Braddan School Anti Bullying Policy
Show Respect, Try Your Best, Learn Together
This policy should be read in conjunction with the following policies - Safeguarding; Behaviour Management; Equal Opportunities and Health and Safety.
Bullying
The aim of our anti-bullying policy is to ensure that pupils learn in a supportive, caring and safe environment by preventing bullying from happening. However we recognise that bullying does happen, and our policy aims to detail steps that will be taken to deal with such incidents.
As detailed in our Behaviour Management policy, we believe everyone in school has;
the right to feel safe
the right to learn
the right to be treated with fairness and respect
At Braddan School we believe in inclusion, equity and justice. Any bullying behaviour is totally unacceptable.
There are many definitions of bullying, but at Braddan we say that it is;
any deliberate, hurtful, upsetting, frightening or threatening behaviour by an individual or a group towards other people. It is usually repeated over a period of time and it is very difficult for the victims to defend themselves (remember ‘STOP’ – it usually happens Several Times On Purpose). Bullying is mean and results in worry, fear, pain and distress to the victim/s.
Bullying can take many forms, it can be;
Emotional - being unfriendly, repeatedly excluding, tormenting, ridicule, humiliation.
Verbal - name calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, threats, teasing, making rude remarks, making fun of someone.
Physical - pushing, kicking, hitting, pinching, biting, spitting or any other forms of violence.
Racist - making fun of culture or religion, use of offensive language, racial taunts or gestures.
Sexist - use of sexist language (including homophobic language) or negative stereotyping based on gender
Cyber bullying - sending offensive text messages or e-mails
Any unfavourable or negative comments, gestures or actions made to someone relating to their disability or special educational needs.
This encompasses abuse linked to any of the protected characteristics outlined in the Equality Act 2017 - Sex; Race (colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins); Disability; Religion or belief (religious or philosophical belief or lack of same); Sexual orientation; Gender reassignment (undergoing, undergone or is proposing to undergo process of reassigning their sex); Pregnancy or maternity; Marriage or civil partnership; Age
Bullying is not the odd occasion of falling out with friends, name calling, arguments, and it is an important part of children’s development to learn how to deal with friendship breakdowns, and develop social skills to be able to repair relationships. We will support children to be able to develop these skills, and be able to resolve relationship difficulties with peers.
What should parents do if they feel their child is being bullied?
Any parent contacting the school with a particular concern will always be taken seriously. The first point of contact is the child’s class teacher. If a parent should feel that a situation has not been dealt with adequately by the class teacher, or there is a repeat of incidents, then the next stage is to contact the Headteacher. Emotions can run high when a parent feels their child is being picked on, but we want to work together to ensure that all sides are heard, and issues are dealt with in a timely and appropriate manner.
Procedures for reporting and responding to bullying incidents
At Braddan School all staff will respond calmly and consistently to all allegations and incidents of bullying. These will be dealt with impartially and promptly. All those involved will have the opportunity to be heard. Staff will protect and support all children involved whilst allegations and incidents are investigated and resolved.
The following step-by-step procedure will be used for reporting and responding to bullying allegations or incidents:
Staff will make sure the victim(s) is safe, and feels safe.
Appropriate advice will be given to help the victim(s).
Staff will listen and speak to all children involved about the incident separately.
Staff will attempt to adopt a problem solving approach which will move children on from them having to justify their behaviour.
Appropriate action will be taken quickly to end the bullying behaviour or threats of bullying.
Staff will reinforce to the bully that their behaviour is unacceptable.
If possible, the pupils will be reconciled.
An attempt will be made, and support given, to help the bully (bullies) understand and change his/her/their behaviour.
Incidents will be recorded onto the behaviour section of Arbor.
In serious cases parents will be informed and will be invited to come into school for a meeting to discuss the problem.
After the incident has been investigated and dealt with, each case will be monitored to ensure repeated bullying does not take place.
If a child has been bullied, the action that follows will depend upon the severity of the incident.
The following sanctions may be used: (non - hierarchical)
Apologise to the victim(s) verbally or in writing
• Lose privileges
• Lose playtimes (stay with class teacher, do extra work)
• Spend playtimes and lunchtimes with an adult
• Parents invited in to school to discuss the behaviour
• Be removed from class and work in isolation
• Be withdrawn from participation in school visit, clubs and events not essential to the curriculum.
Fixed term suspension
Suspension from school during the lunch period (ie a pupil having to be taken off site over the lunch break for a fixed period of time, or until there is a significant improvement in behaviour)
Strategies in School to Prevent Bullying Behaviour;
At Braddan School we use whole school initiatives and proactive teaching strategies to develop a positive learning environment, in which pupils can feel safe and secure. This has the aim of reducing the opportunities for bullying to occur.
We specifically teach the children about our shared school values -
Show Respect, Try Your Best, Learn Together
The following are also examples of how our positive ethos is developed and supported:
Incidents recorded onto Arbor to facilitate sharing of information amongst staff and help identify patterns of behaviour (this also includes behaviour incidents from break times)
records kept of concerns being raised by parents concerning incidents of bullying, actions and outcomes
listening carefully to pupils and providing opportunities for them to express views and opinions as part of classroom practice
making use of curriculum opportunities to raise pupil awareness eg Drama, PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) - including the use of ‘PATHS' and ‘Jigsaw’ resources, P4C lessons (Philosophy for Children)
A dedicated ‘Listening Service’ with trained staff (Mental Health First Aid)
awareness raising through anti-bullying assemblies
teaching pupils to say ‘no’ or to get help
encouraging pupils to tell if they know another person is being bullied
undertaking annual pupil questionnaires and surveys
each class agreeing their own class rules, which support the school ‘Golden Rules’
using praise and rewards to reinforce good behaviour
encouraging the whole school community to model appropriate behaviour towards one another, and celebrating this
We want children to always tell us if they have a problem with bullying behaviour, and understand that what they say will always be taken seriously.
Louise Oates
Headteacher
Created September 2021
Reviewed Sept 2022