BULLYING POLICY

Bullying is unacceptable. If a child is being bullied at our school, the following procedures are to enable us to support that child. We will also look to further organisations, should the need arise, which can offer further help and information regarding advice, should we need it.

Identifying Bullying
Bullying can be defined as deliberately hurtful behaviour that is repeated over a period of time. This can include:

	teasing, abusive remarks and name calling
	threats and physical violence
	damage to property
	leaving pupils out of social activities deliberately
	spreading rumours

Identifying Bullying
A child may not directly tell their parent that they are being bullied but may display other symptoms like headaches, irritability and anxiety, and may not want to come to school. If a child is behaving like this or out of character, try talking to them about:

	their progress with school work
	friends at school
	what they do at lunchtime and breaks
	any problems or difficulties they are facing

If a child is found out to be being bullied, this can be upsetting, but if this happens, we will try to talk calmly to the child about what is happening and:

	make a written report of what they say: who was involved, where, when and how often?
	Reassure the child that they have done the right thing by telling someone (their parent, teacher, Designated Child Protection officer)
	tell the child to report any further incidents to a teacher straightaway
	talk to the child's parents about the bullying

Definitions of Bullying
Bullying is persistent, intentional harming of another person within an unequal power relationship. Further points of clarification:

	It is difficult for the victim to defend him or herself
	It can be carried out by a group or by an individual
	A single instance can in some cases be perceived as bullying by the victim
	We do need to recognise that sometimes the goal is not to harm and the distress of the victim is not always recognised by the 'bully'. If the victim is distressed and believes that the intent is there, we can say that a bullying incident has taken place
	Traditional safeguarding methods often fail to protect children from ethnic minorities, disabled children, young people who are gay or lesbian, and those with learning difficulties, thus making them more vulnerable to this type of abuse

The types of bullying fall into a number of categories:

	VERBAL - threatening or intimidating behaviour with consequences, spreading rumours, excluding, calling names, teasing, making sexual, racial, sectarian remarks, picking on physical appearance
	PHYSICAL - kicking, punching, hitting, spitting, biting, tripping
	EMOTIONAL - 'sending to Coventry', talking behind backs, staring out, writing nasty notes/letters/graffiti
	NON-VERBAL - getting people into trouble, leaving out of games, writing letters

Research suggests that unless new behaviours are learned and adopted, bullies may continue to bully throughout their lifetime, with damaging consequences for their mental health and well-being and their relationships with others.

Underlying Principles
Every child has a right to protection from all forms of violence and exploitation and to expect that people will protect and help them. Every child also has the right to a safe education, where it is safe to speak out.

The existence of bullying removes these rights, so it is important that our school has a clear, well supported and monitors school behaviour policies. All staff are supported in their responsibility for preventing bullying and encouraging good interpersonal relationships throughout the school, so pupils learn to treat each other with respect and recognise bullying as wholly unacceptable.

When the school effectively addresses the problem of bullying there are clear benefits, both short and long term for individuals and the whole school environment.

February 2010. CW