Wyke Regis CE Junior School - Anti-bullying Policy
1 Introduction
1.1 Bullying is action taken by one or more children with the deliberate intention of hurting another child, either physically or emotionally. Bullying is not usually a one-off event, but a systematic means of hurting someone.
2 Aims and objectives
2.1 Bullying is wrong and damages individual children. We therefore do all we can to prevent it, by developing a school ethos in which bullying is regarded as unacceptable.
2.2 We aim, as a school, to produce a safe and secure environment where all can learn without anxiety.
2.3 This policy aims to produce a consistent school response to any bullying incidents that may occur.
2.4 We aim to make all those connected with the school aware of our opposition to bullying, and we make clear each person’s responsibilities with regard to the eradication of bullying in our school.
2.5 We ensure that each member of the school is reminded of the school’s anti-bullying policy and procedures at the start of the school year. Bullying topics are covered through the school’s PSHE curriculum, particularly through our involvement in the ‘Social & Emotional Aspects of Learning’ (SEAL) materials adopted by the school.
3 The school’s anti-bullying strategy
3.1 Staff will treat all concerns or reports about bullying seriously.
3.2 It is vitally important that any victim of bullying is reassured that they have done the correct thing in telling an adult. There may be a need to also reassure them that they are not responsible for the bullying happening to them.
3.3 It is important to listen carefully to the child’s story and record the main points. It may be necessary to ask questions of a child, but these need to be carefully chosen (this is not an interrogation).
3.4 Staff should fully investigate any allegations. All bullying allegations must be reported to the headteacher.
3.5 Children accused of bullying should be interviewed and a record keep of any comments made. Other children or adults may need to be interviewed as part of the investigation – their observations should also be recorded.
3.6 It may be appropriate for the victim to meet, under the supervision of the staff member, with the alleged perpetrator(s) to explain how the bullying is affecting them. This is intended to help the bully(ies) to empathise with the victim. However, this must only be done with the full agreement of the victim.
3.7 If proven, depending on the nature of the bullying, the staff member investigating the allegation may wish to choose one or a combination of the following outcomes: an apology, a reprimand, a warning about future conduct, a loss of privileges (e.g. detention) or, with referral to the Headteacher, exclusion from school.
3.8 Parents/carers of the victim and the bully(ies) must be informed of the incident and the outcome to the investigation.
4 The role of governors
4.1 The governing body supports the headteacher in all attempts to eliminate bullying from our school. This policy statement makes it very clear that the governing body does not allow bullying to take place in our school, and that any incidents of bullying that do occur are taken very seriously and dealt with appropriately.
4.2 The governing body monitors the incidents of bullying that occur, and reviews the effectiveness of the school policy regularly. The governors require the headteacher to keep accurate records of all incidents of bullying and to report to the governors on request about the effectiveness of school anti-bullying strategies.
4.3 The governing body responds within ten days to any request from a parent to investigate incidents of bullying. In all cases, the governing body notifies the headteacher and asks him to conduct an investigation into the case and to report back to a representative of the governing body.
5 The role of the headteacher
5.1 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 know how to deal with incidents of bullying. The
headteacher reports to the governing body about the effectiveness of the anti-bullying policy on request.
5.2 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 or School Council as a forum in which to discuss with other children why this behaviour was wrong, and why a pupil is being punished.
5.3 The headteacher ensures that all staff receive sufficient training to be equipped to deal with all incidents of bullying.
5.4 The headteacher sets the school 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.
5.5 The headteacher maintains a logbook of all incident of misconduct, including bullying. He ensures that parents/carers are informed of incidents of bullying by or against their child/children.
6 The role of the teacher and other staff
6.1 Staff in our school take all forms of bullying seriously, and intervene to prevent incidents from taking place. Teachers keep their own records of incidents that happen in their class and that they are aware of in the school.
6.2 When considered necessary, staff attend training, which enables them to become equipped to deal with incidents of bullying and behaviour management.
6.3 Teachers and teaching assistants attempt to support all children in their class and to establish a climate of trust and respect for all. By praising, rewarding and celebrating the success of all children, we aim to prevent incidents of bullying.
6.4 At the beginning of each academic year, each class agrees it own set of class rules (the Class Charter) to encourage good learning strategies and a positive and caring attitude to one another.
7 The role of parents/carers
7.1 Parents/carers who are concerned that their child might be being bullied, or who suspect that their child may be the perpetrator of bullying, should contact their child’s class teacher immediately.
7.2 Parents/carers 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.
8 Monitoring and review
8.1 This policy is monitored on a day-to-day basis by the headteacher, who reports to governors about the effectiveness of the policy on request.
8.2 This anti-bullying policy is the governors’ responsibility and they review its effectiveness annually. They do this by discussion with the headteacher. Governors will analyse information with regard to gender, age and ethnic background of all children involved in bullying incidents.
8.3 The school carries out an annual investigation into bullying issues through staff/pupil discussions and questionnaires.
Reviewed:
September 2006
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