Bullying and harassment policy
For information or to express concerns about bullying in school
please contact the Headteacher in the first instance.
Definition
Rochdale Council believes that
bullying describes a situation in which one or more persons
persistently target(s) another in a way that causes distress to
that other person. It is not the action itself which defines a
situation as bullying as much as the effect it has on the victim
and it is this effect that should be the cause for concern and
intervention.
There are many definitions of bullying
but most consider it to be:
- Deliberately hurtful and/or repeated
often over a period of time
- Difficult for victims to defend
themselves against.
Bullying can take many forms but three
main types are:
Name calling is the most common direct
form. This may be because of individual characteristics but pupils
can be called nasty names because of their ethnic origin,
nationality or colour, sexual orientation, or some form of
disability.
Identification
Identifying bullying is not easy and
the following messages should be considered when determining
whether a situation is a bullying one:
- Those being bullied are not in a
position to stop the process;
- It is not usually as noticeable or
obvious to others;
- It is the effect that is the key
determining factor, not the action;
- It is a persistent situation, not
isolated incidents;
- It has the intent to hurt or upset
the victim;
- It is not limited to physical hurt -
it can be social or psychological.
Recommendation
Definitions should only be a guide,
not a limit to what is and isn’t bullying. If a child or young
person feels bullied, it should be treated as such by those it is
disclosed to until fully investigated.
Schools and services should produce
leaflets/posters which explain who to contact about bullying. These
should be displayed around school and circulated to all parents,
carers and governors.
Support
Full support is freely available in
discussing the nature of bullying, its effects and potential for
addressing it, for all schools and services working with children
and young people in Rochdale.
Acceptable and unacceptable
behaviour
The detrimental effect of a bullying
situation can be brought on by incidents that may, for others, be
considered unimportant or not serious enough to warrant
intervention. It should be remembered, however, that it is the
effect that is the cause for concern, and not just the actions.
Incidents of bullying behaviour could include:
- Teasing, Name Calling or Insults
- Exclusion or Isolation
- Extortion or Theft
- Threats of Aggression / Threatening
Looks
- Physical Assaults
- Indirect Insults to Family
Members
- Gossiping or Sending Nasty Notes (or
text messages, emails, photos etc)*
*Please note that new technology
brings new opportunities for bullying.
Severity
The severity or seriousness of a
bullying situation cannot be determined in terms of actions or
frequency. Whilst policy and guidelines play an important role in
addressing bullying, cases should be treated individually and dealt
with depending on the effect and circumstances surrounding
them.
Recommendation
Actions can be changed, but feelings
are a personal issue. Those investigating bullying disclosures
should avoid judging the effect of a situation by their own
feelings and take into account the feelings of the victim.
Support
Rochdale has comprehensive support
services for schools and services working with children. Where this
is specifically concerning bullying behaviour. The Children’s
Society Anti-Bullying Team will work closely in partnership with
schools.
Values statement
Rochdale Council believes that
bullying is a behaviour which can be described as a form of ‘peer
abuse’ and that it can be an inherent part of childhood behaviour.
Despite this, it will always remain an unacceptable aspect of
behaviour due to the severe and distressing effects it can
have.
Central to this policy is the
well-being of the bullied child. Prevention and reaction strategies
should aim to protect the victims and potential victims from
further abuse. Punishments, sanctions and school regulations, as
essential as they may appear, are secondary to the safety and
well-being of a victim of bullying.
We also recognise that many children
may display bullying behaviour at some time and the policy also
aims to promote preventative environments for all children and to
help children who bully to change too.
Government guidance for schools
The Council supports the guidelines
provided by the DCSF in the ‘Don’t Suffer in Silence’ pack and
recommends that all schools obtain a copy for reference.
Recommendation
Those working in the interests of
child safety and well-being should be prepared to alter their
stance on certain issues if it is necessary to protect a child from
further abuse. This may include avoiding the use of punishments or
sanctions where there is a concern over repercussions. Where
possible this should be done in negotiation with the victim and all
other professionals who have a vested interest.
Support
Schools and young people’s services
can benefit from formal or informal discussions with the increasing
number of trained professionals in and around Rochdale.
Who does this Policy involve?
