Anti-Bullying Policy 2019
Date Approved By
Date Reviewed November 2019 Executive Head
Ratified by the Board of Trustees
Date of Next Review November 2020
A8 & B1
GREENFIELDS EDUCATIONAL TRUST POLICY ANTI-BULLYING (Re-written November 2019)
The purpose of this policy is to help ensure that bullying at the school is prevented in so far as reasonably practicable. It is intended to be succinct and understandable. This policy should be read in conjunction with the Greenfield’s Behaviour, Rewards and Sanctions Policy – which includes measures to combat bullying and to promote positive behaviour, when restraint, including reasonable force, is to be used and how this will be recorded and managed. Other references:
Booklet covering School Rules and Disciplinary Sanctions
Greenfields Policy on Procedure for Disciplinary Exclusion
Greenfields Policy on Searching of Students and their Possessions
Greenfields Policy on Mobile Phones and Electronic Devices
Greenfields Policy on Mobile Phones and Electronic Devices in Boarding
Greenfields Policy on Staff Mobile Phones
Non-statutory advice references used:
Preventing and Tackling Bullying (DfE July 2017)
Cyberbullying: Advice for Head Teachers and School Staff (DfE 2014)
DEFINITION OF BULLYING
Verb: to treat cruelly, persecute, intimidate, frighten, oppress physically or morally by threat of superior force, to behave purposely in a cruel or intimidating way. (Concise Oxford Dictionary.)
Noun: a bully is a person who is habitually cruel to others weaker than him/herself.
Bullying may be repeated over time and intentionally hurts another pupil or group physically or emotionally.
FORMS OF BULLYING
Bullying can come in many forms and is often motivated by prejudice against particular groups. This is Prejudice-based bullying because of a protected characteristic. For example, on grounds of race, religion, culture, gender, homophobia sex (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender [LGBT] students), special 1 Revised November 2019 A8 & B1 educational needs and disability, or because a child is adopted or is a carer – it may occur directly or through cyber-technology (social websites, mobile phones, text messages, photographs and email). This latter is Cyber-bullying. Active management of hardware, software and connectivity and the vigilance of teachers and parents each have their part to play in the safeguarding and protection of students.
Whatever the form, it is always someone (the bully) being cruel to someone else (the victim) weaker than himself or herself. Whatever form it takes, “it is a pattern of behaviour which results in another student feeling uncomfortable because of some real or perceived difference. It sometimes takes the form of taunts or “jokes” but can also include silent exclusion of a student by others, or a whispering campaign against them. More overtly, it involves physical violence or intimidation.
Whilst it is not our policy to force any students to be friends with other students against their will, we will not allow any student(s) to harass, bully, intimidate or in any way cause another student to feel unwanted, different or alienated. Greenfields has a zero tolerance policy on the subject of bullying .”
Bullying is considered a Child Protection issue where abuse is so severe it becomes a criminal offence and outside agencies would become involved. Any bullying incident should be treated as a Child Protection concern when there is reasonable cause to believe that a child is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. This is the threshold for reporting a bullying issue to external agencies (such as police/children’s social care) and records are kept to evaluate the effectiveness of anti-bullying procedures and to enable patterns to be identified.
Vulnerable children who have learning difficulties or disabilities are susceptible to bullying. Greenfields has a zero tolerance policy on bullying of children who fit into this category too.
Bullying can cause psychological damage and “bullying in school should be taken very seriously; it is not a normal part of growing up and it can ruin lives”. DfE (Department for Education)
THE LEGAL SITUATION
The law requires that all staff involved in the education of children should: a) promote good behaviour and exercise their functions with a view to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils b) prevent all forms of bullying among pupils and identify where there are concerns and take action to address them
2 Revised November 2019 A8 & B1 c) ensure as far as possible that pupils remain free from bullying or harassment. Where there is a child with special educational needs or a disability, the school must have effective means of communicating with the child and assessing its needs.
