Ashwell Academy
Anti Bullying and Harassment Policy
1st January 2014 – 1st July 2014
Introduction:
At Ashwell Academy we aim to provide a learning culture that enables all students to
achieve their potential. We aim, therefore, to create and provide an environment where
all students can learn and develop safely free from bullying and harassment. This can only
be achieved when students, staff, parents and the wider community work together to
ensure that bullying and harassment is taken seriously and is not tolerated.
BEHAVIOUR PRINCIPLES
 We aim to bring out the best in everyone which is why we provide an ethos and
curriculum that engages, enriches and empowers
 We are determined that no child is left behind and we believe, irrespective of
ability, that everyone can and will succeed
 We value effort, excellence, success and respect
 We trust that all students are proud to be part of Ashwell Academy and wear the
dress code with pride
 We believe we have a sense of community; we value student contribution which
enriches life both in our Academy and the local and wider community
 We strive to ensure that all students will leave us as successful learners, confident
individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors to society
The following policy sets out the framework and the expectations for students, staff
and parents / carers.
Aims and objectives:
 We will not tolerate bullying or harassment in any form in or out of our academy.
 We will ensure that every appropriate step is taken to eliminate bullying or
harassment.
 All students have the right to feel safe and enjoy school without having to
encounter physical, verbal, cyber (electronic communication), racist or
homophobic abuse.
 All students have the right to be treated with respect, consideration and
politeness.
What is bullying?
Bullying can be defined as:
“Behaviour by an individual or group, usually repeated over time, that intentionally
hurts another individual or group either physically or emotionally.”
Bullying includes: name-calling; taunting; mocking; making offensive comments; kicking;
hitting; pushing; taking belongings; inappropriate text messaging and emailing; sending
offensive or degrading images by phone or via the internet; producing offensive graffiti;
gossiping; excluding people from groups; and spreading hurtful and untruthful rumours
Students are bullied for a variety of reasons. Specific types of bullying including:
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Bullying related to race, religion or culture
Bullying related to special educational needs (DSEN) or disabilities
Bullying related to appearance or health conditions
Bullying related to sexual orientation
Bullying of young carers or looked-after children or otherwise related to home
circumstances
 Sexist or sexual bullying
The students of Ashwell Academy are not expected to:
 Bully or harass other students in or out of school.
 Tolerate bullying or harassment in any shape or form whether it is physical, verbal,
cyber (electronic communication), sexual, racist or homophobic abuse.
 Stand by and watch when bullying and harassment is taking place.
If Students witness bullying or harassment they are expected to:
 Report the incident to a member of staff immediately.
 Show the victim that they care.
 Show their disapproval to the bully or harasser.
If you are being bullied seek help immediately.
There are lots of people in our academy you can talk to:
1. Team leader
2. Subject teacher
3. Any member of staff
4. School counsellor (Martin Williams)
If you feel that there is no adult in our academy that you can talk to ask a friend for help
and ask them to speak to an adult on your behalf. Always let your family know what is
going on. They can offer help and support and contact our academy for you.
Make sure that you record what is happening, when, where and by whom.
Do not suffer in silence. We are here to help. We can only resolve bullying if we know
what is going on.
Remember, we do care, we want you to feel safe and to be happy in our academy.
Parents/Carers are expected to:
 Support our Anti Bullying and Harassment Policy by signing the Home Academy
Agreement
 Look out for the signs of bullying and inform your child’s team leader if you think that
your child is being bullied.
Signs which may indicate that your child is being bullied or harassed:
- Not wanting to come to our academy
- Avoiding a particular lesson or day
- Leaving late for our academy
- Becoming irritable and withdrawn
- Hiding damaged clothes
- Self harming
- Not eating food
If your child does show these signs it does not necessarily mean that they are being
bullied or harassed but it is always worth contacting us and speaking with your child’s
team leader because these signs can also affect learning.
If your child is being bullied or harassed, you can help in the following ways:
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Try to stay calm and obtain the facts.
Encourage your child to talk about the problem.
Listen to your child and reassure him/her that something can be and will be done.
Contact the academy and speak with your child’s team leader.
Make sure that you keep our academy informed of all incidents that occur both in and
out of the academy
 If your child has encountered bullying or harassment by mobile phone, through online
activity or other electronic communication please record the time and the nature of
the bullying or harassment. If possible, save electronically any evidence of the bullying
or harassment. You may wish to contact the police if it occurs more than twice. Make
sure your child is ‘Electronically Safe.’ (For further help and guidance please read our E
Safety and Mobile Phone Use Policies).
