North Bromsgrove High School
Operational Policy
Guidance
Area: Guidance
Policy: Anti-Bullying
Date Approved: 26 /03/15
This policy should be read in conjunction with the Behaviour Policy and the Equal Opportunities Policy.
Terminology (Theoretical Background)
Definition
The ABA (Anti-Bullying Alliance) defines bullying as:
“The repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the
relationship involves an imbalance of power.
Bullying can be physical, verbal or psychological. It can happen face-to-face or through cyberspace.”
Affirmation
North Bromsgrove High School recognises that bullying is a serious issue. We recognise the damage it can
cause to the education of the victim, the perpetrator and the student body as a whole. We are committed to
challenging the assumption that bullying is inevitable and are working towards its complete eradication.
North Bromsgrove High School also believes that every student has a right to enjoy his/her learning and
leisure free from bullying. It will not tolerate any behaviour that causes distress to any member of it’s
community.
Understanding
Bullying
behaviour: a complex set of
interactions that can be
influenced, both positively
and negatively, by a wide
range
of
behaviours,
attitudes, strategies and
interventions
ABA (Anti-Bullying Alliance) as well as behaviour experts recommend a move away from the terms “Bully”
and “Victim”. Whether it is perpetrator or bully we are wary of what in CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy)
terms would be called Universal Signifiers or 'Always and Everywhere' labels which describe a person rather
than an aspect of their behaviour.
In practical terms, when engaging with parents asking something like 'We have found that your child is a bully
and we would like you to help us sort it out' gets a powerful defensive reaction, questioning the truth of the
situation, finding others to blame including staff and other children and resistance to engaging with solution
finding. Pointing out that their child has a difficult and damaging relationship with another child that could
have serious consequences on both sides and asking for their help in resolving it urgently tends to get a
different response. Similarly, those on the receiving end need a message that they are having a specific
problem in one aspect of their lives which is temporary and capable of resolution, and does not infect every
aspect of their being. They are only 'victims' in a clearly defined area of their lives, not victims in every area
of their lives.”
Aims
The aim of this policy is to provide a definition of bullying and to provide some basic guidelines for:
 The prevention of bullying.
 The reporting of bullying (both within school and from outside).
 The recording of incidents of bullying.
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Supporting the young people who are, or have, been bullied.
Supporting the young people who bully/display bullying behaviour.
Sanctions.
Communication.
Prevention
The school is committed to the prevention of bullying behaviours. In order to do this the school will:
 Have anti-bullying/eSafety sessions as part of the Year 9 Induction Programme days each year, to
give students a greater understanding of the subject.
 Have an Anti-Bullying week each year to highlight the Anti-Bullying policy.
 Have an annual Personal Development focus day on anti-bullying and understanding inequality.
 Deliver training to staff on the Anti-Bullying policy and other related issues.
 Have an Anti-Bullying display board promoting the ‘sharing’ culture around bullying at North
Bromsgrove High School.
 Have a secure area on the school website where students can send any bullying concerns to their
Head of Year or Assistant Head via the ‘Text Someone’ bullying reporting package.
 Have regular programmes and guidance on LCD display screens within school related to bullying and
how to deal with it.
 Ensure that all parents can access the Anti-Bullying policy via the school website.
Reporting
The school is committed to removing the culture of secrecy from bullying. We recognise that many young
people will be put off the idea of reporting bullying for fear that it may make the situation worse. In order to
promote the reporting of bullying, the school will:
 Carry out internal questionnaires including questions on safety with both the students and parents
at least once a year.
 Provide training for staff on how to deal with a disclosure about bullying.
 Deal with each disclosure about bullying sensitively and with a guarantee about anonymity if
requested.
 Feed back to Governors once a term on incidents of bullying.
As with any other behaviour incident, in order to ensure the accuracy of reporting, written statements will
be taken from the young people who are/or have been bullied, the young people who bully/display bullying
behaviour and any witnesses. These will be treated sensitively and kept confidential.
