Ratified by Management Committee: January 2014

Review date: January 2015

Anti-Bullying Policy Statement

Rationale & Purpose

Bullying takes different forms, it can be physical, verbal or psychological and is a willful desire to hurt, threaten or frighten others directly or indirectly. Any behaviour which is the illegitimate use of power to hurt others is bullying behaviour.

The purpose of this policy is to provide a framework which allows those attending CTAPS do so within a caring, supportive and protective learning environment.

Guidelines

This policy statement should be read in conjunction with the following policies

Safeguarding

E-safety

Behaviour

Anti-cyber bulling

An anti-bullying ethos will be fostered through:

  • Raising awareness and understanding of bullying through curriculum and enrichment activities
  • Providing opportunities to talk and discuss aspects of bullying
  • Supervising key areas within the CTAPS school environment, on and off site
  • Communicating clear and systematic procedures for investigating incidents
  • Effective counselling for victims
  • Effective monitoring and reporting of incidents

Staff procedure for dealing with incidents on bullying

Do

  • Remain calm and listen carefully
  • Record what is said, do not prompt or suggest
  • Ask pupil/s to right down the details in their own words
  • Take every incident seriously and take action as quickly and possible
  • Reassure the victim, offer help and advice as appropriate and where possible use conflict resolution strategies to resolve the issue.
  • Report the details and action taken at the pupil briefing meeting at the end of each of the day or to the behaviour lead teacher beforehand if necessary
  • Contact parents/carers as appropriate as soon as possible after the details have been discussed with a senior leader.
  • Log a full report of the incident and action taken on the CTAPS recording system.

Don’t

  • Be over protective
  • Be negative in dealing with the bully, try to look objectively at the bullying behaviour
  • Keep the incident a secret
  • Try to hide the incident from the parents of the victim or the bully
  • Call the parents without prior consultation with a senior leader

Conclusion Through these proactive guidelines and procedures CTAPS will work to actively prevent incidents of bullying and when they do occur, deal with them swiftly and appropriately.

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