Rochdale Council believes that all
adults working with children and young people have a duty to
protect children. We strongly promote the involvement of all staff
in schools and services working with children in anti-bullying
strategies. They should have access to adequate training,
resources, authority and support to tackle bullying as part of
their role.
The Council also believes that
children and young people themselves must take an active role in
reducing and responding to bullying and advocates strongly the use
of peer support strategies as a core element of an anti-bullying
programme. Peer support means training and encouraging children and
young people themselves to help each other. There are many examples
of such peer support schemes in Rochdale, for example ‘Playgrounds
Pals’. The Children’s Society Anti-Bullying Team offers advice and
training to support each groups.
Policy Aims
Our policy and strategy aims to
protect children and young people and to support schools and young
people’s services in doing so. In Rochdale we endeavour to work in
partnership with schools and agencies with this aim in mind and we
will offer the support necessary to do so and challenge any
barriers that prevent us from achieving this aim.
Recommendation
Schools and agencies working with
children should use whatever potential they have at their disposal
to prevent bullying in the first place. The involvement of whole
staff groups, other young people and external groups (professional
and associates) will provide a greater barrier to bullying than a
limited programme of reaction. The more you do to prevent bullying,
the less of a problem bullying will be.
Support
Training is available in Rochdale to
anyone who works with children and those in a position to support
changes in bullying behaviour – professionals, parents, governors,
children and young people. Currently training is free and can be
arranged to suit the needs of the school. In addition training
programmes are made available for multi-agency groups
periodically.
Recording and Monitoring Bullying
Incidents
Rochdale Council has commissioned
agencies to work actively in many schools* in the Borough of
Rochdale, many of whom have taken the opportunity offered by this
support to actively manage and respond to bullying. As a result of
this work we have drawn the following conclusions:
Bullying is present in all schools,
although to different degrees.
The more active a school is in
addressing bullying the safer the pupils feel.
Children and young people more often
cite bullying as their main school concern than any other
issue.
The vast majority of school staff are
concerned about bullying, and actively tackle it when they are
given the skills, resources and support to do so.
* It is recognised that bullying is
not limited to schools but this is where much of the anti-bullying
work takes place.
Recommendation
Schools and agencies working with
children and young people should endeavour to be open about the
issue of bullying. The extent of bullying in a school is not a
reflection on the abilities of the organisation – the extent to
which the school does or doesn’t actively take measures to address
it is. The more open a school is, and the more prepared they are to
take measures to tackle bullying, the more likely they are to stay
in control of it.
Schools should keep accurate records
of bullying incidents and their responses to them for monitoring
purposes and to protect them from legal action.
Support
Agencies commissioned by the Council
to support with bullying intervention, where possible, work in
partnership. Schools and other groups should feel comfortable
accessing support with specific requests for a service and,
equally, to look for guidance and advice on the best course of
action.
Prevention Strategies in Schools
Rochdale Council believes schools
should have an anti bullying strategy which operates on 4
levels:
-
Prevention
- Integrated preventative work within
the curriculum – including relationships, responsibility for others
and the effects of negative treatment. The Personal Social Health
Citizenship Education curriculum and the new social, emotional and
behavioural skills curriculum (‘SEALS’ - Social and Emotional
Aspects of Learning) being introduced to schools for 2005 are
extremely important. (Appendix1)
-
Peer Support
- Active peer support provision is also very important either
formally arranged or ensuring that informal opportunities for
friendship development and peer group enhancement are available.
Many schools already have successful peer support programmes. The
Children’s Society is skilled in advising on and developing peer
support work.
-
Procedures
- Procedures for disclosure should be
available at an early stage, e.g. circle-time, safe areas, school
counselling services or peer counselling or mentoring on a regular
basis. Procedures for recording and monitoring should be clear to
all concerned.
-
Promotion
- Promotion of anti-bullying procedures
and strategies to all members of the school community – pupils,
parents, staff and governors. Leaflets, posters and regular reports
and publication of the school’s anti bullying policy are all
helpful in promoting the messages.
Recommendation
Schools should consider the use of
external agencies to support their anti bullying programme. Schools
should not consider lack of knowledge, or lack of resources as a
reason for not addressing bullying.
Support
Support agencies in Rochdale have both
the human and material resources to support the integration of all
of the above into a school, or the development of existing
procedures. All are available on request and free of charge.
