Anti Bullying Policy

RAINFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL and RAINDROPS PRESCHOOL

 

‘Learning and growing together to achieve our best in the love of God’

 

 ANTI-BULLYING POLICY

 

Approved  by  LGB:          Spring 2022

To be reviewed on or before:                     Spring 2025

 

Signed……………………………………………  Chair of Governors

 

Signed……………………………………………  Headteacher

 

To be approved: Spring 2023             Reviewed by: AR                                 Status: active

Review period: tri- annual

 

Rainford CE Primary School

Anti- Bullying Policy

 

Our Mission Statement

 

Learning and growing together to achieve our best in the love of God

 

School Aims

 

In order to prepare today’s children for tomorrow’s challenges, Rainford CE Primary Schools aims to achieve the following:

  • Every child will be encouraged to understand the meaning and significance of faith, experience God’s love and develop the spirituality to enable them to live out our Christian values of love, joy, peace, friendship, forgiveness, perseverance and justice

 

  • Every child will achieve their full potential through being a highly motivated, resilient and independent learner who embraces new experiences, has confidence to tackle challenges and go onto develop a lifelong love of learning.

 

  • Every child will value themselves as a unique individual with special qualities and strengths developing self-discipline and honesty; taking responsibility for their own actions and appreciating their ability to make a positive difference in the world.

 

  • Every child will appreciate and respect others, celebrate differences between individuals and groups and respect and care for God’s creation and the environment.

 

  • Every child will be encouraged to make healthy choices and appreciate the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

In order to do this, we will constantly reflect the Christian ethos of our school in our relationships with our children, their families, our staff, the church and the wider community.

 

At Rainford CE Primary School our mission statement is Learning and growing together to achieve our best in the love of God, showing our chosen values of love, joy, peace, friendship, forgiveness, justice and perseverance. We aim to maintain and develop a Christian ethos and encourage an atmosphere of warmth and calm, where all in our school community are equally valued, are listened to and work together as part of the wider community.

 

 

Affirmation

Rainford CE Primary School recognises that bullying of anyone in our school community is an issue to be taken seriously. We recognise the damage it can cause to the education of the victim, the wellbeing of the victim, the perpetrator and the school as a whole. We are committed to working towards its complete eradication and to establish appropriate means of providing after care should an incident of bullying occur.

We are committed to ensure our school acts proactively to ensure that we meet our duties under the Equality Act and challenge bullying of anyone due to their differences or perceived differences.

https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/sites/default/files/psed_guide_for_schools_in_england.doc

 

Definition of Bullying

Bullying is defined as deliberately hurtful behaviour, repeated over a period of time, where it is difficult for those being bullied to defend themselves. It can take many forms, but the three main types are physical (e.g. hitting, kicking, theft), verbal (e.g. name calling, racist remarks, gender remarks) or indirect (e.g. spreading rumours, excluding someone from social groups).

Single incidences of verbal or physical attack, and behaviour, which is hurtful but not intentional, should also be taken seriously and dealt with accordingly.

 

Preventing Bullying happening in our school

We foster a clear understanding that bullying, in any form, is not acceptable. We are proactive in our approach to preventing bullying by:

  • Regularly discussing of our school’s values in the classroom, the playground, whole school assembly and collective worship. Children are encouraged to show kindness and respect to each other, staff and the wider community.
  • Using the curriculum to develop children’s understanding of bullying and its effects.
  • Developing through our RE teaching understanding, tolerance and acceptance of all regardless of their religious beliefs.
  • PSHE lessons, including circle time encouraging good behaviour and developing understanding and acceptance of cultural differences and diversity.
  • Anti-bullying focused week
  • Regular praise of positive and supportive behaviour by all staff using verbal praise, stickers and through team and class points system
  • Worry Box for children to use to express anxieties or concerns
  • Anti-Bullying Workshops and Performances

 

Roles and Responsibilities

 

Rainford C.E. Staff

  • Staff must act firmly against bullying wherever and whenever it appears
  • Individual members of staff must be alert to signs of bullying and act promptly and firmly against it. Failure to respond to incidents may be interpreted as condoning the behaviour.

