Introduction
Bullying affects everyone, not just the bullies and the victims. It also affects those other children who watch, and less aggressive pupils can be drawn in by group pressure. Bullying is not an inevitable part of school life or a necessary part of growing up, and it rarely sorts itself out. It is clear that certain jokes, insults, racist behaviour or comment, intimidating/threatening behaviour, written abuse and violence are to be found in our society. No one person or group, whether staff or pupil, should have to accept this type of behaviour. Only when all issues of bullying are addressed, will a child best be able to benefit from the opportunities available at the School.
Why is an anti-bullying policy necessary?
The School believes that its pupils have the right to learn in a supportive, caring and safe environment without the fear of being bullied.
All institutions, both large and small, contain some numbers of pupils with the potential for bullying behaviour. If a school is well disciplined and organised, it can minimise the occurrence of bullying. The School also has a clear ethos on the promotion of good citizenship, where it is made clear that bullying is a form of anti-social behaviour. It will not be tolerated.
It is important therefore that the School has a clear written policy to promote this belief, where both pupils and parents/guardians are fully aware that any bullying complaints will be dealt with firmly, fairly and promptly.
What is bullying?
Each incidence of bullying is quite unique. Discretion must be used to ascertain whether an incident is an isolated and relatively harmless event or evidence of bullying. Bullying can occur through several types of anti- social behaviour. It can be:-
a). Physical.
A child can be physically punched, kicked, hit, spat at, etc.
b). Verbal.
Verbal abuse can take the form of name calling. It may be directed towards gender, ethnic origin, physical/social disability, or personality, etc.
c). Exclusion.
A child can be bullied simply by being excluded from discussions/activities, with those they believe to be their friends.
d). Damage to property or theft.
Pupils may have their property damaged or stolen. Physical threats may be used by the bully in order that the pupil hand over property to them.
e). Online.
Unfortunate photographs, unpleasant comments and written abuse are all unfortunate side effects of our connected society. Coed-Y-Gof issues clear guidelines in this field and will act upon incidents of bullying in this medium.
Advice on E-safety for Parents.
The evolving nature of social media and ever changing interconnectivity make much of the advice rapidly redundant. Part of our digital competency work in school is aimed at empowering pupils as digital citizens. The best advice may sound old fashioned. The family values that you teach your child of courtesy, thoughtfulness, kindness, consideration and empathy are a constant positive in the ever shifting ether of digital communications.
Advice to parents / Guardians
What can you tell your child if he/she is being bullied?
Advice to pupils
If you know someone is being bullied:
TAKE ACTION!
As a parent:
Look for unusual behaviour in your children. For example, they may suddenly not wish to attend school, feel ill regularly, or not complete work to their normal standard.
Always take an active role in your child’s education. Enquire how their day has gone, who they have spent their time with, how lunch time was spent etc.
If you feel your child may be a victim of bullying behaviour, inform the School IMMEDIATELY. Your complaint will be taken seriously and appropriate action will follow.
Action to take when bulling is suspected:
If bullying is suspected we talk to the suspected victim, the suspected bully and any witnesses. If any degree of bullying is identified, the following action will be taken:
Help, support and counselling will be given as is appropriate to both the victims and the bullies:
We support the victims in the following ways:
We also discipline, yet try to help the bullies in the following ways:
Disciplinary Steps:
Appendix 1.
A Message for pupils
Hello!
The internet can be great fun. You can chat to your friends, play games and learn about new things. But sometimes things happen which can make you upset. People may say mean things which make you feel sad, or you may see something that you don’t like.
If this happens, you must remember it’s not your fault.
You can also tell us at CEOP what is happening so we can help you. If there is an adult you trust, like your mum, dad, carer or teacher, gets them to help you fill out the form. Click the red box below to get the form.
Appendix 2.
It’s important that you talk to your children about what they enjoy doing online, get involved in what they are doing, play games with them, ask them about their apps so you understand what they are using. You don’t have to be a computer genius to give practical safety advice.
Here are a few guidelines about managing digital technology:
Keep it Nice
Remind your children that being kind online is up to everyone. If they do see something upsetting or abusive online, they should block and report it, and talk to you or another trusted adult about it.
Games
Do look out for the PEGI age ratings on the games your children want to play – they work in a similar way to age ratings for films and should be respected. Games also have labels to indicate if the game contains violence, scary content and so on. Don’t give in to your child’s relentless please for games that are not appropriate for their age.
Sharing Photos
It is worth thinking how you share photos and with whom. Manage your lists of contacts. For example you can create a Close friends and family list of your Facebook [ED2] contacts and share some pictures with a limited group of people.
Insurance
The cost of a phone or tablet is sometimes hidden behind a monthly contract. Do check the insurance policy. Replacing a basic phone can cost up to £500
Find my Phone
Most phones or tablets now come with an app that can allow you to locate it. Though not pin point accurate, they give you the ability to lock the device and remotely wipe its data. You may have lost the phone but at least no one is looking through your photos, contacts or bank details.
ICE
ICE stands for In Case (of) Emergency. You create a contact in your child’s phone called ICE and list the number of someone who a doctor, first aider, etc. – can contact. Emergency services are trained to look for an ICE contact if they find a mobile phone.
Avoid Big Bills
You can avoid unexpected big bills. Set a block on your kid’s phone to prevent them from downloading any apps which have in app purchases.
Talking Tech
Although children may know how to use apps, tablets, consoles and other high tech gadgets what they often lack is life experience and the ability to think about their actions and consequeAppendix 1.
A Message for pupils
Hello!
The internet can be great fun. You can chat to your friends, play games and learn about new things. But sometimes things happen which can make you upset. People may say mean things which make you feel sad, or you may see something that you don’t like.
If this happens, you must remember it’s not your fault.
You can also tell us at CEOP what is happening so we can help you. If there is an adult you trust, like your mum, dad, carer or teacher, gets them to help you fill out the form. Click the red box below to get the form.
Appendix 2.
It’s important that you talk to your children about what they enjoy doing online, get involved in what they are doing, play games with them, ask them about their apps so you understand what they are using. You don’t have to be a computer genius to give practical safety advice.
Here are a few guidelines about managing digital technology:
Keep it Nice
Remind your children that being kind online is up to everyone. If they do see something upsetting or abusive online, they should block and report it, and talk to you or another trusted adult about it.
Games
Do look out for the PEGI age ratings on the games your children want to play – they work in a similar way to age ratings for films and should be respected. Games also have labels to indicate if the game contains violence, scary content and so on. Don’t give in to your child’s relentless please for games that are not appropriate for their age.
Sharing Photos
It is worth thinking how you share photos and with whom. Manage your lists of contacts.
Insurance
The cost of a phone or tablet is sometimes hidden behind a monthly contract. Do check the insurance policy. Replacing a basic phone can cost up to £500
Find my Phone
Most phones or tablets now come with an app that can allow you to locate it. Though not pin point accurate, they give you the ability to lock the device and remotely wipe its data. You may have lost the phone but at least no one is looking through your photos, contacts or bank details.
Please take time to have a look at our E Safety Pages
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