Anti-Bullying

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Statement of intent

The aim of the anti-bullying policy is to ensure that students learn in a supportive, caring, and safe environment without fear of being bullied. Bullying is anti-social behaviour and affects everyone; it is unacceptable.
We are committed to providing a caring, friendly, and safe environment for all of our students so they can learn in a relaxed and secure atmosphere. All pupils ought to be able to identify bullying when it occurs and be confident that occurrences will be dealt with quickly and forcefully.

Why do we need an Anti-Bullying Policy?

Persistent bullying can severely inhibit a child’s ability to learn effectively. The negative effects of bullying can have an impact on a person for their entire life.

This school wishes to promote a secure and happy environment free from threat, harassment, and any type of bullying behaviour. Therefore, this policy promotes practices within the school to reinforce our vision, and to remove or discourage practices that negate them.

What is Bullying?

Bullying occurs when an individual or a group uses strength or power to hurt, either physically or emotionally, by intimidating or demeaning others. Bullying can be emotional, physical, racist, homophobic, biphobic, transphobic, verbal, or cyber.

It is usually persistent and is often covert, and is a conscious attempt to hurt, threaten or frighten someone. Young people who are being bullied, may show changes in behaviour, such as becoming shy and nervous, feigning illness, taking unusual absences, or clinging to adults.

There may be evidence of changes in work patterns, lacking concentration or truanting from school.

Bullying can take many forms including:

• Physical bullying which can include kicking, hitting, pushing, and taking away belongings.
• Verbal bullying which includes name calling, mocking, and making offensive comments.
• Emotional bullying which includes isolating an individual or spreading rumours about them.
• Cyber bullying where technology is used to hurt an individual – for instance text messaging or posting messages/images on the internet or any form of social media.
• Racist bullying occurs when bullying is motivated by racial, ethnic, or cultural prejudice.
• Sexual bullying is where someone makes unwanted physical contact or makes sexually abusive comments.
• Homophobic and biphobic bullying occurs when bullying is motivated by a prejudice against lesbian, gay or bisexual people.
• Transphobic bullying occurs when bullying is motivated by a prejudice against people who identify as trans.
• Disablist bullying elated to SEND (special educational needs and disability).occurs when bullying is motivated by a prejudice against people with any form of disability.
• Sexist bullying occurs when bullying is motivated by a prejudice against someone because of their gender.

With the advance in new technologies, the school is aware there is an increased risk of cyber bullying using e-mails, instant messenger, social networking sites, and public websites inappropriately. Therefore, our school has an ICT user’s policy which all students and parents sign, along with a separate E- Safety policy, as well as a robust Safeguarding policy.  All concerns re bullying/safeguarding are stored within a central safeguarding database.

Some warning signs that a student is being bullied

• Changes in academic performance.
• Appears anxious.
• Regularly feeling sick or unwell. Wanting to visit the nurse regularly. Reluctance to come to school.
• Clothes/bags torn or damaged.
• Money/possessions going missing.
• Unexplained cuts and bruises.
• Unexplained behaviour changes, e.g., moody, bad-tempered, tearful. Unhappiness.
• Loss of appetite. Not sleeping. Loss of weight.
• Seen alone a lot.
• Not very talkative.

Some reasons why people bully

• Desire to appear powerful
• Unhappiness
• Feelings of inadequacy
• Difficulties at home
• Learned behaviour (They too have been bullied.)

How to get help

Who students can talk to if they have any concerns about bullying?

• Headteacher
• Teacher
• Mentor
• Learning Support Assistant
• All members of the school community

Students can feel confident that any of the above will listen to their problem. Students who have been bullied will be supported by:

• Offering an immediate opportunity to discuss the experience with a form tutor or member of staff of their choice.
• Reassuring the student.
• Offering continuous support.
• Restoring self-esteem and confidence.