 

Rainford C.E. Children

It is important that our children should:

  • Be involved in the development and reviewing of anti-bullying policies and practice
  • Learn about what constitutes bullying and what to do about it
  • Have opportunities to develop the skills to resist bullying and to deal with bullying
  • Be aware that knowing about bullying by or to others and doing nothing is unacceptable.

 

Rainford C.E. Parents/Carers

Rainford C.E. parents' / carers’ role is to help the school to deal with bullying. They should:

  • Discourage their children from using bullying behaviour at school, at home or elsewhere
  • Take an active interest in their children's school life, especially with regard to friendships, playtime and the journey to and from school
  • Watch out for signs that their children are being bullied, or are bullying others
  • Contact the school at the first sign if they are worried that their children are being bullied or are bullying others.

 

Rainford C.E. Governors

Rainford C.E. Governors' role is to ensure that the school has a policy, that all staff operate the policy and that it is effective. The governing body should:

  • Review the school's bullying policy regularly
  • Consult all interested parties in revising the policy as necessary.
  • Help to explain the policy to all interested parties
  • Ask for information to enable it to monitor the implementation and evaluate the effectiveness of the policy.

 

All members of Rainford C.E. school community are encouraged to:

  • Respect everyone and celebrate their differences
  • Be polite and helpful at all times
  • Be kind and friendly
  • Listen carefully to each other
  • Try our very best in all we do
  • Keep safe.

 

Throughout their time with us at Rainford C.E. Primary School, children will have the opportunity to experience what it is to be part of a community. As part of this experience there will be daily encounters with other people, which will provoke various examples of ways in which people relate to one another. The lead examples will come from the staff and their relationship and interaction with one another, but this will also permeate to pupils across the school.

 

School will:

  • Participate in national and local initiatives such as Anti-Bullying Week and E-Safety week.
  • Seek to develop links with the wider community that will support inclusive anti-bullying education
  • Offer support to parents on how to help their children engage safely and responsibly with social media, perhaps through a parents’ evening, advice in a school newsletter or signposting to other sources of support and advice
  • Regularly counsel and educate the whole school community on e-safety and the prevention of cyber-bullying
  • Consider the use of specific strategies e.g. peer mentoring
  • Raise awareness of the nature of bulling by producing a child friendly version of this policy document.

 

Procedures for dealing with bullying

When an allegation has been made, the following procedure should be followed:

  • Discussions with the victim. This will require patience and understanding. Remember - Listen, believe, act
  • Identify the bully/bullies
  • Discussions with the bully/bullies. Record evidence (pupils, class, date, incident, type of alleged bullying, discussion and sanctions) on CPOMS. Incidents will be reviewed to see if any patterns are evident involving the same child/ children
  • Make it clear that bullying is not acceptable at Rainford C.E. Primary School.
  • Inform Senior Leadership Team and record on CPOMS written ascertained details
  • Separate discussions with parents of bully and victim
  • Senior Leadership Team to review previous records and identify any patterns
  • Decide on the course of action and what support is needed. Sanctions for the bully may include withdrawal from favourite activities, loss of playtimes, report card, isolation from class or exclusion from school, depending on the perceived severity of the incident(s)
  • Continue monitoring the situation by observing at playtimes/lunchtimes and having discussions with the victim to ensure no repetition.

 

In the Early Years Foundation Stage staff will record any incidents between children, or information from parents about the alleged treatment of their child by others on CPOMS. Incidents will be recorded following the guidelines for Key Stages 1 and 2, but dealt with in an age appropriate way. This record will be reviewed regularly to see if any patterns emerge involving the same child/ children.

 

Recording

Recording incidents is very important as it helps to identify any patterns regarding bullying behaviour. If a staff member feels that the situation is of a serious nature and requires further action, it will be passed on to the Headteacher who will attend to the matter either with the member of staff concerned or on their behalf.

 In order to monitor the frequency with which incidents of bullying take place, staff will record them including the following information:

  • The pupil’s name
  • Their class
  • Brief details about the alleged incident
  • Who dealt with it
  • What action was taken

 

Cyberbullying at Rainford C.E.

Tackling cyber bullying directly links to Rainford C.E. Online Safety Policy.

Mobile, Internet and wireless technologies have increased the pace of communication and brought benefits to users worldwide. But their popularity provides increasing opportunities for misuse through 'cyberbullying'. It's crucial that children and young people, who are particularly skilful at adapting to new technology, use their mobiles and the Internet safely and positively, and that they are aware of the consequences of misuse.

