Statement of Intent
Pannal School is committed to providing a caring, friendly and safe environment for all of our pupils so they can learn in a happy and secure environment. Bullying of any kind is unacceptable at our school. If bullying does occur, all pupils should be able to tell and know that incidents will be dealt with promptly and effectively. Anyone who is aware of any form of bullying is expected to tell.
Definition
Bullying is any form of persistent, ongoing, deliberate, imbalance of power. It is action taken by one or more children with the deliberate intention of hurting another child, either physically or emotionally.
Bullying can be:
· Emotional - being unfriendly, excluding, tormenting (eg hiding books, threatening actions)
· Verbal - name calling, spreading rumours, teasing
· Cyber - all areas of internet, mobiles and misuse of associated technology
· Physical - pushing, kicking, hitting, punching or any violence
· Racist - racial taunts, gestures
· Homophobic/sexual - because of, or focussing on the issue of sexuality.
Aims
At Pannal School we aim to:
· Promote values that reject bullying behaviour and encourage cooperative behaviour.
· Educate pupils as to what constitutes bullying behaviour.
· Raise awareness among pupils of the causes and effects of bullying behaviour.
· Encourage pupils to report incidents of bullying to school staff and parents at an early stage.
· Involve the whole school community in developing and implementing this policy. This includes parents, children, teaching staff and governors.
· Promptly respond to incidents of bullying.
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 how to deal with incidents of bullying. The Headteacher reports to the Governing Body about the effectiveness of the anti-bullying policy.
· 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 assembly as a forum in which to discuss with other children why this behaviour was wrong, and why a pupil is being punished.
· The Headteacher ensures that all staff receive sufficient training to be equipped to deal with all incidents of bullying.
· The Headteacher sets a 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 Headteacher will record incidents if required in the school’s major incident book, which is held in the Headteacher’s office.
The role of the teacher
· Teachers in our school take all forms of bullying seriously and intervene to prevent incidents from taking place.
· If teachers become aware of any bullying taking place they deal with the issue immediately. This may involve counselling and support for the target of the bullying, and punishment for the child who has carried out the bullying. They spend time talking to the child who has bullied; they explain why the action of the child was wrong, and endeavour to help the child change his/her behaviour in future. If a child is repeatedly involved in bullying other children, teachers inform the Headteacher and the Headteacher then invites the child’s parents into school to discuss the situation. In more extreme cases, for example where these initial discussions have proved ineffective, the Headteacher may contact external support agencies.
· If teachers witness an act of bullying, they do all they can to support the child who is being bullied. If a child is being bullied over a period of time, then, after consultation with the Headteacher, the teacher informs the child’s parents.
· It is common practice in our school for teachers to inform the Headteacher of incidents of bullying so she has an overview of the situation across school and can recognise repeated incidents.
· Teachers attend training, which enables them to become equipped to deal with incidents of bullying and behaviour management.
· Teachers attempt to support all children in their classes and to establish a safe climate of trust and respect for all. By praising, recognising and celebrating the success of children and by valuing difference, we aim to prevent incidents of bullying.
The role of parents
· Parents who are concerned that their children might be being a target of bullying, or who suspect that their child may be exhibiting behaviour of bullying should contact their child’s class teacher immediately.
· Parents have a responsibility to support the school’s anti-bullying policy and to actively encourage their child to be a positive member of the school.
· Parents have a responsibility to monitor their child’s use of the Internet and mobile phones out of school to actively discourage cyber bullying and to support the school in the Internet rules.
The role of children
Children are encouraged to tell an adult when they feel they are in a situation which makes them upset, or they feel unable to cope with.
The role of governors
· The Governing Body supports the Headteacher and the staff in implementing the policy.
· The Governing Body reviews the effectiveness of the policy on a regular basis.
Sanctions
Action taken as a result of bullying behaviour will be in line with the school’s discipline policy. Any actions taken will be at the professional discretion of the member of staff involved.
Confidentiality will be maintained in line with our Confidentiality Policy.
Any incidents should be notified to the class teacher who will record the incident in a class incident book.
Sanctions may be
· Missing a playtime
· Writing a letter of apology
· A note in the planner
Serious Incidents
Any incident considered by any member of staff to be serious enough will be referred immediately to a senior member of staff. This will be recorded in the school incident book. A senior member of staff will decide what further action to take, this will include writing a note in the child’s planner, which must be signed by a parent and returned to school.
If bullying behaviour reaches a level that is unacceptable, either in frequency or magnitude, parents will be invited to meet with the class teacher to discuss their child’s behaviour.
Any further incidents of bullying will trigger a standard letter to parents – a copy of which will be held in the child’s file.
Parents will then be invited to discuss their child’s behaviour with the Headteacher at which further action will be agreed.
The action may take the form of:
· An individual behaviour agreement, which is signed by parent and child if that child is in Year 3 or above.
· Referral to behaviour support agency.
Extreme Cases
Any extreme cases of bullying may trigger exclusion either temporary or permanent:
Once the Headteacher is confident that the child’s behaviour has improved, records of incidents may be removed from the child’s records.
The staff, Headteacher and governors will expect the support of parents in implementing the behaviour policy.
On all matters of behaviour the Headteacher will, after due investigation, make the final decision which is non negotiable. Only in the case of exclusion is there a right to appeal, of which parents will be notified should the need arise.
Staff Training
The Headteacher will identify areas where training is required. This will be identified within the School Improvement Plan.
Monitoring and review
· This policy is monitored on a day-to-day basis by the Headteacher, who reports to governors about the effectiveness of the policy in the Headteacher’s termly report.
Approved by staff ………………………………………………
Approved by governors ………………………………
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