Students who have bullied will be helped by:

• Discussing what happened
• Discovering why the student became involved
• Establishing the wrongdoing and need to change
• Informing parents or guardians to help change the attitude of the student

Responses will vary depending on the nature of the incident, but may include:

• Counselling
• Use of a report card
• Involvement of external agencies
• Monitoring by class teacher
• Peer support/peer mentoring
• Formal recording
• Use of Behaviour Agreement Contract
• Liaison with parents/guardian/social worker
• Mediation
• Reflection time
• Change of provision

Anti-Bullying Procedures

It is made clear that bullying in any form is unacceptable. It will be taken seriously and dealt with promptly.

It is the responsibility of:

• School Governors and board of director of GEM Hereford to take a lead role in monitoring and reviewing this policy.
• Governors, the Headteacher, Senior Managers, Teaching and Non-Teaching staff to be aware of this policy and implement it accordingly.
• The Headteacher to communicate the policy to the school community.
• The young people at GEM Hereford to abide by the policy.

The named Governor with lead responsibility for this policy is Debra Thomas.

The named members of staff with lead responsibility for this policy is: Caroline Phillips.

Staff Responsibilities

• To implement procedures to confront bullying in any form.
• To listen to all parties involved in incidents.
• To investigate incidents promptly and as fully as possible.
• To take appropriate action or to refer to Tutor/Head of Year/SMT as appropriate.
• To record in the appropriate students’ files and in the racist/HBT (homophobic, biphobic, transphobic) record if appropriate.
• To share with parents of the victim and bully, incidents of persistent and/or serious bullying.
• To implement appropriate procedures for a member of staff.
• To promote the use of a range of learning styles and strategies which challenge bullying behaviour.
• To promote open manaGEMent styles which facilitate communication and consultation within the school and relevant outside agencies when appropriate.
• To model the values our school believes in from the mission statement.
• To promote the use of interventions which are least intrusive and most effective.

Anti-Bullying Strategies

• Regular promotion of anti-bullying in assemblies.
• A duty rota for staff so they patrol key areas before school, break, lunchtime and after school.
• Annual questionnaires to research student views on how safe they feel in school mentoring/student conversations.
• Self-esteem and circle time work in the school’s inclusion facilities.
• Anti bullying training for the pastoral leader.
• Personal Social and Health Education (PSHE) lessons on anti-bullying.
• A special e-mail address to report any incidents of bullying.
• One to one counselling.
• Strong teacher-student relationships so students feel comfortable in reporting any issues.
• Secure IT systems limiting inappropriate access to messenger systems.
• Limiting mobile phone use in school times.
• Information talks from the School Police Liaison Officer CEOP training for staff (Child exploitation online protection.)
• Information leaflet for students and parents about E-Safety.

Anti- bullying advice to Parents / Carers

• A great deal of bullying is CYBER-BULLYING. Please regularly monitor your child’s use of texting, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites. Access to these is out of the school’s control when your child is not in school
• TALK to your child on a regular basis, so any problem is easier to share
• LISTEN to what they say
• ENCOURAGE your child to feel good about themselves, realising that we are all different and equally important
• If you believe your child is being bullied, or is a bully, talk to other adults at home or at school and explore the options. DON’T STAY SILENT
• If your child is a victim assure them that it is not their fault and that you are going to do something to help
• Be realistic in your expectations, sometimes on-going problems can take time to resolve
• TRY to be co-operative with our school and not be aggressive. Without a good working relationship between parents and the school the situation could deteriorate, which won’t help you or them
• ALWAYS remember that children cannot solve bullying on their own. They NEED the support of parents/carers and our school
• REMEMBER – IT IS NOT YOUR CHILD’ S FAULT

Monitoring, evaluation, and review

The effectiveness of this policy will be monitored continually by the headteacher and the governing board and the board of directors of GEM Hereford. Any necessary amendments will be made immediately.

The next scheduled review date for this policy is stated on the version control rubric found of the front cover of this policy.

The school will establish a monitoring system that is backed up by performance measures and this will be reviewed following an incident.

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