BAY HOUSE SCHOOL AND SIXTH FORM
School Anti-Bullying Statement
Bay House School and Sixth Form is committed to providing a caring, supportive, friendly and
safe environment in which all individuals can grow in confidence and develop their gifts
without feeling intimidated, distressed or oppressed by the behaviour of others. All are
encouraged to take responsibility for their own behaviour and to build a cohesive and happy
community in which everyone is treated with courtesy and respect. Unkind or hurtful
behaviour is not tolerated. Individual differences are valued and a wide variety of individual
contributions is encouraged; to enrich our community. We value continual improvement of the
individual and wish for everyone to aspire to the highest standards of behaviour and
achievement, but we also promote the need for all to recognise a responsibility to care for
others.
Bullying
Bullying is behaviour that persists over a period of time in being offensive, intimidating,
malicious or insulting and which results in the victim feeling undermined, humiliated or
physically and / or emotionally injured.
At Bay House, we address any behaviour that causes distress. We nurture through a culture
where hurtful behaviour is regarded as unacceptable and so every individual, not just those
who are victims, feels a responsibility and has the confidence to tell the School if they know of
such behaviour. We encourage the whole school community - staff, learners and parents /
carers – to feel a collective responsibility for this culture and to work together in achieving our
shared aim. We are an anti-bullying community.
We recognise that there can be many triggers for people who choose to behave in unpleasant
and hurtful ways towards others. These include homophobia, race, religion, culture,
appearance, health issues, accents, sexist views, stereotyping and anything relating to the
victim that may be regarded as ‘different’. Unpleasant behaviour towards others motivated by
any of these triggers is unacceptable.
Behaviour that the School regards as unacceptable includes:
o Verbal attacks: eg threats, name-calling, teasing (for example about size or hair colour),
spreading unkind rumours and gossip
o Physical abuse: eg pushing, hitting, kicking, spitting, gesturing, tripping up
o Emotional pressure: eg being deliberately unfriendly or unkind, trying to make an individual
look/feel silly, isolating, tormenting, blaming, stalking or being deliberately intimidating /
hurtful in any other way
o Written abuse: eg note-passing, threatening notes / letters, graffiti, defacing books or other
people’s belongings
o Digital abuse; eg through e-mail, internet chat room and social networking sites, text
messaging, videos and telephone calls
o Unwanted sexual attention and comments (written or verbal) that are openly sexual or have
sexual innuendo, including those that are homophobic
o Comments, taunts, gestures or other actions that are racist (see also the School’s policy
documents on dealing with racist incidents)
o Demanding or taking money or property, vandalising or hiding property
What are the School’s strategies to promote a culture where unkind and hurtful behaviour is
not tolerated?
Our emphasis is on the quality of relationships and how we exercise our responsibility and
respect for others, so that we can all make progress and realise our potential. We believe that
praise and positive reinforcement are greater motivators than non-constructive criticism.
Sanctions are tools to support people in learning to understand what was wrong with their
choice of behaviour so that they can learn from mistakes and improve.
o All adults in the School community are expected to act as role models in how they respond
to both learners and colleagues and in challenging unacceptable behaviour. All adults in the
school community are expected to be alert to signs of learners experiencing unkind and/or
hurtful behaviour, in particular for those learners who may be particularly vulnerable
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Pupils are reminded of the School’s expectations of behaviour through tutor times,
assemblies, citizenship sessions, as part of the induction programme in Year 7, in Planners,
through posters and plasma screens and through publicising this document
Staff and pupils sign an anti-bullying ‘pledge’ which is displayed in tutor bases
Pupils are encouraged to be actively involved in promoting our anti-bullying messages by
participating in poetry and poster competitions
Through, for example, the citizenship programme, tutorials and assemblies, pupils are
supported and encouraged to deal positively, pro-actively and appropriately with any
incidents of unacceptable behaviour towards themselves or others
The School takes part in the annual national anti-bullying week and uses this as a vehicle to
promote and publicise the culture it aspires to
Upon entry to the School, those learners who are known to have been vulnerable to bullying
in the past and their parents/carers, are offered additional, confidential support and
monitoring during the induction period
Learners are encouraged to report unacceptable behaviour as soon as possible. A variety of
ways is available: speaking to any member of staff but in particular tutors, year office
teams, learning support staff, Matron, the Counsellor and also pupils trained as Bay House
Buddies (peer mentors) and an e-mail address
Parents/carers are also encouraged to discuss any concerns about their children – where
they feel they may be either receiving or taking part in unkind / hurtful behaviour – with the
School
A ‘drop-in’ room where pupils can talk to trained peer mentors
Self-esteem, anger management and other social and emotional support courses are
available for pupils
Pupil voice encourages all pupils to be involved in anti-bullying
Informing parents through information evenings, Planners and personal contact (eg from
Pastoral Assistants or the Parent Support Advisor) of the School’s approaches, what it can
offer to support pupils and how parents/carers and the School can work together to support
children. This includes ‘signposting’ parents to sources of support and information for them
and their children with partner agencies and other organisations beyond the School
The school seeks opportunities to involve other agencies in developing its strategies for
achieving the culture it aspires to, in supporting those who are victims of/responsible for
unpleasant behaviour and in working with parents / carers
Prefects also act as positive role models and peer mentors
How are incidents of unkind/hurtful behaviour dealt with?
Although it is our aim that we will be a School where we all ultimately share the responsibility
to report unacceptable behaviour, we recognise that pupils do not always wish to report
incidents. An open and supportive approach is encouraged in the hope that witnesses may
come forward to make another pupil or a member of staff aware of its occurrence. We ask
parents to be pro-active in both letting us know if they have concerns and also, where bullying
has been reported and action has been taken, checking with their children that it has stopped.
Whatever the circumstances it is vital that the victim or witness feels supported and confident
that the incident will be dealt with sensitively and that confidentiality, where appropriate, is
maintained.
The following guidelines will apply:
o All reported incidents will be treated seriously and sensitively and will be investigated as
appropriate.
o In deciding how to proceed the person approached will listen carefully to the account of
events and discuss the course of action
o Where appropriate parents/carers of both the pupil and the person(s) responsible will be
informed and may be asked to attend a meeting to discuss the incident and its follow-up
o Pastoral staff will check regularly with those who experience hurtful behaviour that it has
stopped
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Those who are responsible for unpleasant/hurtful behaviour as well as those who are victims
are offered support and guidance
o Persistent unpleasant and hurtful behaviour and serious incidents will be likely to incur more
serious sanctions including exclusion
o A learner who persists in these forms of unacceptable behaviour despite being supported to
change his or her conduct is likely to be excluded permanently
o Records of incidents and follow-up will be maintained to facilitate appropriate further action
if required and to monitor of this aspect of the School’s behaviour policy.
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Ratified by the Governors Personnel Committee at their meeting on the 22 June 2013