Anti-Bullying Policy
INTRODUCTION
All victimising behaviour is obviously unacceptable but it is useful to be able to differentiate between teasing and bullying, to be comfortable with the distinction between attitudes and social behaviour that are neutrally non-friendly on the one hand, and situations that are flagrantly hostile and anti-social on the other. In reviewing this Policy the College has had regard to the DCSF Guidance ‘Safe to Learn: Embedding Anti-Bulling Work in Schools’.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The aim of this policy is to state clearly the strong position held by the School in its abhorrence of bullying, in all its forms, and to give guidance to the whole school community, pupils, parents and staff regarding what to look for, what to do and how the School will investigate and deal with behaviour felt to be detrimental to the welfare of the individual.
DEFINITION
A pupil is being bullied if he or she is being made unhappy by things that others say or do to him or her. This may happen over a prolonged period of time or there may be a number of apparently isolated incidents. Bullying can be physical, emotional or psychological, occur both in and out of Houses, and although there may be cases where teachers bully or intimidate pupils, most incidents involve pupil-pupil relationships. In particular the College is committed to eradicating behaviour that may be termed ‘racist’, ‘sexist’, ‘homophobic’, related to educational special needs or disability. It should be noted that the situation regarding ‘Cyber-bullying’ is specifically considered towards the end of this policy.
SYMPTOMS AND OUTCOMES
Some pupils may be more vulnerable than others. It is important that we are sensitive to pupils who because of their behaviours or circumstances may be vulnerable. Deteriorating attendance, poor punctuality, lack of progress and diminishing achievement can be indicators that the pupil is vulnerable in some way and susceptible to – or suffering already from – bullying.
Pupils being bullied may also demonstrate emotional and behavioural problems, physical problems such as headaches and stomach pains, or signs of depression. Bullying is a deeply damaging activity, potentially causing psychological damage for both the person being bulled and the person conducting the bullying, and its legacy can follow young people into adulthood. (Although bullying is not a specific criminal offence, there are criminal laws which apply to harassment and threatening behaviour).
RAISING AWARENESS
The College undertakes to raise the awareness of staff, both teaching and non-teaching, and pupils to the signs and symptoms of bullying and the damage that it can do. Specific occasions when this takes place include the start of year whole staff meeting where the DHP addresses all staff on the subject of Child Protection and bullying, the start of the Summer Term whole teaching staff meeting, the new staff induction process, the College Prefects Induction Course. (This is followed by College Prefects visiting Middle School Houses to talk to the House Prefects about dealing with bullying) and the PSHE programme as published. Discussion and review of the topic is also promulgated through School Assemblies, House meetings, House pupil committees and the twice weekly briefings given in Common Room.
PREVENTION
For the problem of bullying to be tackled successfully a climate needs to be created and established in which all forms of victimisation are discouraged, and where reporting cases of bullying is seen as the normal and proper thing to do. It will obviously be necessary to treat cases of bullying in a different way to one-off acts of aggressive or victimising behaviour. The latter would include pushing in the corridor, taking another pupil’s possessions without genuine permission, taunting another pupil, shutting a door in someone’s face. In these cases colleagues are expected to intervene with a firm response, indicating that such behaviour is not acceptable. Each case must be treated on its merits and whilst conscious of the need not to underplay the more persistent, if less noticeable, type of misbehaviour, it should not be necessary to carry out a detailed (and time consuming) investigation.
All pupils need to understand that bullying is totally unacceptable, and be offered strategies for dealing positively and supportively with each other. No member of the community must be in any doubt as to the school’s abhorrence of bullying and its determination to deal firmly with all cases.
STAFF GUIDANCE AND TRAINING
The Policy will be promulgated to all staff through the Staff Handbook, the New Staff Induction process, staff INSET and the twice weekly staff briefings. At each ‘Whole Staff’ meeting at the start of the academic year and of the Summer Term the DHP will introduce himself to new staff, both teaching and support, and will remind all staff of the importance of vigilance, the significance of what they may see or hear and the correct procedure for bringing concerns to House staff or to him direct.
The Policy also forms part of the Induction Programme for College Prefects who, in turn, disseminate the policy to prefects in the Middle School Houses who are also instructed by their House Staff. Lower School Prefects are briefed by the Head of Lower School.
