St. Martin’s C.E. (Aided) Primary School
Anti-Bullying Policy
Prevention and Cure
| What is bullying? | Guidelines for School |
| Guidelines for Pupils ( Some things to do if you are bullied ) | |
| Guidelines for Parents – what to do if you think your child is being bullied |
The writing of this policy has developed not from the urgent need to combat bullying at St. Martin’s School but from the realisation that prevention is better than cure. We recognise the many difficulties inherent in identifying bullying behaviour and have attempted to formulate a logical, sensitive document that not only states our understanding of the problem but also our strategies for coping with it, should it occur.
Bullying is the systematic physical or psychological intimidation by those in a position of power over those who are unable to defend themselves. It can take many forms, be short-termed or continuous over years and implies a willful, conscious desire to hurt, threaten or frighten someone, with the intention of causing distress.
We do not acknowledge that bullying is an inevitable struggle of ‘growing up’ nor that because historically, bullying may have been viewed as a common playground activity, it should be seen as unstoppable today. In the context of our Christian ethos, any conscious action that causes distress to another is undesirable.
We recognise the need for a whole school approach to this problem and expect the issue to be ‘owned’ by everyone involved i.e. pupils, teaching and non-teaching staff, parents and governing body. Good communication is essential and we aim to ensure that all parties involved have access to clearly defined information.
Our religious, social and moral curriculum emphasises sound behavioural patterns, which are reinforced through drama, sport, discussion and R.E. lessons. Assemblies reinforce positive life attributes linked directly to the teachings of the Bible and emphasise the need to care and think of others. Messages about acceptable behaviour are transmitted daily in and out of the classroom, directly and indirectly, and as a staff, we hope to promote this in our own behaviour towards the children, our colleagues and the community our school impacts upon.
Practical considerations help to pinpoint possible areas of the school where bullying may take place. We encourage the children themselves to be actively involved in identifying these through discussion, written work and surveys to pinpoint possible ‘danger’ areas. We ensure, to the best of our ability, that these areas are controlled at break, lunchtime, between lessons and at the end of the day.
Staff watch for early signs of distress in pupils – deterioration of work, spurious illness, isolation, the desire to remain with adults, often being late for school, low self esteem, bruises and cuts. Many of these symptoms may be due to other causes but also be early signs of bullying that may be nipped in the bud if caught and handled correctly at the right moment.
If we come across bullying what can we do?
We take every report or incident seriously. Our handling of the situation will depend on the individual child and circumstances – not every reported case will be bullying but will need action to be taken regardless of this.
Children are listened to calmly and seriously.
The event and action taken is recorded.
Consultation between staff and key stage co-ordinators may take place and lead to ultimate inclusion of the headteacher in some instances.
Both victim and bully are allowed to put a point of view and the incident is investigated thoroughly before any action is taken.
Our School Behaviour Policy already includes sanctions against bullies. These sanctions would be explained plainly to the bully and measures would be taken to help the bully review his/her actions, ascertain any reasons he/she may have to bully others and help given to resolve his/her problems.
Parents of both the bully and victim would be informed and assured the incident would not be held against anyone or linger on.
The bully would be given counselling and concrete remedial strategies to address the problem if this was appropriate. Top of Page
The Elton Report On Discipline in Schools (1989) makes the following recommendation:
‘Headteacher and staff should:
be alert to signs of bullying….
deal firmly with all such behaviours
take action on clear rules which are backed up by appropriate sanctions and systems to protect and support victims.
Pupils should tell staff about serious cases of bullying ….of which they are aware’.
The need to ‘tell’ is an important one that will be made easier if the child is secure in his/her surroundings and confident of a serious hearing. N.Y.C.C. have issued the following guidelines to follow in a case of bullying:
Bullying is always wrong – a victim of bullying must not be made to feel guilty because he/she is bullied. The victim must, however, be made aware that some behaviours can easily be used as an excuse for bullying.
If bullying is happening to children on the way home keep the bullies at school until everyone has left. Do not allow the bullies to leave together.
Use peer pressure against bullying behaviour.
Help children think about strategies to use.
Sexual and racial harassment also needs to be discussed and dealt with.
Ensure that pupils know what to do when they are bullied.
Tell the pupils from day one that bullying (verbal or physical) is not tolerated in the school.
Everyone is expected to ensure that it does not happen and has the responsibility to tell – this is not telling tales.
Have clearly stated procedures for dealing with bullies. Top of Page
Guidelines for Pupils ( Some things to do if you are bullied )
THERE IS SAFETY IN NUMBERS.
Go around with a friend or two.
Stay with groups of people even if they are not your friends.
Get your friends together and say ‘no’ to the bully.
Only go into places where bullying happens if you have some friends or an adult near you.
ASK FOR HELP.
Tell a teacher who you know will take you seriously.
Tell any other adult you can trust.
Tell them again if the bullying does not stop.
TRY TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
Try not to show you are upset, which is difficult.
Walk confidently even if you don’t feel that way inside. Practice.
Fighting back may make it worse. If you decide to fight back, talk to an adult first.
Just walk past if people call you unpleasant names.
Try to crack a joke.
Practice what you say to the bully in front of a mirror.
LOOK AFTER YOURSELF.
If you are in danger, get away. Do not try to keep possessions.
If you are different in some way be proud of it! It is good to be an individual.
Tell yourself you don’t deserve to be bullied. Top of Page
Guidelines for Parents – what to do if you think your child is being bullied
We wish St. Martin’s C.E. Aided School to be a happy, caring community where every individual can recognise their true potential, both academically and socially. To this end, our whole school approach to all sensitive issues, including bullying, is an on-going consideration, subject to reviews as to its efficacy.
May 2004
Reviewed annually by Staff at St. Martin’s C.E. Aided Primary School
Discussed with Governing Body November 2003 Top of Page