Anti-Bullying

Minimising Bullying Policy

Rationale

Bullying in Langloan Primary School and Nursery Class can only be effectively dealt with if parents, staff and pupils work together to find a solution. Bullying does exist and is a problem in all schools. It must be given a high profile within the school, where an open, caring and responsive climate should be created.

Aims

to develop an awareness that bullying is unacceptable.
to develop a shared view of bullying.
to work in partnership with parents to minimise bullying.
to encourage an open climate where concerns are heard.
to develop a range of strategies to deal with bullying.
to develop a sense of shared responsibility within the school community.

What is Bullying?

It is a deliberate act where a person is wilful and has a conscious desire to hurt, threaten or frighten someone else.

Verbal: being called nasty names/nasty comments.
Social: being left out of things/ no one talking to you.
Material: possessions stolen/ property damaged.
Physical: being assaulted.

Role of the Management Team

To work with the staff to create a caring and supportive ethos throughout the whole school by:

fostering a whole school approach to bullying.
promoting partnership between home and school.
supporting staff in their efforts to deal with bullying.
ensuring that both victim and bully are counselled and supported.
applying sanctions where necessary.

Role of the Staff

To support the children by:

raising awareness of bullying and its effects on a regular basis through the curriculum.
fostering an atmosphere of mutual respect.
being aware of and defusing potential situations before they escalate.
encouraging witnesses to report bullying incidents.
taking reports of bullying seriously.
taking action where necessary.
reporting serious or persistent problems to the Management Team.

Role of the Parent

Parents’ should support their child/children by:

letting you child know you are pleased to be told about the incident(s)
reporting repeated or serious incidents to the school.
co-operating with the school by allowing us sufficient time to deal with the matter; bullying can be complex and difficult to solve.

School Procedures for Dealing with Bullying

investigate incident.
support the victim and counsel the bully.
report incidents of a more serious or persistent nature to the Management Team.
involve parents’ where necessary and work in pertnership to resolve the situation.
sanctions will be applied by the Management Team if necessary.
in extreme cases where no satisfactory outcome can be reached at school level, the authority can be involved.

Strategies for Children

Pupils should try to:

avoid worrying.
keep in control.
stay calm.
look confident.
stay with friends.
pretend they don’t care.
most importantly tell someone- a friend, janitor, teacher or parent.
if you keep it a secret you are protecting the bully and saying it is o.k to treat you as he/she is doing.

Pupils should not:

blame themselves.
think like a victim.
put themselves at risk.
show they are upset.

No Hitting Policy

Why should I not hit back if someone hits me?

it can make the situation worse.
someone could get injured.
it can make it difficult to find out who is at fault.
it encourages violence.
it undermines all efforts to develop self control.