Cyberbullying and E-Safety
Two thirds of all bullying is verbal, and increasingly this happens in un-moderated chat
rooms or by instant messaging, or via text messages on mobile phones. Bullying can be
subtle but most of the time, if a child is being bullied, they tend to know who is doing it
to them.
What you can do:
 Get them to show you any messages they've received or to tell you immediately if
anything new happens.
 Tell them never to respond to an internet bully in a chat room, and never respond to
abusive text messages.
 Make sure they stick to moderated chat rooms.
 Tell them that bullying usually stops once they tell other people about it.
 If bullying or abuse starts in a chat room, encourage your children to leave
immediately and tell you - you can then contact the moderator or the site
manager/editor.
 Tell them never to give out personal contact details online or put photographs of
themselves up on websites
Bullying, Cyber Bullying and the Law
Using IT irresponsibly may be breaking the law which could lead to prosecution through
the use of the following Acts of Parliament
 Protection from Harassment Act 1997
 Communication Act 2003
 Malicious Communications Act 1988
 Public Order Act 1986
 Obscene Publications Act 1959
 Computer Misuse Act 1990
 Crime and Disorder Act 1998
 Defamation Act 1996
What happens if my child is bullying others?
If your child is bullying, they could be copying the behaviour of other people in the
family; or perhaps they haven't learned better ways of mixing with their friends. Friends
may be encouraging bullying, or your child may be going through a difficult time and
acting out aggressive feelings.
To stop your child bullying:
 Explain to your child that what they are doing is unacceptable and making other
children unhappy.
 Discourage other members of your family from using aggression or force to get what
they want.
 Show your child how they can join in without bullying.
 Speak to your child's team leader to talk about how you can work together to stop
your child bullying.
 Check regularly with your child about how things are going at our academy.
 Give your child lots of praise when they are co-operative and kind to other people.
The staff at Ashwell Academy are expected to:
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Listen to any student that informs them they are bullied or harassed.
Show the student that they care and that we take their complaint seriously.
Offer the student strategies and advice on how to tackle the bullying or harassment.
Explain to the student the actions that you are taking to address the situation.
Record the incident with the appropriate Team Leader informing them of the actions
that they have taken.
 Complete an entry in the Behaviour Management System.
 Ensure that they have a follow up meeting with the student to check on their wellbeing.
 If the problem persists, meet with the Principal and decide the next course of action.
The staff at Ashwell Academy may use the following strategies to tackle bullying or
harassment:
Support Strategies for the victims of bullying
 Use Restorative Practice to resolve conflict
 Contact parents / carers to discuss the situation
 Interview students – No ‘blame approach’ technique
 Parental interviews - No ‘blame approach’ technique
 School Counsellor
 Local Community Police Team
Sanction Strategies for the perpetrators of bullying
 Contact parents/carers to discuss the situation
 Detention break
 Detention lunch
 Detention outside of school hours
 Success Tracking Cards
 Linked to a member of staff
 Move team groups
 Timetable modification
 Isolation
 Twilight Learning
 Fixed Term Exclusion (students can be excluded for behaviour outside of our academy
if it brings the academy into disrepute or it affects the smooth running of the
academy)
 Permanent Exclusion
 Contact the Police Community Support Officers/Police
 Legal action
Adult Behaviour sets the tone and expectations of students
Students do not necessarily know how to behave in an appropriate way in and around
the school. Staff must therefore outline the academy’s expectations to students at all
times. Staff must act continually as role models to guide and assist students in their
emotional development because students learn from the way in which adults act and
behave.
By working together we can remove bullying and harassment to create a culture where
students feel safe and can enjoy and achieve.
Further information and advice can be found at the following:
 Parentline Plus helpline: 0808 800 2222 (Monday to Friday 9.00 am to 9.00 pm,
Saturday 9.30 am to 5.00 pm, Sunday 10.00 am to 3.00 pm)
 Kidscape helpline for parents: 08451 205204 (10.00 am to 4.00 pm)
 Anti Bullying Campaign advice line for parents and children: 020 7378 1446 (9.30 am to
5.00 pm)
 Advisory Centre for Education (advice for parents and children on all school matters):
0808 800 5793
 Children's Legal Centre (free legal advice on all aspects of the law affecting children and
young people): 0845 120 2948
Useful websites
http://www.winifredholtbyacademy.co.uk/
http://www.education.gov.uk/
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/
http://www.childline.org.uk
http://familylives.org.uk/
http://www.kidscape.org.uk/
Review date: 1st July 2014