Parents, Pupils and Staff may care to consider the advice given by the DCFS available at: http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/behaviour/tacklingbullying/
INVESTIGATING A SUSPECTED CASE OF BULLYING
In essence the term ‘bullying’ is most properly used when referring to repeated incidents. If the word ‘bullying’ is used then the anti-bullying policy MUST be activated by the member of staff concerned. Certain circumstances may be better addressed, at least initially, by using terms such as ‘unkind’, ‘unthinking’, ‘unpleasant’, ‘insulting’, etc.
Although a pupil’s House Master/Mistress or, in the case of Lower School Day pupils, the Head of Lower School is the first point of referral for all pastoral matters, all staff have an obligation to act immediately when ‘bullying’ is suspected or reported. Members of staff should respond personally by carrying out the initial investigation, and inform the DHP through the Head of Sixth Form, Middle School and Lower School as soon as possible. House Master/Mistress and Tutor of the pupils concerned should also be informed.
If, after investigations by the member of staff concerned, it is felt that ‘bullying’ is indeed the appropriate terminology the requirements of the anti-bullying policy must be followed.
1. Inform the Tutor, HsM, HoLMS and DHP. (via the White Slip system – ensure that you indicate that the situation is probably ‘bullying’.)
2. The HsM and HoLMS to take over the investigation.
3. Parents of the victim should be contacted by the HsM to explain the position.
4. The member of staff to pass on any evidence or statements etc.
5. HsM and Holms to conduct interviews (all interviews to be witnessed and documented.) with:
the victim, any witnesses, the suspected bully or bullies.
6. The victim should be spoken to again now that a clearer picture has been obtained. Parents to be kept informed.
7. Parents of the suspected bully to be informed by his or her HsM that an investigation is taking / has taken place.
8. A ‘case conference’ to be held with the DHP to decide upon the appropriate sanction / course of action should any be required.
9. All pupils and parents informed of outcome by their HsM unless agreed otherwise.. (In person or by phone – not email.)
TIME REQUIREMENTS
Dealing with a situation involving bullying takes time – there are a few instant solutions. It is important that if there is likely to be a delay before seeing a suspected victim then he or she must:
a. be reassured that the matter will be dealt with.
b. be notified of a time when he or she can be spoken to.
If a pupil is distressed he or she must be allowed to miss lessons until things have settled down.
INTERVIEWS
If the problem is reported by the victim he or she must be spoken to first; it is essential that he or she be reassured of the school’s intention to deal with the problem.
If attention has been drawn by someone else, it is recommended that the following procedures be used:
1. As much information as possible be gathered from witnesses.
2. The suspected bully be interviewed after as much corroborated evidence as possible has been gathered.
3. The victim should be spoken to at this final stage now that a fairly clear picture has been obtained.
Interviews need to be conducted in a calm, professional and non-confrontational manner with all those involved being allowed to tell their story in their own way. There should be no need to accuse, threaten, issue warnings or ask leading questions no matter how outrageous the behaviour being described.
It is important that:
• THE VICTIM FEELS THAT HE OR SHE IS RECEIVING SUPPORT
• THE WITNESS FEELS COMFORTABLE AND SAFE KNOWING THAT THE SCHOOL WILL ACT UPON ANY ACTUAL OR THREAT OF REPRISAL.
• THE SUSPECTED BULLY OR BULLIES FEEL THAT THEY ARE GETTING A FAIR HEARING.
RECORD KEEPING AND DOCUMENTATION
A summary should be made of what has been said by all those involved. Judgement and discretion must be used to decide the extent of documentation necessary: it should be remembered that writing statements down can increase anxiety amongst pupils and therefore prevent the full truth from coming out.
However, the investigation will follow the guidelines laid down in the ‘Bullying Investigation Checklist’ to be found at the end of this policy.
The following need to be included in the files of both bully and victim:
1. The pertinent information from the interviews.
2. A statement of action taken and subsequent follow up.
3. Parental correspondence.
A record of any investigation of potential bullying will be kept by the Deputy Head Pastoral who will monitor the documentation for any potential patterns of behaviour, location, time or personnel.
ACTION
The VICTIM will be told that action will be taken to relieve the situation, ie. the bully will be spoken to.