School staff, parents and pupils at Rainford C.E. have to be constantly vigilant and work together to prevent this form of bullying and tackle it wherever it appears. The advent of cyberbullying adds new dimensions to the problem of bullying. Unlike other forms of bullying, cyberbullying can follow children and young people into their private spaces and outside school hours. Cyber bullies can communicate their messages to a wide audience with remarkable speed and can often remain unseen and unidentifiable.

What is cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place over digital devices like mobile phones, computers, and tablets. Cyberbullying can occur through SMS, Text, and apps, or online in social media, forums, or gaming where people can view, participate in, or share content. Cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else. It can include sharing personal or private information and/or pictures about someone else causing embarrassment or humiliation. Some cyberbullying crosses the line into unlawful or criminal behaviour, which is why children need to understand the implications of their actions.

The most common places where cyberbullying occurs are:

  • Social Media, such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Tik Tok (Please note there are age restrictions for these apps. Most apps start at 13 years old).
  • Text messaging and messaging apps on mobile or tablet devices
  • Instant messaging, direct messaging, and online chatting over the internet
  • Online forums, chat rooms, and message boards, such as Reddit
  • Email
  • Online gaming communities

School staff, parents and pupils at Rainford C.E. need to work together to prevent this and to tackle it whenever it occurs.

Rainford C.E.  has a duty to ensure that:

  • Teachers have sufficient knowledge to deal with cyber bullying in school
  • The curriculum teaches pupils about the risks of new communications technologies, the consequences of their misuse, and how to use them safely
  • All e-communications used on the school site or as part of school activities off-site are monitored
  • Internet blocking technologies are continually updated and harmful sites blocked
  • They work with pupils and parents to make sure new communications technologies are used safely, taking account of local and national guidance and good practice
  • Security systems are in place to prevent images and information about pupils and staff being accessed improperly from outside school
  • They work with police and other partners on managing cyber-bullying.

 

Rainford C.E. Staff have responsibilities in:

  • Teaching children safe Internet etiquette
  • Applying school policy in monitoring electronic messages and images
  • Giving pupils key guidance on: personal privacy rights, material posted on any electronic platform and photographic images
  • Taking action if a pupil is being cyber-bullied or is bullying someone else
  • Teaching pupils the value of e-communications and the risks and consequences of improper use, including the legal implications.

 

Parents of Rainford C.E. pupils are encouraged to share these guidelines:

  • Don't wait for something to happen before you act
  • Make sure your child understands how to use these technologies safely and knows about the risks and consequences of misusing them
  • Make sure their child knows what to do if they or someone they know are being cyber bullied
  • Encourage your child to talk to you if they have any problems with cyber bullying. If they do have a problem, contact the school, the mobile network or the Internet Service Provider (ISP) to do something about it
  • Parental control software can limit who your child sends emails to and who he or she receives them from. It can also block access to some chat rooms.

 

Support Agencies

Anti-bullying Alliance – a unique collection of over 60 organisations, working together to stop bullying.  ABA runs an ‘antibullying week’ focusing on schools in mid November each year.  www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk

Kidscape advice for parents Call: 020 7823 5430, WhatsApp: 07496 682785, Email: parentsupport@kidscape.org.uk

Childline – advice and stories from children who have survived bullying http://www.childline.org.uk

 NSPCC Online Safety for Children - Tips & Guides | NSPCC

Think U Know - the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), has produced a set of resources around internet safety www.thinkuknow.co.uk

Childnet International work in partnership with others around the world to make the Internet a great and safe place for children http://www.childnet.com

The law is on your side

The Protection from Harassment Act, the Malicious Communications Act 1988 and Section 43 of the Telecommunications Act may be used to combat cyber-bullying. People may be fined or sent to prison for up to six months.

Promotion of this Policy

The policy and methods for reporting bullying concerns will be promoted throughout the school, for example on the school website, in information packs for new pupils and staff, and through regular awareness raising activities with staff, existing pupils and their families.

 

This policy should be read in conjunction with other Rainford C.E. policies:

  • Online Safety Policy and Acceptable Use Policies
  • Behaviour Policy
  • Child Protection Policy