MARVELS LANE PRIMARY SCHOOL
ANTI BULLYING POLICY
At Marvels Lane School, we are committed to providing a caring, friendly, respectful and safe environment for all of our pupils so they can live and learn in a relaxed and secure atmosphere. Bullying in all its forms is not acceptable at our school and will not be tolerated.
In this school we use the following definition.
“Bullying behaviour abuses an imbalance of power to repeatedly and intentionally cause emotional or physical harm to another person or group of people.” (Torfaen definition 2008)
In other words, bullying behaviour is behaviour that:
~ is repeated and goes on over time
~ is deliberate not accidental
~ involves the person/people doing the bullying having some sort of power over the person being bullied (maybe they are bigger, stronger, have more friends, have more people with them).
Any unkind behaviour that does not fit this definition is also treated seriously and dealt with appropriately, but not as bullying (see Behaviour Policy).
Bullying generally can take one of four forms:
- Indirect – being unfriendly, spreading rumours, excluding, tormenting (e.g. hiding bags or books)
- Physical – pushing, kicking, hitting, punching, or any other form of violence
- Verbal- name calling, teasing, threats, sarcasm
- Cyber – all areas of internet misuse, such as nasty and/or threatening emails, chat rooms and instant messaging, misuse of associated technology , i.e. camera and video facilities
As a school we work hard to both prevent bullying from happening in the first place and by dealing with it consistently, fairly and effectively when it does. This includes helping children take responsibility if they have been involved in encouraging bullying behaviour or observing it as a bystander.
We aim to prevent bullying issues through:
~ having agreed rules drawn up by pupils and adults in each class
~ having Place2talk for children to discuss and resolve issues
~ using display materials to promote a positive environment
~ being vigilant about children who may be vulnerable
~ including such children in friendship / social skills groups
~ discussing / thinking about issues during assemblies, special time and class circle times
~ supporting Year 5 & 6 children and their parents with issues around internet safety and cyber-bullying
~ providing a positive playground environment
~ rewarding and recognising positive role models
We deal with bullying issues through:
being vigilant and responding to every incident reported. We are a Listening School and aim to set an expectation and ethos in which people feel confident to report any incidents of bullying behaviour towards themselves and/or others and that, once reported, it will be dealt with appropriately. Following an investigation, the level of response will depend on the nature of the incident/s but may include those involved:
– taking responsibility – through a range of possible consequences (in extreme circumstances, this may involve exclusion)
– repairing any damage, hurt or harm – through apology and future action
– learning about future behaviour – through counselling, conflict resolution and/or monitoring and support
– informing parents.
Incidents of bullying and subsequent action are recorded, monitored by Senior Leadership and reported to Governors.
April 2016
Click here to download our Anti Bullying Policy.