Willow Brook School

Willow Brook School

willow brook

school

Bullying Policy

SEPTEMBER 2010

BULLYING: WILLOWBROOKSCHOOL’S RESPONSE

Willow Brookhas a reputation as a caring school where children thrive in a safe and supportive environment which encourageseveryoneto enjoy learning and to achieve success.

In May 2009, OFSTED wrote:

‘Relationships are very positive and pupils feel safe in the pleasant and calm ethos of the school.’

‘Pastoral care is a strength of the school. Pupils thrive because they feel safe and the very few incidents of unacceptable behaviour are handled promptly and effectively.’

However, we are not complacent. Bullying happens in all schools across the country. No school canclaim there is never any bullying. Willow Brooke is no exception. Schools have a legal duty to have an anti- bullying policy and to safeguard children.

Sadly, support groups such “The Anti-Bullying Alliance” and “Childline” have a great deal of evidence to show that bullying blights the lives of thousands of children and young people daily. It can cause untold misery and harm.

We need to ensure that everyone involved in the education of our children, particularly the children themselves, understand that bullying must be tackled. The school needs to demonstrate that we are committed to long term, sustainable measures to prevent and deal with bullying and that everyone understands what these measures are.

Our ‘Bullying Policy’ sets out adefinition of bullying and what our children and their parents should be able to expect at WillowBrookSchoolto manage, reduce and eradicate bullying.

We hope you will be reassured by a policy which demonstrates that everyone in the school community is committed to responding to unacceptable behaviour of any sort, including bullying.

WHAT IS BULLYING?

Based on evidence and research, the Anti Bullying Alliance defines bullying as:

“The intentional, repetitive or persistent hurting of one person by another,

where the relationship involves an imbalance of power”

This is easily remembered as R.I.P. (Repetitive, Intentional, and Persistent)

Bullying can be done face-to-face, through third parties, or through sending messages or images by e-mail, text or over the internet. It can be physical and emotional, including:

  • Name calling
  • Taunting
  • Threatening
  • Mocking
  • Making offensive comments
  • Kicking
  • Punching
  • Pushing
  • Taking and damagingbelongings
  • Gossiping
  • Excluding children from groups
  • Spreading of rumours

Some children are vulnerable to bullying because of physical or social characteristics. Children with learning difficulties are vulnerable to bullying because they may be unable to assert themselves. Children are vulnerable as they transfer to secondary education.

Anyone can be bullied for any reason or difference.

Children who are bullied may truant from school or be poor attenders. They may be anxious, insecure, suffer from low esteem and see themselves as failures.

Bullying can lead to depression, or in the most serious cases self harm or suicide.

Children can both bully and be bullied at the same time.

In the course of the day, schools deal with isolated or one-off incidents when children are called names or hurt in some way through silly or inappropriate behaviour. It may simply be the result of children falling out or having a difference of opinion with each other. Of course, staff at Willow Brook deal with these incidents when they occur and will take matters further if they become repetitive, intentional and persistent.

Given the Anti Bullying Alliance definition, is this bullying and does it need to be dealt with as such? If isolated ‘differences of opinion’ which can be readily and easily resolved were regarded as bullying, schools could unnecessarily spend a great deal of time and human resources resolvingthem.

In PSHCE (Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education) which is taught by year group, key stage or as a whole school, we reinforce the message that children should be encouraged to take increasing responsibility for themselves and for their actions. We want children to think for themselves and draw on personal thoughts, feelings and experiences.

CHALLENGING BULLYING:

The safety and happiness of all of our children is very important to us. If children are bullied, their lives become miserable, they may suffer injury, they are likely to be unhappy about coming to school, and their confidence is diminished.

Unhappy children cannot concentrate properly on their learning.

Tackling bullying is a key element in promoting the health and well-being of children.

If children observe that bullying is left unchallenged, they may learn that bullying is an easy and effective means of getting their own way. Children being bullied may interpret that a lack of action on the school’s part condones unacceptable behaviour. They will feel let down by adults in authority.

Involving children in solutions to bullying can create a positive ethos and help reduce bullying.

OUR ANTI-BULLYING POLICY:

The key message we want to demonstrate to our children is one of mutual respect. Children should be respected, and in turn they should show respect for others. At WillowBrookSchool, we hope that any bullying is identified and dealt with promptly and properly.

We seek to:

  • Raise everyone’s awareness about bullying.
  • Ensure that bullying is identified and reported as quickly as possible.
  • Make our children understand the implications of bullying – from the victim’s and the bully’s point of view.
  • Outline a range of sanctions should bullying occur.
  • Indicate ways in which parents should become involved.
  • Suggest ways in which the bully’s behaviour should be modified.
  • Show how we can support the victim.

We talk to children. We listen to children. We value their opinions. We discuss what is acceptable and what is not acceptable with them.

