Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Y Castell

Bullying Policy

What is Bullying?

“It is the wilful, conscious desire to hurt, threaten or frighten someone”. Delwyn Tattum.

Bullying is a problem common to many schools. We can either choose to pretend it does not exist or take positive steps to deal with it.

Ysgol y Castell is committed to providing a caring, friendly and safe environment for all of our pupils so that they can learn in a relaxed and secure atmosphere. Bullying of any kind is unacceptable in our school. If bullying does occur, all pupils should be able to tell and know that incidents will be dealt with promptly and effectively.

Bullying

Bullying is the use of aggression with the intention of hurting another person, resulting in pain and distress to the pupil. Bullying can be:

 Emotional – being unfriendly, excluding, tormenting.  Physical – pushing, kicking, punching, pinching or any use of violence.  Verbal – name-calling, teasing, rumour spreading.

It is important to emphasise that not every manifestation of the above examples of the forms of bullying actually constitute bullying. For example, children when quarrelling often resort to calling each other names. What must be considered when assessing if bullying is actually taking place is the nature, severity, frequency, motivation and numbers involved.

Why is it important to respond to bullying?

Bullying hurts. No one deserves to be a victim of bullying. Everybody has the right to be happy and treated with respect. Pupils who are bullying need to learn different ways of behaving.

Objectives of this policy

 All governors, teaching and non-teaching staff, pupils and parents should have an understanding of what is bullying.  All governors and teaching staff and non-teaching staff should know what the school policy is on bullying and follow it through when bullying is reported.  All pupils and parents should know what the school policy is on bullying and what they should do if bullying arises.  As a school we take bullying seriously. Pupils and parents should be assured that they would be supported when bullying is reported.  Bullying will not be tolerated in Ysgol y Castell.

Signs and symptoms

A child may indicate, by signs of behaviour, that he or she is being bullied. Adults should be aware of these possible signs:  Signs of distress e.g. does not want to attend school  Does not want to go on the school bus.  Becomes withdrawn, anxious or lacking in confidence.  Cries, has nightmares or/and bedwetting.  Begins to do poorly in school work

These signs and behaviour could indicate other problems, but bullying should be considered a possibility and should be investigated.

Procedures

Responsibility Procedures Types of Bullying Class Teacher  Circle Time (talk Teasing Lunchtime Supervisor about it) Receiver being offended  Dealt with by the giver immediately Minor physical  PSE / Social skills  Use of rewards Class Teacher  Investigate all sides Name calling of allegations Excluding  Circle Time / PSE Isolation  Class Discussions Minor physical  Talk to individuals (repeated)  Target support Cyber Bullying  Ffrindiau Ffantastig Senior Management  As above (ongoing) As above but with an Informal discussion with increase in frequency parents and/or severity Senior Management  As above (ongoing) All forms of bullying  Incident report sheet Slightly less aggressive  Monitor closely to that of next level  Sanctions and rewards  Parents formally notified of concerns Outside Agencies  As above (ongoing) All forms  Investigate both Physical, mental, sides emotional etc  Appointments with Very aggressive parents  Incident report sheets

Outcomes

Unfortunately it becomes necessary to punish children involved in persistent incidents of bullying. The punishment can take various forms.  Suspension of privileges e.g. persistent offenders will not represent the school within various activities.  Strict supervision. In certain cases the head teacher may wish to ensure that a particular child spends much of his/her time under direct supervision at break/dinner times etc.  In serious cases children will not be allowed to stay in school at dinnertime or travel on the school bus, which may lead to exclusion.

Variety of strategies

At Ysgol y Castell, we realize that there is no single strategy that can be applied to bullying. Therefore it is necessary to have a range of strategies available that may be implemented when appropriate.

Examples include:  Circle time.  Assemblies – values education.  Peer group education e.g. drama productions.  Anti-Bullying week.  Buddy system – Ffrindiau Ffantastig.  Display of Childline posters.  External agencies – police education worker, behaviour advisory teacher

The role of parents

 Inform the school if you are aware or suspect bullying is taking place.  Encourage children to be friendly and tolerant to others and not to be aggressive.  Support the school if further action is required.

Revised by HC Nuttall January 2010 Revised by HC Nuttall (Head Teacher), L Missen (Governor), S Iles (Governor), Members of the School Council

July 2013.