Anti-Bullying Policy

BGN Anti–Bullying Policy 2009 - 2010

“Bullying is making someone feel unhappy by causing physical and/or emotional pain resulting in the need to avoid a place or person(s).  Bullying is intentional, deliberate and repetitive and is a wilful act to diminish one person to the advantage of another.  Bullying is a conscious abuse of power.”
 Gillott’s Partnership of Schools, Oxfordshire, 1998.

Aim:

The aim of this policy is to ensure that pupils learn in a Christian environment that is; supportive, caring and safe, and absent of bullying and threatening behaviour.  Bullying is anti-social behaviour and affects everyone; it is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.  

In our dealings with pupils, staff emphasise the importance of the Gospel values of respecting the feelings and emotions of others.   We teach pupils to love one another and forgive one another as Jesus has taught us.  This aspect of our policy is delivered on a regular basis through form-time, year assemblies, whole school assemblies and the delivery of subjects.

Pupils with specific aggressive tendencies are set targets through their IEPs (Individual Education Plans) and work with teaching staff and LSAs (Learning Support Assistants) to learn the expectations of the school and make progress.  

Only when all issues of bullying are addressed will pupils be able to fully benefit from the opportunities available at school.

Definition of Bullying:

Bullying is not a one off incident it is repeated behaviour which makes other people feel uncomfortable or threatened whether this is intended or not.  Bullying can be physical, verbal, written or cyber ie. telephone, texting and internet, and interference with another individual or intentional psychological pressure.

CYBER BULLYING

What is Cyber Bullying?

Cyber Bullying is defined as , ‘the use of information and communication technology (ICT) particularly the internet and mobile phones to deliberately upset someone else.

Reasons behind Cyber Bullying

Cyber Bullying differs from physical bullying in a number of ways.  Firstly, cyberspace provides a certain degree of anonymity and due to this the perpetrator may feel their identity is protected.  Secondly, cyber bullying has no geographical boundaries and can take place at any time anywhere meaning that children and young people can be targeted whilst at home or on their way home from school.  Mobile phones, particularly pay-as-you-go are also cheaper than ever before and this has made it easier for them to be bought and misused by young people.

BGN will not tolerate cyber bullying or any form of bullying and will take immediate action when this is brought to our attention and in severe cases of bullying we will involve our Police Liaison Officer

Students rights in conjunction with bullying:

BGN students have the right to:
•    Be able to tell a teacher about any incident without fear of being regarded as a tell-tale or “grass”
•    Know that all complaints will be taken seriously and acted upon
•    Feel safe and secure
•    Be respected by others regardless of their race, colour creed gender or sexual orientation

Implementation of the policy:

When an incident of bullying is reported, the incident will be dealt with immediately by the member of staff it has been reported to.  A clear account of the incident will be recorded and passed on to the appropriate Learning Leader.  All accounts are to be filed in the Anti-Bullying File. It may be decided that the teacher reporting the incident may follow it up or that the LL will.

Form tutors will be kept informed at all stages.

Parents will be informed of any incidents that occur – whether their child is the victim or the perpetrator.  In some cases the victim may choose not to have their parents involved; dependant on the seriousness of the case this may be respected. The incident will be followed up in the subsequent weeks.

Care for the Victim:

We will work to restore self-esteem and listen to the worries and experiences of those who have been bullied.

We will reassure pupils and offer continuous support.  Where necessary a 6th Form Mentor can be appointed to the victim for extra support. The teacher investigating will be responsible for ensuring follow up meetings with the victim to check everything has settled down.

Care for the Bully:

Following the teachings of the church, we will encourage the bully to trust us that it is their actions that are bad and not themselves: “The sin not the sinner.”  We will work to teach the bully that their actions were wrong and seek to promote change in their behaviour. We will seek support from parent/guardian to aid a change in attitude of the pupil.

Actions that can be taken:

The bully will at first be given a warning to cease poor behaviour.

Any of the below actions will also result in parents being informed:

Detentions may be put in place.

Pupils may be internally excluded for break/lunch/whole days.

Form group change.

Minor fixed-term exclusion.

Major fixed-term exclusion.

Permanent exclusion.

Advice for talking with victim and bully:

Talking with the victim – The victim must be given time and the opportunity to speak.  Sympathise with the victim and arrange to see them again.  If the victim did not come to you of their own accord then you may suggest he/she speak with a member of staff they feel more comfortable with – however, make sure you have covered this with the chosen teacher first.

Talking with the bully – It is important that this conversation does not get tied down investigating the facts.  The conversation needs to focus on finding out why the perpetrator intimidates others.  A useful strategy is to talk about the bully’s relationship with other pupils, staff or family and not the victim.  The meeting should conclude with an agreement on how the pupil should behave in relation to the victim and others in general.  A record of the incident will be logged on SIMS.

Talking with both the victim and the bully – This should be done with the consent of the victim.  It is an opportunity for the bully to offer a sincere verbal apology and accept the responsibility of his/her actions.  In this meeting arrange to meet again with both parties to ensure that the situation has settled down.

Reporting and Investigating Bullying:

Statutory duty of school:

BGN School has a legal duty under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 to draw up procedures to prevent bullying among pupils and to bring these procedures to the attention of staff, parents and pupils.

With regard to this, the Anti-Bullying Policy is available in:

•    The Staff Handbook
•    Information Packs for Prospective Parents
•    Is available on the school website
•    A statement of the policy is in all pupil planners
•    Addressed in PSME/Citizenship lesson and other subjects
•    Addressed in assemblies