Many of our assemblies and class discussions deal with a wide variety of issues and topics surrounding Citizenship and Personal and Social Education. For example, we remind our children about the need to be vigilant when crossing the road, we talk about ‘Stranger Danger’, we discuss sharing and caring, we reinforce messages about friendship and equality and we discuss happiness and sadness. Our older children have designated drugs awareness and sex education as part of a planned programme.

Bullying is an issue which teachers discuss with children and they do it from a variety of viewpoints:

THE VICTIM:

Children need to be told, and reminded, about how to deal with bullying:

  • If you are being bullied, tell the bully to stop.
  • Try and remove yourself from the situation as quickly as possible.
  • Tell an adult what has happened straight away – children at Willow Brook know that a trusted member of staff is not necessarily a teacher – it could be a dinner lady, a support assistant or a member of the office staff.
  • Ask a friend to go with you to support you.
  • Tell your family what has happened.
  • When you talk to someone, say what has happened to you.
  • Say how often it has happened.
  • Say who else was involved.
  • Say who else saw it happen.
  • Say where it happened.

THE FAMILY:

Parents, carers and families have an important role to play in dealing with bullying. We need to know of your concerns so we can deal with the problem.

  • Talk to your child about bullying.
  • Discourage your child from using bullying behaviour at home and anywhere else.
  • Show them that resolving a difficult situation with aggression or violence is not the answer.
  • Watch out for signs that you child may be suffering from bullying or may be bullying others – either way, don’t dismiss it – contact the school with your concerns.
  • If your child has been bullied, talk to your child about the experience and reassure them that they have done the right thing by talking to you about it.
  • If necessary, make a note of details and say that the information needs to be passed on to school.
  • See your child’s teacher or contact Mr Jenkinson, the Head Teacher.
  • Find out what action the school intends to take.
  • Keep in touch with the school – let us know if things persist and when things improve.

If you know or suspect that your child is bullying other children:

  • Talk to your child and explain that their behaviour is unacceptable and is making other children miserable and unhappy.
  • Talk to us at school and explain that your child may be experiencing problems.
  • Regularly ask your child how things are going at school.
  • Keep in close contact with school.
  • Give your child praise when unacceptable behaviour ceases and kindness and co-operation take over.
  • Show your child how they can join in and be part of a group without taking over or by using aggressive behaviour.

THE BULLY:

Children may bully others because:

  • They don’t know it is wrong.
  • They are copying a friend or member of the family who they admire.
  • They have not learned better ways of making friends or of mixing with others at school.
  • Their friends may be encouraging them to bully on their behalf.
  • They are going through a difficult time.

WILLOW BROOK STAFF:

  • Staff are vigilant to incidents of bullying in and around school.
  • Our vigilance is not confined to the school day – we have an obligation to our children on their way to school and on the way home.
  • Our midday supervisors know of the need for vigilance at lunchtimes and understand the correct procedures for reporting bullying.
  • If incidents of bullying are witnessed by any member of staff, they should be dealt with immediately and in the agreed manner.
  • The emphasis on reporting incidents of bullying and associated unacceptable behaviour cannot be overestimated.

The aim of our approach to dealing with bullying is to actively and positively discourage pupils from engaging in behaviour that causes distress, pain or unhappiness to others.

Good behaviour is rewarded positively with praise, pride and encouragement.

Unacceptable behaviour is not rewarded with raised voices or extra attention or fuss.

Our children know and understand that persistent or determined incidents of unacceptable behaviour will have consequences for them and may result in sanctions.

DEALING WITH BULLYING AT WILLOW BROOK:

The following steps may be taken when dealing with incidents:

  • If bullying is suspected or reported, the incident will be dealt with immediatelyby the member of staff who has been approached.
  • A clear account of the incident will be recorded and given to the Head Teacher.
  • The Head Teacher will interview all concerned and will record the incident.
  • Parents will be kept informed.
  • Pupils who have been bullied will be offered an opportunity to discuss it with a member of staff. This is aimed at reassuring the pupil,offering support and restoring self-esteem and confidence
  • Pupils who have bullied will be helped bydiscussing what happened, discovering why the pupil became involved, establishing the wrong doing and need to changebehavior, informing parents or guardians to help change the attitude of the pupil

The following disciplinary steps can be taken:

  • official warnings to cease offending
  • missed privileges
  • missed playtimes and/or lunchtimes
  • minor fixed-term exclusion
  • major fixed-term exclusion
  • permanent exclusion

MONITORING, EVALUATION AND REVIEW.

The school will review this policy annually and assess its implementation and effectiveness. The policy will be promoted and implemented throughout the school.

If bullying persists, our starting point is that we would expect that parents or carers would expect to be involved. This applies equally to parents of children who are being bullied or parents of children who may be the perpetrators of bullying.

We are happy to talk to parents and carers at any time if you have any concerns about the safety or well-being of your children.

WillowBrookSchool

September 2010

Bullying Policy – Willow Brook Primary School 2010

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