The BULLY needs to understand how his or her actions are affecting the victim, and if this is acknowledged, he or she can be encouraged to modify his or her behaviour including, where necessary, access to counselling. The bully will also be required to make appropriate reparation. If it is obvious that little progress is being made in this direction then a more direct approach involving sanctions will have to be adopted.
SANCTIONS
Possible sanctions include:
• A verbal warning as to his or her further conduct, and that this warning is being recorded in the pupil’s file.
• A letter of apology from the bully to the victim.
• A letter of apology from the bully to the parents of the victim with a copy to the parents of the bully.
• Withdrawal of House privileges.
• Withdrawal of School privileges.
• Suitable community service either in the House or School.
• Referral to the DHP and then the Headmaster, if the case is extreme, or the bully persistently re-offends.
• As with all offences the Headmaster has at his discretion the options of rustication, suspension and, ultimately, expulsion.
FOLLOW-UP
A week or so after deciding a course of action it is important to ask the victim whether the problem has been dealt with or whether there have been any consequences or re-occurrences. It may also be useful to do a further follow-up in about a month’s time. If there have been reprisals then the Deputy Head must be informed immediately for further action.
CYBER-BULLYING
A particularly insidious form of bullying may be referred to as ‘Cyber-bullying’. A working definition may be: ‘An aggressive, intentional act carried out by a group or an individual, using electronic forms of contact, repeatedly over time against a victim who cannot easily defend him or herself.’ (The Anti-bullying Alliance.)
Currently there are seven categories of cyber-bullying. They are bullying by: text message, picture or video clip via mobile phone cameras, phone calls from mobiles, emails, chat room responses, instant messaging and via websites.
WAYS TO STAY OUT OF HARM'S WAY
Respect other people both online and off. Do not spread rumours or share secrets, including phone numbers and passwords.
If someone insults you online or by phone, stay calm and ignore them.
‘Do as you would be done by.’ Think how you would feel if you were bullied. You are responsible for your own behaviour, make sure that you do not distress others or cause them to be bullied by someone else.
Pupils are asked to report anything that they see that worries them, whether about they themselves or about other pupils in the school.
THE COLLEGE'S POLICY
The school will invoke its anti-bullying policy when an incidence of cyber-bullying is reported to the DHP.
The school will offer support to the recipient of the bullying in the form of information sheets or the addresses of websites, given below, containing advice about how to counter the form of bullying in question.
The school will discuss with the recipient and his or her parents whether the Police should be informed.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE BEING CYBER-BULLIED
Keep any evidence. (Print off internet material, save texts etc, even if the material is embarrassing – such material will be treated with discretion but may be crucial in dealing with the issue.)
Do not ignore the bullying. Tell someone you trust such as a member of staff or your parents.
Keep calm, don’t get angry or frightened. Just don’t react; it will only make the person bullying you more likely to continue.
Consider signing out of a web site if that is the source of the problem.
The law is on your side. The Protection from Harassment Act, the Malicious Communications Act 1988 and Section 43 of the Telecommunications Act may all be used to counter cyber-bulling.
Websites with links to specific advice.
http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk – advice about staying safe on the internet.
http://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk – information and advice about bullying in general.
The above and links to many other sites may be found at the following DfES site:
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/bullying/cyberbullying_links.shtml
CYBER-BULLYING SUPPORT INFORMATION
If you feel you are being bullied through your mobile phone, either with phone calls or text messages, you will be able to seek help from your phone network provider using the phone numbers below:
Orange - 07973 100 150, or 150 from an Orange phone
Vodafone - 08700 700 11, or 191 from a Vodafone phone
O2 - 08705 678 678, or 4445 from an O2 phone
Virgin Mobile - 0845 6000 070, or 789 from a Virgin Mobile phone
3 Network - 08707 330 333, or 333 from your 3 Network phone
T-Mobile - 0845 412 5000
If you are experiencing bullying phone calls through your landline, the numbers of the providers below may be useful:
British Telecom Nuisance Call Advisor - freephone 0800 661 441 (View this pdf leaflet for more information)
NTL - 0845 454 0000
Telewest - 0845 142 0220
If you are experiencing cyber-bullying through your email account, you may want to contact your Internet service provider for help.
Updated 24/03/2011
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A 7-18 Co-educational School