Nobody has the right to hurt other people by hitting them, kicking them, calling them names, spreading rumours about them or doing anything else which is intended to be upsetting. This includes ‘cyber bullying’ (where social networking sites are used to hurt others) and texting.
What to do if you think you are being bullied
- Talk to someone you can trust – a teacher, parent, relative or friend.
- If you can, write down everything the bullies have done or said to you.
- Keep any texts, emails or comments from social networking sites as evidence and then block the senders.
- If you find it difficult to talk to an adult, ask one of your friends to come with you or ask someone to talk to an adult on your behalf.
- Most importantly, do something. Sometimes bullying stops quickly, but doing nothing means that it may continue until someone is seriously hurt. That could be you or bullies may find a new victim. If their behaviour is not challenged they are unlikely to stop.
What not to do
- Don’t try and deal with the problem on your own – there’s nothing wrong in asking for help.
- Don’t hit out – you might end up being accused of bullying yourself.
- Always tell the truth about what has happened – don’t exaggerate. If a small part of what you are saying is shown to be untrue then it throws everything else into doubt.
- Don’t believe the lies the bullies are telling about you.
- Don’t hide what is happening from people you trust. Keeping things secret is the bullies’ biggest weapon against you. That’s why they go to so much trouble to stop you telling.
The following links take you to our school reporting system. Whether you are the victim, a witness or a parent/guardian, you can complete one of these forms to let us know about an alleged bullying incident in Bell Baxter High School.
S1 – Report a bullying incident
S2 – Report a bullying incident
S3 – Report a bullying incident
S4 – Report a bullying incident
S5 – Report a bullying incident
S6 – Report a bullying incident
Bullying will not be tolerated in Bell Baxter and action will be taken where necessary and in line with school consequences. We will investigate all reported incidents and update you as soon as possible.
Further information about bullying can be found on the respectme, Scotland’s anti-bullying service, website.
