At William Howard School all pupils have the right to learn in a supportive and safe environment without the fear of being bullied.
Bullying is defined as deliberately hurtful behaviour, repeated over a period of time.
The four main types of bullying are:
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Physical (hitting, kicking, theft etc.)
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Verbal (name calling, racist remarks etc.)
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Indirect (spreading rumours, excluding someone from a social group etc)
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E Bullying (text messages, abuse of e mail, chat room messages etc)
Staff, Student and Parental Responsibilities
We ALL have a responsibility to promote a high standard of behaviour and social responsibility - inside and outside the classroom. Children who are secure and content are much more likely to fulfil their potential than those who are not. Whatever job we do in the school (teacher, support staff, etc) we must never forget the importance of treating all students with a proper level of respect. It is vital that we endeavour to act as good role models at all times.
We must ALL be alert to situations where children’s behaviour/body language leads us to suspect that things may not be well (e.g., those children, who are in tears, who never smile, who are loners, etc). We should take seriously reports from children concerning their peers and, if we do not feel we are in a position to deal with the problem, inform someone who will look into it, and ask for feedback on the outcome.
Everyone within school is expected to:
Students are expected to:
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Report all incidents of bullying to themselves and to others, including suspected incidents that victims may be afraid to report. Incidents should be reported to a member of the school staff.
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Support each other and help to ensure that everyone feels safe in school
Parents can help by:
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Supporting our anti-bullying policy and procedures
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Discussing with the child’s Form Tutor/Year Group Manager any concerns that their child may be experiencing bullying or involved in some other way.
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Helping to establish an anti-bullying culture outside school.
Creating an Anti-Bullying Climate in School
The school’s Behaviour for Learning Policy explains how we aim to create a supportive and inclusive environment where students behave well and take responsibility for each other’s emotional and social well‑being.
School assemblies will be used to reinforce the message that bullying behaviour is anti-social and unacceptable.
The curriculum will be used to:
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Raise awareness about bullying and our anti-bullying policy
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Increase understanding for victims and help build an anti-bullying ethos.
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Teach students how to constructively manage their relationships with others.
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Raise awareness about individual differences and beliefs.
Poster campaigns will be used to remind students that bullying is unacceptable and to tell them what to do if they are bullied. Posters will also tell students about Childline and other sources of confidential help outside school.
CCTV cameras will operate in corridors and social areas to deter bullying.
Who should the student tell?
Any teacher or adult with whom the child feels comfortable such as
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Form Tutor
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Year Group Manager
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Year Group Assistant
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Head of Standards
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Midday Supervisor
Students who see others being bullied should also report this to one of the above.
Members of staff who receive reports that a student has been bullied should report this to the student’s Year Group Manager or Form Tutor.
Reports of bullying will be logged by Year Group Managers.
Where bullying is of a racist nature, we will report this to the Local Authority using the Racial Incident Report Form.
All reports will be taken seriously and will be followed up by Form Tutors/Year Group Managers/Heads of Standards.
Students will also be advised of a Text/E mail system of reporting Bullying.
On coming across a bullying incident
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Remove the victim from the scene.
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Tell the bully he/she will be dealt with later, not necessarily specifying how or when. There is nothing to be gained by showing aggression towards the bully – this may only escalate his/her behaviour later.
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Avoid physical intervention unless the victim is to be protected.
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Inform the relevant Form Tutors who, in conjunction with the Year Group Manager, will take appropriate action.
Investigation of Bullying Events
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Adopt a sensitive, firm and caring approach.
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Listen carefully and record all incidents.
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Offer the victim immediate help and support. Endeavour to build up their self-esteem and aim to improve their skills in communication, assertion and making friends in subsequent meetings.
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Be available if the victim needs to talk – if you can’t meet at the time they request, explain and re-arrange as soon as possible.
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Keep records on file of any agreements reached.
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Interview all students concerned separately and ask bully and victim to record the events in writing.
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Allow parents access to all information regarding their child.
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Keep Year Group Manager informed.
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Follow up after incidents to check that the bullying has not started again.
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Inform parents when necessary
Dealing With The Victim
As a school we will:
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Provide support to students who are bullied and help them feel safe
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Reassure students that it was right to report the incident, that they do not deserve to be bullied and that it is not their fault
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Listen to their version of events and ascertain the extent of the problem
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Encourage them to talk about how they feel and write that down
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Involve them in seeking a solution to the situation
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Discuss strategies for being safe and staying safe
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Ask them to report immediately any further incidents
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Affirm that bullying can be stopped and that the school will persist with intervention until it does
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Place the victim on the bullying register
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Check that the bullying has not started again by talking to the victim within two weeks and again within the following half term.