Reaction Strategies
On disclosure of bullying or suspected
bullying (disclosure is defined as either direct revelation of
incidents or perceived belief by a third party that bullying may be
occurring) any professional should take measures to address the
situation and protect the victim from further abuse. Rochdale
Council does not accept that anything should stand in the way of a
procedure to ensure the protection of a child or young person. It
is the responsibility of the school or service to ensure this
protection and should not be considered optional. Any issues which
may hinder this procedure should be addressed by the school
immediately, such as lack of knowledge about procedures amongst
staff or lack of opportunities for disclosure.
Rochdale Council promotes the use of
non-punitive intervention as a first step in reactions to bullying
disclosures. Our first concern is the safety and well being of the
victim, not the punishment of the bully. We acknowledge that at
times sanctions and interventions may be necessary but that the
ultimate aim is to stop the bullying and protect the victim from
further abuse. Children and young people who bully also require
support to understand the effects on others and to develop more
appropriate social and communication skills to change their
behaviour and this should be made available. The Children’s Society
provides training and information on this approach.
Recommendation
ALL staff (teaching and non-teaching)
in a school or service should have a clear understanding of
procedures in responding to bullying disclosures. Procedures should
be consistent throughout the organisation and time should be
provided for staff to adequately deal with the disclosure. Staff
should be supportive of colleagues – both in creating time and in
being a joint part of the solution.
Support
Support agencies in Rochdale are able
to provide all professionals with adequate training to
constructively react to bullying disclosures. Training programmes
are available free and in formats to suit all school
situations.
Promotion, Dissemination,
Implementation & Monitoring
Rochdale Council has the
responsibility for promoting the content of this policy to schools
and services working with children and young people in Rochdale and
to parents and other professionals as required. The dissemination
of the policy is also an opportunity to develop it. The Council
welcomes ongoing feedback on this policy, and endeavours to keep it
in line with the needs and requirements of children and young
people and with guidance from the DCSF.
Partnerships
Promotion of this policy should be
made to all partnerships – whether children and young people,
parents or other professionals and every effort should be made to
ensure they understand its content and meaning.
Rochdale Council, through our
Children, Schools and Families Partnership, strongly promotes
working together.
Evaluation and Monitoring
Each policy should be reviewed
annually or more often if the need arises. Policies should be
summarised and distributed regularly to all concerned. Where
possible, consultation is made with our partners as to the needs
for updating or amending the policy. Developing our policy is an
agreed activity and is written into the annual plan of the
Children’s Society.
Recommendation
Rochdale Council expects that schools
and services developing Anti-Bullying policies will consult with
all concerned and actively involve children, parents, governors and
staff and ensure that this is a working process which is regularly
re-visited rather than a completed document.
(N.B. for schools, a policy is a legal requirement)
The DCSF recommends that all schools
adopt ‘Bullying – A charter for action’
Support
Workshops are made available for those
charged with writing and updating policies. In addition a full pack
is available alongside this policy to provide support and guidance
through a process of developing both a policy and a strategy in
order to address bullying.
Guidance for Parents and Carers
Rochdale Council believes that parents
and carers are paramount in reducing and protecting children from
bullying. Schools and services should always try to work with
parents and carers where their child is the victim or the
perpetrator of the bullying actions. Services should recognise the
importance of working with parents/carers and acknowledge the
rights of parents/carers to information and support.
Parents’ Rights
The Council recognises guidelines for
parents set out in the DCSF ‘Don’t Suffer in Silence’ pack.
DCSF ‘Don’t Suffer in Silence’
pack
On becoming aware of bullying
behaviour involving their child, parents’ courses of action entitle
them to:
- See the school’s anti-bullying policy;
- Have an appointment with school staff or management;
- Have an action plan drawn up to prevent further bullying, which
includes clear responsibility and review dates;
- Have their concerns heard by the board of governors;
- Contact the Executive Director or representative for
guidance;
- Contact the Secretary of State for Education to lodge a
concern.
Recommendation
Schools are recommended to address
parents’ concerns at an early stage, to take their concerns
seriously and to provide them with support in reaching a
satisfactory conclusion.
Support
Working with parents is one of the
greatest challenges for schools when addressing bullying. The
Council recognises this and through support agencies is able to
provide schools with practical support programmes to help staff
address parents’ concerns effectively, and to help parents to
understand the best course of action when working with the
school.