Anti Bullying
Anti Bullying Policy November 2014
LAKENHAM PRIMARY SCHOOL ANTI-BULLYING POLICY
Statement of Intent
We are committed to providing a caring, friendly and safe environment for all of our pupils so they can learn in a relaxed and secure atmosphere. Bullying of any kind is unacceptable at our school. If bullying does occur, all pupils should be able to tell and know that incidents will be dealt with promptly and effectively. We are a TELLING school. This means that anyone who knows that bullying is happening is expected to tell the staff.
What Is Bullying?
Bullying is the use of aggression with the intention of hurting another person. Bullying results in pain and distress to the victim.
Bullying can be:
Emotional being unfriendly, excluding, tormenting (e.g. hiding books, threatening gestures)
Physical pushing, kicking, hitting, punching or any use of violence Racist racial taunts, graffiti, gestures
Sexual unwanted physical contact or sexually abusive comments Homophobic because of, or focussing on the issue of sexuality
Verbal name-calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, teasing Cyber All areas of internet ,such as email & internet chat room misuse
Mobile threats by text messaging & calls
Misuse of associated technology , i.e. camera &video facilities
Why is it Important to Respond to Bullying?
Bullying hurts. No one deserves to be a victim of bullying. Everybody has the right to be treated with respect. Pupils who are bullying need to learn different ways of behaving.
At Lakenham Primary School we have a responsibility to respond promptly and effectively to issues of bullying.
Objectives of this Policy
All governors, teaching and non-teaching staff, pupils and parents should have an understanding of what bullying is.
All governors and teaching and non-teaching staff should know what the school policy is on bullying, and follow it when bullying is reported.
All pupils and parents should know what the school policy is on bullying, and what they should do if bullying arises.
As a school we take bullying seriously. Pupils and parents should be assured that they will be supported when bullying is reported.
Bullying will not be tolerated.
Signs and Symptoms
A child may indicate by signs or behaviour that he or she is being bullied. All adults at Lakenham need to be aware of these possible signs and will investigate further if they notice that a child:
is frightened of walking to or from school doesn't want to go on the school / public bus begs to be driven to school
changes their usual routine
is unwilling to go to school (school phobic) begins to truant
becomes withdrawn anxious, or lacking in confidence starts stammering
attempts or threatens suicide or runs away
cries themselves to sleep at night or has nightmares feels ill in the morning
begins to do poorly in school work
comes home with clothes torn or books damaged has possessions which are damaged or " go missing" asks for money or starts stealing money (to pay bully) has dinner or other monies continually "lost"
has unexplained cuts or bruises
comes home starving (money / lunch has been stolen) becomes aggressive, disruptive or unreasonable
is bullying other children or siblings stops eating
is frightened to say what's wrong
gives improbable excuses for any of the above is afraid to use the internet or mobile phone
is nervous & jumpy when a cyber message is received
These signs and behaviours could indicate other problems, but bullying will be considered a possibility and will be investigated
Procedures
- Report bullying incidents to staff
- In cases of serious bullying, the incidents will be recorded by staff
- In serious cases parents should be informed and will be asked to come in to a meeting to discuss the problem
- If necessary and appropriate, police will be consulted
- The bullying behaviour or threats of bullying must be investigated and the bullying stopped quickly
- An attempt will be made to help the bully (bullies) change their behaviour
Outcomes
- 1) The bully (bullies) may be asked to genuinely Other consequences may take place.
- 2) In serious cases, suspension or even exclusion will be considered
- 3) If possible, the pupils will be reconciled
- 4) After the incident / incidents have been investigated and dealt with, each case will be monitored to ensure repeated bullying does not take
Prevention
We will use a variety of methods for helping children to prevent bullying. As and when appropriate, these may include:
writing a set of school rules signing a behaviour contract
writing stories or poems or drawing pictures about bullying
reading stories about bullying or having them read to a class or assembly making up role-plays
having discussions about bullying and why it matters
Discussions about the Rights of members of our community and our ongoing focus on the Rights Respecting School Award
HELP ORGANISATIONS: Advisory Centre for Education (ACE) |
0808 800 5793 |
Children's Legal Centre |
0845 345 4345 |
KIDSCAPE Parents Helpline (Mon-Fri, 10-4) |
0845 1 205 204 |
Parentline Plus |
0808 800 2222 |
Youth Access Bullying Online |
020 8772 9900 |