Ethos Statement

At Oakway we are fully committed to the protection of children in our care and we will not tolerate bullying behaviour at any level. We strongly believe that children have the right to be educated in an atmosphere that is free from fear. We aim to create a partnership with home and our setting working together to overcome difficulties. In doing so, we strive to make our school environment a safe, friendly and inclusive place, in line with the Every Child Matters document. We always begin the school year by revisiting our school rules that are positively phrased and underpin every aspect of school life. The phrase that underpins our school rules is to treat others with the respect that we ourselves would like to be treated. To complement our rules, our PSHE teaching helps us to prepare children for the complexities of the world in which live. We aim through our teaching to empower children to recognise bullying behaviour and to act in a controlled manner in order to deal with their problems.

It is the aim of this policy to:

v  Clarify for all members of the school community what bullying behaviour is

v  Stress that bullying behaviour is never acceptable in any form

v  Document our preventative measures

v  Document  how we would deal with incidents of bullying behaviour and offer support for all those involved

 

What is Bullying behaviour?

 

Anti-Bullying Alliance Definition

“The intentional hurting of one person by another, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power.  It is usually an imbalance of power.  It is usually repetitive or persistent, although some on-off attacks can have a continuing harmful effect on the victim.”

 

Wellingborough Education Partnership (WEP) Definition

“Bullying is when a person feels emotionally or physically threatened or concerned for their safety because someone else intimidates, dominates, humiliates or abuses them.”

Bullying is behaviour by an individual or group, usually repeated over time, that intentionally hurts another individual or group either physically or emotionally (Northamptonshire Children and Young Peoples’ Service).

 

 

This policy covers the following forms of bullying behaviour; racial, religious, cultural, SEN or disabilities, appearance or health conditions, related to home circumstances, sexual orientation and sexist.  All school staff is covered by this policy including bullying behaviour by pupils, parents or other staff. Examples of bullying behaviour are…

v  Name calling or teasing

v  Threats or extortion

v  Physical violence

v  Spreading malicious rumours

v  Causing damage to others property

 

Guidance Strategies and Procedures

This policy links directly with the following documents; PSHE Policy, Behaviour Policy, Child Protection Policy, Complaint and Grievance Policies.

 

 

 

 

Dealing with cases of bullying behaviour (supporting the victim/s)

It is essential that problems are resolved quickly, before any serious damage is done to the personal development or education of those involved. Children, parents and staff are regularly made aware of the necessity to report incidents of bullying behaviour to a member of staff as soon as possible.

If bullying behaviour is reported to any member of staff, that staff member will find a quiet place to talk and;

1.       Listen and continue to listen at all stages. This will reassure the victim that they have done the right thing by speaking up.

2.       Inform Home School Liaison Officer. At this stage either the member of staff or our HSLO will continue with the procedure as appropriate.

3.       Discuss problem solving strategies.

4.       Record the incident on the Several Times on Purpose (STOP) Form and set in motion a support package for the victim that will be reviewed.  Inform the Head Teacher.

5.       If the victim is a child, inform parents or carers so that we can work in partnership.

6.       Any reported incidents where the victim is a child will be added to the Pupil Bulletin for all staff to see.

7.       Inform other adults who work with the child (with the child’s consent).

8.       Provide continued support.

 

Dealing with cases of bullying behaviour (perpetrator/s)

Before taking any action we will hear both sides and assess the nature of the problem, keep an open mind and not jump to any conclusion. If after this we believe bullying behaviour has in fact taken place we will take action. Whatever the decision we will monitor the situation carefully.

As each case of bullying behaviour tends to be unique it is difficult to set in stone an exact method of dealing with a ‘bully’ however depending upon the offence and the circumstances we will;

 

·         Counsel the perpetrator about the event and talk about how to move forward with the correct behaviour

·         Look at the motivation of the ‘bully’

·         Ensure that the perpetrators are aware of why their behaviour is causing distress

·         Follow Behaviour Policy if the perpetrator is a child

·         If the perpetrator is a member of staff then the Complaints and Grievance Policies will be followed.

·         If the perpetrator is a parent the Head Teacher will arrange a meeting with them.

·         Monitor future behaviour.

 

In severe or repeated situations where the perpetrator is a child we will;

·         Operate a fixed term exclusion

·         Move this to a permanent exclusion if the behaviour continues

The Governing Body, will monitor both types of exclusion and will share with parents their legal right of appeal against a decision.

 

Recording and Evaluating

All STOP Forms will be kept in the Head Teacher’s office.  The SENCO will monitor and evaluate the forms during the usual behaviour monitor cycle.

 

Curriculum Support & Preventative Measures

 

To prevent bullying behaviour we aim to…

·         Emphasise to children what behaviour is acceptable

·         Raise awareness of bullying behaviour, while recognising what is not bullying behaviour, through anti-bullying activities arranged by the School Council

·         Teach children how to talk about their problems (using principles of Protective Behaviour)

·         Empower children to solve some of their own problems: but to recognise when problems become too big for them to handle

·         Teach children how to get help and advice

·         Empower bystanders to intervene appropriately and report bullying behaviour

·         Demonstrate to children how we deal successfully with problems

·         Promote inclusiveness and empathy towards other cultures, life styles and experiences, through the curriculum

·         Show children that many adults will listen (but teach them how to cope if they do not)

·         Demonstrate that if bullying behaviour within society is ignored it escalates

·         Deal with problems sensitively ( a heavy handed approach encourages problems to go unnoticed)

·         Ensure that children are aware of our Buddy Stop and School Councillors

·         Regular training for lunchtime supervisors and updating of resources for playtime

·         Regular training for staff on anti-bullying

 

 

Parents/Carers

We ask that parents and carers support our school rules. These are in our prospectus and displayed in each classroom. Each September we reintroduce these rules and then continue to reflect on these throughout the school year.

To help us to support the children in our care, we ask that parents and carers quickly bring to our attention problems that their children have shared with them at home. If the class teachers know about worries early on, often problems can be resolved before they escalate. If problems do continue to develop beyond this initial meeting, or are of a serious nature initially, we will immediately involve a senior member of staff.

Sometimes children will not share their worries, but parents or carers simply know their children so well that they can sense something is wrong. If this is the case we ask that parents come and talk to us and together we may be able to find out what the problem is without interrogating or putting the child under any further pressure.

If parents or carers were ever unhappy about how we deal with a problem we would ask them to make an appointment to talk with the class teacher or a senior member of staff who will respond to any concerns. Letters for the Chair of Governors can also be passed to the school office who will pass them on in confidence without them being opened by a member of the school staff.

 

Confidentiality

Although we take confidentiality very seriously we can never promise to keep all of the things that the children share with us private. If at any stage we were concerned about child protection we would follow the school’s agreed procedures.

 

Police Liaison

We work very closely with the police service and our school liaison officer teaches on our PSHE programme across the school. If we need to involve the police with any aspect of behaviour management we would always ensure that the parents or carers have been informed.

If deemed appropriate, the Head Teacher will report incidents involving parents to the police.

 

Policy Formation

All staff were involved and had input into the development of our procedures. This policy was sent out to parents’ and carers’ and their views have been incorporated in this document. The School Council also reviewed this document.