THE NEVILLE LOVET TT COMM MUNITY SCHOOL L
AN NTI-BULLYING POLICY P Governo ors, staff, parents/car p rers and st udents at Neville N Lov vett Schoool are firmly y opposed d to all form ms of bullying. Each sstudent has a right to o enjoy an education free from fear and distress. All members of the e school arre expected d to treat each e other with consiideration and a respect. The schoo ol will react firmly and d promptly y to cases of o bullying.. What is bullying? ? Bully ying is rep peated intim midation iintentiona ally carried d out by a more pow werful person or group in i order to o cause ph hysical an nd/or emo tional hurrt. Expecta ations: All stude ents to achieve the fiv ve outcome es of Every y Child Ma atters be e healthy sttay safe en njoy life an nd achieve their full p potential be e interested and fully y involved i n the community the ey live in acchieve eco onomic inde ependence e Princciples and Values V be e able to grow and de evelop in ssafety and free from prejudice p aand discrim mination be e listened to t and hav ve their view ws taken in nto accoun nt be e treated with w respec ct be elong to an nd be value ed in their community y se ee their needs and in nterests at the heart of o everythin ng we do Bullying g is behav viour which delibe erately makkes anothe er person fe eel uncomfortable, distressed oor threaten ned is repe eated overr time makess those being bullied feel powe erless to de efend them mselves can in nclude racisst, sexist or o homopho obic behav viour Bullying g may take e many forms, such h as physiccal: ego Hitting, push hing, kickin g name--calling and verbal ab buse: face e-to-face, in n writing, by b phone, ccyber bully ying, or by ttext messa age
making racist, sexist or gender-based comments, inappropriate homophobic remarks, jokes or graffiti making threats taunting or mocking spreading rumours making jokes to make someone look 'small' shutting out a person ganging up on someone refusing to co-operate with someone hiding equipment or other possessions demanding money or possessions Neville Lovett works to combat bullying by Involving students in producing a student-friendly version of this policy displays of appropriate work listening Prefects active PDL work during tutor times discussing the issue at School Council Meetings Raising awareness in staff, parents and governors through awareness-raising sessions for teaching and non-teaching staff school prospectus and other publications to parents/carers awareness through assemblies and tutor time
Recognising the signs Someone who is being bullied may be unwilling to go to school regularly have books/clothes damaged have possessions' go missing' continually 'lose' money begin doing badly in schoolwork have unexplained bruises, scratches and cuts ask for money or begin stealing money become withdrawn or start stammering have noticeable and prolonged changes in mood become distressed become bad-tempered refuse to say what is wrong lose appetite, or start overeating cry himself/herself to sleep or have nightmares
For parents/carers... Any of the behaviour above may indicate other problems. However, if you become aware of and are concerned by any of this behaviour and think your child is being bullied encourage him/her to talk about the problem
reassure him/her of your support try to listen calmly and not overreact Attempt to find out when and where bullying takes place. Is there a pattern? contact the class teacher to discuss the problem work with the class teacher to support your child within or outside school
For staff ... All members of staff, teaching and non-teaching, should deal with any incident of suspected or observed bullying by talking to the student and giving reassurance taking action appropriate at the time producing a written statement of what has happened and the action taken reporting the incident to their Head of Year Heads of Year arrange the following: arrange for support and reassurance for the student interview the person responsible for the bullying – make contact with their parents contact parents/carers when necessary take any appropriate disciplinary action – Internal Exclusion/Exclusion work with students, parents/carers and other teachers to support those involved and prevent the bullying Involve police if appropriate
For students ... The following ideas have been suggested by the School Council Tell someone you can trust, like a teacher or a close friend If you can, ignore the bully Try not to show you are upset and think about how special you really are Avoid being alone Be assertive but never hit back Walk away quickly and confidently Be proud of who you are Remember your safety is more important than your possession See something, say something Show no fear Don’t be afraid to tell a member of staff, form tutor, Head of Year, friend or parents/carers
Signed:
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Date Policy Adopted: Date of Next Review:
Chair of Governors
24 May 2011 (Achievement and Standards Committee) Autumn Term 2012
INTERVENTION I am being bullied Stage 1 – Finding Out First Point of Contact Form Teacher/Subject Teacher Head Of Year LSA Tell me what is happening I am listening; I am taking you seriously Have you told anyone about this? I can help – Let’s talk about some possible ways of dealing with this problem “I may/will have to tell someone else to help you get a solution” Possible mediation between two parties; use of form tutors, Head of Year If serious case of bullying identified move onto Stage 2
Stage 2 – If serious case of bullying had been identified First point of contact (as above) First Point of Contact should involve Head of Year at this stage Bully Victim Interview/Discuss with Head of Year Interview Involve line manager if appropriate
Contact parents/use of listening prefects or buddies if appropriate
Contact parents Follow up interview at a subsequent date to check if bullying is no longer happening Impose school sanctions (internal/external exclusion)
Actions to be taken by the school A POLICY OF ZERO TOLERANCE WILL BE ADOPTED IN ANY CASE OF BULLYING “The prime rule which underlines all others is that Neville Lovett students are expected to act at all times in a sensitive, responsible manner, showing kindness, consideration, honesty and respect for others, their dignity and also their property.”
All cases of bullying will be taken seriously Teachers must take seriously any accusation of bullying and listen to what they are being told Where appropriate, the Inclusions Room may be used. The ‘bully’ may be interviewed before the victim so that there can be no accusation of ‘telling tales’ Staff are encouraged to focus on the behaviour as the key issue to be dealt with Parents are involved at an early stage. Staff are sensitive to the fact that parents are often very distressed to learn their child is a bully/being bullied Follow the school discipline policy with regard to sanctions for the bully Follow the school discipline policy with regard to sanctions for those who do nothing to prevent or intervene when they see bullying In cases where bullying is a one-off, the perpetrator will receive appropriate guidance to help them not to bully in the future, and which will include consideration of the consequences of any future incident. Where it is found that a student has been involved in bullying on a previous occasion yet has chosen to ignore the initial guidance given by the school, the range of sanctions outlined in the School Behaviour Policy will be brought into force. inclusions room for a fixed period fixed term exclusion meeting with the Chair of Governors Discipline Committee Managed Move initiated Final written warning from the Headteacher to parents
In cases where all avenues have been explored, including close liaison with parents, and, where appropriate, outside agencies. Permanent exclusion may have to be considered.