Dealing with the Bully
As a school we will:
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Listen to their version of events
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Talk to any witnesses to the bullying
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Reinforce the message that bullying is not acceptable and that we expect bullying to stop. Seek a commitment to this from the bully
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Confirm that it is right for pupils to let us know when they are being bullied
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Adopt a joint problem solving approach and encourage students to take responsibility for the emotional and social needs of others
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Advise students responsible for bullying that checks will be made to ensure that the bullying stops
If necessary, we will invoke the full range of sanctions that are detailed in the school’s Disciplinary Policy. These include:
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Removal from the group
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Withdrawal of break and lunchtime privileges
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Detention
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Withholding participation in school events that are not an essential part of the curriculum
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Fixed Term Exclusion from school
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Permanent Exclusion will be used as a final sanction for persistent bullying
It is very important to challenge the behaviour, not the person.
It is important to recognise the following “excuses” in order to deal with them effectively (do not accept the words “only” and “just”):
| “It was only a joke” Was everyone laughing, including the victim? “We were only playing” Had the victim been invited? “It was an accident” Was it a non-accidental accident? - did the bully immediately apologise or help the victim or seek other help? “I found it” Why did you keep it? “I was only borrowing” Question whether he/she knows the victim well enough. |
Make it clear their behaviour must change. Encourage them to look at themselves as others see them, and acknowledge that they are creating problems for themselves. Listen to what they say and assess whether it is a cry for help or a cover-up for other problems. Try and meet that need.
Bullying Outside The School Premise
Schools are not 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. If bullying situations occur outside the school premises and the student involved is a member of the WHS community then the Policy as stated above will be followed and appropriate action will be taken.
In addition where a student or parent tells us of bullying off the school premises we will:
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Talk to students about how we avoid or handle bullying outside the school
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Talk to the Headteacher of another school whose students are bullying
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Talk to the transport company about bullying on buses
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Talk to the police
Complaints
We recognise there may be times when parents feel that we have not dealt well with an incident of bullying – and we would ask that this is 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.
Evaluating Our Policy
We will evaluate our anti-bullying policy using the following measures:-
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The number of incidents that are reported to staff over a given period – analysis of Conduct Log.
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Students’ perception of bullying in school through structured discussions with Student Forum Executive Committee
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We will investigate patterns of absence to ensure that children are not taking unnecessary days off school due to fear of being bullied
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The number of concerns and compliments received after the follow up review
Ownership of this Policy
This policy applies to all staff and to all students at William Howard School, whether temporarily or permanently on the school roll.
The Headteacher is responsible for introducing and implementing this policy. However all staff, all students and their parents have an active part to play in the development and maintenance of the policy, and in its success.
The following document is provided in student common rooms:
| Dealing with Bullying What is bullying? It is when anyone is made to feel uncomfortable through repeated verbal or physical or E Bullying actions. Persistent bullying causes distress and anxiety.
What should students do? Inform a member of staff. Form Tutors, Year Group Managers and Heads of Standards and all other teachers are aware of a number of strategies which can be used to try and stop bullying.
Bullying is NOT a joke
Bullies often use excuses for their behaviour. “It was only a joke” Was everyone laughing, including the victim? “We were only playing” Had the victim been invited? “It was an accident” Was it a non-accidental accident? - did the bully immediately apologise or help the victim or seek other help? “I found it” Why did you keep it? “I was only borrowing” Question whether he/she knows the victim well enough.
Bullying is NOT excusable - if you are a victim or witness incidents of bullying – please tell school staff - it can be stopped. |
The following document is provided in student organisers
| BULLYING
Nobody has the right to hurt other people by hitting them, kicking them, calling them names, spreading rumours about them or by doing anything else which is intended to upset them.
Bullies try to justify their actions by saying that it is their victim’s fault for being different. They may pick on someone who is tall or small, fat or thin, or wears glasses, or has a different accent, or another religion, or is shy or clever, or good-looking or disabled or ..... Any excuse will do, and if there is no real difference then the bullies will invent one.
If this is happening to you, tell yourself that it is not your fault, and that it is the bullies who need to change, not you.
WHAT TO DO Talk to someone you can trust: a teacher, parent, older friend or relative. Be persistent. If the first person you talk to ignores you, don’t give up; try someone else. If you can, write down every thing the bullies have done or said to you, and try to write down how you feel. Be careful to write down only things which really happen. Discuss this with the person who will listen. Most importantly, do something. Sometimes bullying stops quickly, but doing nothing means it may continue until someone is seriously upset or hurt. That could be you, or the bullies could find new victims, if they are not challenged.
WHAT NOT TO DO
Don’t try to deal with the problem on your own; there is nothing wrong with asking for help. Don’t hit the bullies; you might end up being accused of bullying yourself. Always tell the truth about what has happened. Don’t exaggerate. If a small part of what you are saying is shown to be untrue, then it throws everything else into doubt. Don’t believe all the lies the bullies tell about you. Don’t hide what is happening from the adults you trust.
KEEPING THINGS SECRET IS THE BULLY’S BIGGEST WEAPON AGAINST YOU! |