HANDLING a) Acknowledge the problem when it does happen. In other words, confront it when it occurs, whether in the school playground or classroom, off-site in the case of cyber-bullying, or if it is reported in a parental letter or student report. b) Handle it immediately: Stop the bullying. Write reports giving factual data of who is involved and the incidents. Route these to the Student Consultant and copy to the tutor of the students named. If a student continues to bully, report the matter to the appropriate Deputy Head (Foundation Manager, Deputy Head for Infants and Juniors, Deputy Head for Seniors) for handling within 24 hours, including weekends, in a full written report. c) Both victim and bully are routed to the Student Consultant. In handling the bully, the sanction must be sufficient to overcome the compulsion to commit the bullying action. Disciplinary sanctions are implemented which reflect the seriousness of an incident and convey a deterrent effect (strong sanctions such as exclusion may be necessary in cases of severe and persistent bullying) which reflect the seriousness of an incident and convey a deterrent effect. (Strong sanctions such as exclusion may be necessary in cases of severe and persistent bullying.) d) Normal sanction gradients apply from there on according to the School Rules Booklet and may result in expulsion. If the matter becomes a Child Protection issue, the Designated Safeguarding Lead should be informed and report to the relevant outside agency. e) Educate the students: Adopt a whole-school approach and teach the students how to handle a bullying situation and encourage them to always speak out. Use educational elements such as personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE), assemblies, projects, drama, stories, literature, with discussion of differences between people and the importance of avoiding prejudice-based language. Use The Way to Happiness, drama, projects, literature, discussion and any other suitable material within the curriculum. These are the means by which the school builds resilience in its students to protect them and their peers through education and information f) Reward/acknowledge any student who helps to prevent bullying whether actively involved or as a bystander. g) Maintain the safety measures on the school internet and enforce the rules on mobile phones in school per the School’s policies on Mobile Phones and electronic devices.
3 Revised November 2019 A8 & B1 h) Records of bullying are kept by the Student Consultant. This helps to ensure that the impact of bullying on individual students is being monitored and to ensure that an overall picture is maintained between different aspects of school – such as teaching, boarding and health care.
TRAINING FOR PREVENTION
All staff must be familiar with this policy, and the following school references/policies:
Behaviour, Rewards and Sanctions Policy.
Booklet covering School Rules and Disciplinary Sanctions.
Greenfields Policy on Procedure for Disciplinary Exclusion.
Greenfields Policy on Searching of Students and their Possessions.
Greenfields Policy on Mobile Phones and Electronic Devices
Greenfields Policy on Mobile Phones and Electronic Devices in Boarding
Greenfields Policy on Staff Mobile Phones
The above references give clear guidance on the use of technology in the classroom and beyond for all users, including staff, pupils and visitors that references permissions/restrictions and agreed sanctions. Note that all staff have a role to play for online safety as part of the school’s wider safeguarding strategy.
Staff must be willing to take action to reduce the risks of bullying at the times and in the places when and where it is most likely to occur.
Taking up point e) above, the following is also done as part of the initial training for new staff , as CPD training for existing staff, Boarding staff and School Visitors, or as part of the school’s orientation programme for student teachers working in Greenfields as part of their teacher training.
ALL STAFF
1 Understand the definition of “handle” as it is used in school. It means “to finish off, complete”. Service and handling are the same thing. When you give service, you handle.
2 Read and understand fully the Way to Happiness precept number 19, Try Not to Do Things to Others That You Would Not Like Them To Do To You, also known as the “Golden Rule”.
4 Revised November 2019 A8 & B1
3 Read and understand fully the Way to Happiness precept number 20, Try To Treat Others As You Would Want Them to Treat You, also known as the positive version of the “Golden Rule”.
These two precepts are the fundamentals of the school’s anti-bullying policy and form the basis of correction.
They are taught in the Infants, Juniors and Seniors as organised and arranged by the Deputy Heads of Schools with their staff and at a level where their application to life can be understood by their students.
4 Read and understand fully the Way to Happiness precept number 6, Set a Good Example.
All staff members are expected to implement these precepts as part of their professional duties.
OTHER PROVISION
The school’s ICT facilities have effective blocks and filters in place to minimise access to inappropriate content and to alert the school to safeguarding issues.
ALL staff members receive annual safeguarding professional development that includes online safety. This training is done by the school’s Trustee for Safeguarding who is qualified to provide such training.
Parent and student surveys are used as an additional means of reporting detecting and handling instances of bullying.
The school sends parents/carers a briefing about online safety.
Personal data is managed in line with the school’s GDPR Policy.
Re-written by Jeff Smith – Executive Head November 2019
5 Revised November 2019