shared with governors July 2016
Signed - Helen Storey
Appendix 1
STRATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH BULLYING
In dealing with incidents of bullying we will use a range of strategies, selecting those appropriate to the circumstances from the following list:
· Cooperative group work throughout the school ~ To encourage children to work together, be tolerant of others’ ideas, trust others and be more willing to listen.
· Circle time ~ To set time aside for pupils to take part in enjoyable games, activities and discussion in a safe environment where all opinions are valued.
· Circle of friends ~ To build relationships around a vulnerable pupil with the pupil’s and parent’s agreement to offer support and friendship.
· Befriending ~ To appoint a specific pupil(s) as a support / friend [appointed by a member of staff]
· Support group ~ To involve the bullied pupil, those involved in the bullying and bystanders to form a group to support the bullied pupil. Responsibility for change lies with those involved in the bullying.
· Mediation by adults ~ To establish ground rules that will enable the bully and the person being bullied to co-exist in school.