Rode School Policies and Reports
PDF: Anti-Bullying Policy
Rationale
Everyone at Rode Methodist VC First School has the right to feel welcome, secure and happy. Only if this is the case will all members of the school community be able to achieve to their maximum potential. Bullying of any sort prevents this being able to happen and prevents equality of opportunity. It is everyone's responsibility to prevent this happening and this policy contains guidelines to support this ethos.
Where bullying exists the victims must feel confident to activate the anti-bullying systems within the school to end the bullying. It is our aim to challenge attitudes about bullying behaviour, increase understanding for bullied pupils and help build an anti-bullying ethos in the school.
This document outlines how we make this possible at Rode Methodist VC First School. It should be read in conjunction with our Bullying-Charter for Action document (see Appendices).
Definitions of Bullying
Bullying is deliberately hurtful behaviour that is repeated over a period of time, making it difficult for the person concerned to defend themselves. This can take the form of name-calling, violence, threatened violence, isolation, ridicule or indirect action such as spreading unpleasant stories about someone.
The school works hard to ensure that all pupils know the difference between bullying and simply 'falling out'.
Actions to Tackle Bullying
Prevention is better than cure so at Rode Methodist VC First School we will be vigilant for signs of bullying and always take reports of incidents seriously. We will use the curriculum whenever possible to reinforce the ethos of the school and help pupils to develop strategies to combat bullying-type behaviour. We use the SEAL unit of work 'Say No to Bullying'.
Pupils are told that they must report any incidence of bullying to an adult within school, and that when another pupil tells them that they are being bullied or if they see bullying taking place it is their responsibility to report their knowledge to a member of staff. There is provision for school members to report incidents anonymously through our school council worry box.
All reported incidents of bullying will be investigated and taken seriously by staff members. A record will be kept of incidents. The Classteacher of the victim will be responsible for this and will be required to give a copy of report and the action taken to the Headteacher. Older pupils may be asked to write a report themselves. In order to ensure effective monitoring of such occurrences, and to facilitate co-ordinated action, all proven incidences of bullying should be reported to the Headteacher. If bullying includes racist abuse then it should be reported to the Headteacher to be recorded in the Racial Incident Book.
Upon discovery of an incident of bullying, we will discuss with the children the issues appropriate to the incident and to their age and level of understanding. If the incident is not too serious, a problem-solving approach may help. The adult will try to remain neutral and deliberately avoid direct, closed questioning which may be interpreted as accusatory or interrogational in style. Each pupil must be given an opportunity to talk and the discussion should remain focused on finding a solution to the problem and stopping the bullying recurring.
There are various strategies that we use if more than one pupil is involved in bullying another e.g. Role-play, drama techniques and regular Circle Time sessions. (Circle Time is an effective way of sharing information and provide a forum for discussing important issues such as equal rights, relationships, justice and acceptable behaviour. It can also be used just within the affected group to confront bullying that already exists. )
We encourage victims who are worried about openly discussing an incident to speak confidentially to any adult or school councilor in school. Victims are encouraged to feel secure in the knowledge that assertive behaviour, and even walking away can be effective ways of dealing with bullying.
Parental Involvement
The parents of bullies and their victims will be informed of an incident and the action that has taken place and asked to support strategies proposed to tackle the problem. The bully will also be reminded of the possible consequences of bullying and the sanctions for repeated incidents will be clearly explained to him / her. (Persistent bullies may be excluded from school). A monitoring tool may also be used, usually incorporating a reward for achieving desired behaviours.
Parents are reminded regularly through letters and newsletters to inform their children that they must tell someone should they ever be bullied. Keeping information from the school, or from their parents, will never help a problem to be solved, and will prolong the period a victim has to suffer. Whilst there is little history of bullying at Rode Methodist VC First School, we believe that one case is one case too many and we believe it is essential to constantly review this policy to ensure we are in a position to strengthen our approach to this issue. Where necessary we have and will call on outside resources such as the Behaviour Support Service, Kidscape and Caught in the Act theatre company to support our action. This policy is seen as an integral part of our Behaviour Policy.
Appendices:
PDF: Incident Report Form
Our Charter For Action