Recording
In order to monitor the frequency with which incidents of bullying take place, the school will record each
incident of bullying centrally on the school management information system (SIMS). The following
information may be recorded:
 The name of the young person who is, or has been bullied.
 The name of the young person who is, or has bullied/display bullying behaviour.
 Their tutor group.
 Brief details about the alleged incident.
 Who dealt with it.
 What action was taken.
The school recognises how traumatic being the young person who is, or has been bullied. We are committed
to providing each student with the support they need to continue with their education in an environment
free from the fear of bullying. In order to do this the school will access where appropriate ‘Restorative Justice’
processes:
 Arrange a letter of apology or verbal apology from the young person who is, or has bullied/display
bullying behaviour.
 Discuss with the student what support they feel that they need.
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 Discuss with the parents what support they feel their child needs.
 Make referrals to external agencies if necessary.
 Offer a meeting with the young person who is, or has bullied/displayed bullying behaviour.
Support for the young person who is, or has bullied/display bullying behaviour
The school recognises that bullying can damage the education of the young person who is, or has
bullied/displayed bullying behaviour as well as the victim. Students that bully will be offered a range of
support. This will include one or more of the following:
 Supervised break and lunch times.
 Use of the school’s academic report system.
 A Pastoral Support Programme.
 A referral for support from the Student Mentor or Therapeutic Youth Worker.
 A referral to an external agency
 If the bullying has involved actual or attempted extortion, a referral to the school’s police liaison
officer.
Sanctions
It is important for the victim of bullying, the young person who is, or has bullied/displayed bullying behaviour
and the school community as a whole that there are clearly defined consequences for any act of bullying.
Each case will be dealt with individually, but the types of sanctions available to the school include:
 A period of internal exclusion.
 Withdrawal of break times and lunchtimes.
 Fixed term exclusion.
 Permanent exclusion.
Communication
Whenever an allegation about bullying is made, the parents, Form Tutor and Head of Year of both the
victim and the young person who is, or has bullied/display bullying behaviour will be informed.
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School Staff – Teaching and Support Staff:
Observe and note down any early signs of distress in students
Always listen, take seriously and act upon ALL information you receive
Initially establish the facts
Inform the appropriate Head of Year and/or Form Tutor – a joint decision will be made
on how to proceed
The person assuming responsibility should then take the following steps in recording the
incident;
a) Written statements, dated and signed, should be taken from all parties present.
b) The member of staff should note any of their discussions with all parties.
If necessary, the member of staff should contact the Assistant Head for further support
and advice before proceeding.
Decide what action should be taken and what support will be needed.
Inform parent/carer of persons involved of the unacceptable nature of the behaviour
and the consequences of any repetition. This may involve use off the school’s sanctions
for unacceptable behaviour.
Further support will be available for both parties.
Bullying incidents will be reported to the Governing Body on a termly basis and will be
logged on SIMS
Staff training and updates will be provided as necessary.
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Parents/Other Adults:
Observe and note down any early signs of distress in children
e.g reluctance to come to school, a pattern of minor illnesses, damaged
possessions/clothing, missing items or equipment, aggression to brothers/sisters,
mood swings/character changes
(these symptoms may not always be an indication of bullying but of some other
difficulty so you are advised to contact the school to discuss these)
Listen, take seriously and act upon all the information you receive. Try to establish firm
factual information; Who? What? When? And Where?
If you think your child is being bullied please contact the school immediately and speak
to your child’s Form Tutor in the first instance.
With the appropriate member of staff, devise strategies that will help your child and
provide him/her with support inside and outside of school
DO NOT ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILD TO HIT BACK. It will only make matters worse and
may cloud the successful investigation of the facts
Encourage your child not to try to meet the demands of young person who is, or has
bullied/displayed bullying behaviour. It will only make matters worse and may cloud
the successful investigation of the facts
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