ANTI BULLYING POLICY This Policy Applies to the Whole School and Is Published to Parents

ANTI BULLYING POLICY This policy applies to the whole school and is published to parents CONTEXT It is a primary aim of the School that it should combine high personal and social standards with a friendly atmosphere and mutual tolerance in which pupils of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds, of all religious persuasion and of various levels of ability are welcome. We believe that the School should be a happy and positive community characterised by an appreciation of, and respect for, the work of every member of that community. The promotion of British Values has an important part to play in developing pupil’s sense of tolerance and respect for diversity. We expect our pupils to do their best to aspire to excellence. We expect them to be diligent, to be honest, and to practise good manners in their relationships with one another and with staff, to be reliable and punctual. We recognise that our pupils have various talents and differing rates of development. We attach value to every achievement, however modest, which stems from the efforts and care of the individual pupil. It is our hope and aim that every pupil should discover at least one area of school life in which he or she can show genuine prowess. We believe that every pupil has the right to look for happiness and security at School. We insist that no pupil or pupils have the right to make the life of other pupils unhappy, whether through overt bullying (physical or non-physical), or through less obvious forms of pressure or alienation. We attach particular gravity to any behaviour by an individual or group that intentionally hurts another individual or group either physically or emotionally. The pace of technological change extends the potential for bullying behaviours to occur through a variety of digital media 24/7. The school’s attitudes and approaches towards online safety and the potential for online bullying (cyber-bulling) require a similarly robust approach coupled with suitable educational programmes and support regarding online safety and the risks associated with the different forms of technological platforms and the use of social media that are relevant and appropriate to the age and stage of the pupils in each section of the school community. The example of staff is of paramount importance in creating that climate within which pupils feel valued, secure and happy. The mutual respect with which staff regard one another and the public demonstration of this are important. Similar standards apply to the relationship between staff and pupils, so that pupils are always treated with honesty, fairness and with regard for their individuality. 1 RATIONALE Parents and guardians have a right to expect that Yarm School has taken steps to develop an effective and clear anti-bullying policy. They should feel that the staff are aware of agreed responses to incidents of bullying and that bullying at the school is prevented in so far as is reasonably practicable. The Board of Governors and Senior Management Team share these expectations. Staff need to have clear guidelines about the action to be taken when there is a suspicion of bullying. They need to have confidence that the staff and Senior Management will implement the appropriate procedures and will support their concerns about individual children. This policy has regard to the Education and Inspections Act, 2006; Independent School Standards Regulations, (as amended); the Equality Act, 2010; SENDA Code, 2014; Working Together to Safeguard Children, 2018 (amended Feb 2019); Keeping Children Safe in Education, Sept 2019; The Prevent Duty, 2015; and non-statutory DfE guidance offered in ‘Behaviour and Discipline in Schools’ (2014) and ‘Preventing and Tackling Bullying’ (July 2017). Definitions of Bullying: Bullying is behaviour by an individual or group, repeated over time, that intentionally hurts another individual or group either physically or emotionally. Bullying can take many forms (for instance, cyberbullying via text messages, social media or gaming, which can include the use of images and video) and is often motivated by prejudice against particular groups, for example on grounds of race, religion, culture, gender, sexual orientation, SEN or disabilities, or because a child is adopted or has caring responsibilities. It might be motivated by actual differences between children, or perceived differences. It may occur directly or through cyber-technology. Bullying has serious consequences that can be physical, emotional or psychological. Stopping violence and ensuring immediate physical safety is obviously the first priority but emotional bullying can be more damaging than physical and schools have to make their own judgements about each specific case. In very serious incidents, a single action can constitute bullying behaviour. Many experts say that bullying involves an imbalance of power between the perpetrator and the victim. This could involve perpetrators of bullying having control over the relationship which makes it difficult for those they bully to defend themselves. The imbalance of power can manifest itself in several ways, it may be physical, psychological (knowing what upsets someone), derive from an intellectual imbalance, or by having access to the support of a group, or the capacity to socially isolate. It can result in the intimidation of a person or persons through the threat of violence or by isolating them either physically or online. On-line bullying and radicalisation The rapid development of, and widespread access to, technology has provided a new medium for ‘virtual’ bullying, which can occur in or outside school. (Social media sites, text messaging, photo apps, email and through games consoles, mobile technologies and PC’s). 2 On-line bullying is a different form of bullying and can happen at all times of the day, with a potentially bigger audience, and more accessories as people forward on content at a click. It is bullying to write notes, make phone calls, send electronic messages and pictures or create/post them on websites or social media if they might offend, hurt, annoy or worry anyone, whether it is a student, teacher or someone else. From home, from school, from anywhere, it is still bullying. Digitally sending or posting a picture or video that hurts someone else or humiliates is bullying. We are aware of the potential for pupils to be radicalised via the internet, and remain vigilant, reporting any concerns appropriately. The wider search powers included in the Education Act 2011 enable teachers to tackle online bullying by providing a specific power to search for and, if necessary, delete inappropriate images (or files) on electronic devices, including mobile phones without the need for parental consent. See the Online Safety Policy. Peer on Peer Abuse / Sexual harassment and Violence Peer on peer abuse features physical, emotional, sexual and financial abuse of a child/young person by their peers. It can affect any child/young person, sometimes vulnerable children are targeted. Both girls and boys experience peer on peer abuse however they are likely to experience it differently i.e. girls being sexually touched/assaulted or boys being subject to homophobic taunts/initiation/hazing type (rituals and other activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group) violence. It is influenced by the nature of the environments in which children/young people spend their time - home, school, peer group and community - and is built upon notions of power and consent. Power imbalances related to gender, social status within a group, intellectual ability, economic wealth, social marginalisation etc, can all be used to exert power over a peer. Peer on peer abuse involves someone who abuses a ‘vulnerability’ or power imbalance to harm another, and have the opportunity or be in an environment where this is possible. While perpetrators of peer on peer abuse pose a risk to others they are often victims of abuse themselves. The school recognises that children may abuse their peers physically, sexually and emotionally; this will not be tolerated or passed off as ‘banter’ or ‘part of growing up’. The school will take this as seriously as abuse perpetrated by an adult, and address it through the same processes as any safeguarding issue. We also recognise that children who abuse others are also likely to have considerable welfare and safeguarding issues themselves and the school will actively support both the victim and perpetrator. The processes and procedures for responding to instances of sexual violence or harassment between children in school are covered in the Child Protection Policy. 3 AIM We aim to create an anti-bullying culture which ensures that pupils and staff live and work in a safe environment where they are valued, respected and listened to. In this environment pupils will feel confident and be able to approach adults about matters of concern to them. The adults who work in the School will have knowledge of the School’s anti-bullying policy and procedures and these will also be clearly communicated and understood by parents, pupils and staff. We aim to adopt a strategic approach to preventing and tackling all forms of bullying and peer on peer abuse through open and varied communication with students, parents and staff, including frequent reminders that the School will not tolerate any form of bullying. IMPLEMENTATION Objectives ● To promote an ethos of good behaviour within the School which aims to prevent bullying

Load more