Bullying Policy.

A. Statement of Intent

We are committed to providing a caring, friendly and safe environment for all our pupils so they can learn in a relaxed and secure atmosphere. Bullying of ANY kind is unacceptable in our school. WE HAVE A ZERO TOLERANCE FOR BULLYING! (Timour Hall Primary School Code of Conduct Section 2.10.6.2 Level two offence, which implies immediate detention). If bullying does occur, all pupils should be able to tell and know that incidents will be dealt with promptly and effectively. We are a TELLING school. This means that ANYONE who knows that bullying is happening is expected to tell the staff.

B. What is Bullying?

Bullying is deliberate hurtful behaviour that is repeated over a period of time, where it is difficult for the person being bullied to defend him/herself. Bullying results in pain and distress for the victim. There are a number of different kinds of bullying :

• Emotional – being unfriendly, excluding, tormenting (hiding books, threatening gestures)
• Physical – pushing, kicking, hitting, punching or any use of violence
• Verbal – name-calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, teasing, racist remarks, laughing at a child who makes mistakes.

C. Signs and Symptoms

A child may indicate by signs or behaviours that he or she is being bullied. Adults (parents and teachers/staff) should be aware of these possible signs, and should investigate if a child:

• Is frightened of walking to or from school;
• Doesn’t want to go on the school/public bus;
• Changes their usual routine;
• Refuses school (school phobic), and begins to truant;
• Becomes withdrawn, anxious and lacking in confidence;
• Starts stammering;
• Attempts or threatens suicide or runs away;
• Cries themselves to sleep at night or starts having nightmares;
• Feels ill in the mornings (especially with tummy or head aches);
• Change in toilet routine (needs the toilet more often than usual);
• Drops in performance at school;
• Comes home with torn clothes or damaged school books, or possessions constantly going missing;
• Asks for money (or steals it) to pay the bully off
• Constantly loses their lunch or lunch money
• Has unexplained cuts or bruises;
• Comes home starving (lunch or lunch money has been stolen);
• Is bullying other children or siblings;
• Has any changes in appetite
• Is afraid to say what is wrong
• Gives improbable explanations for any of the above. Remember that these signs may point to a number of other problems too. But they also could be a sign of bullying, and should be explored further with the child.

D. Procedure

1. A Bully Box will be placed outside the Social Worker’s office where any incidents of bullying can be written down and posted anonymously. This can be done by the child who is being bullied as well as ANYONE who has witnessed incidents of bullying. The full name and grade of the bully and victim must be provided. The person reporting the incident can remain anonymous.
2. This box will be regularly checked by the social worker, who will hand any reports over to a staff member, who will enter these into the Incident Register. Where children have spoken directly to a staff member on break duty, that teacher must deal with the incident and then write a report to be placed in the box. When a class teacher is finding that a particular learner is displaying repetitive bullying behaviour in class, this should also be written up and placed in the Bully Box.
3. Once a week on a Friday, identified bullies will be informed by the Deputy Principal that they have been named. They will be watched for the next two weeks. In this period, any further incidents involving these children will be investigated. If there is no improvement in their behaviour, they will be expected to attend Anti-Bully Sessions.
4. Both the identified bully and the victim will be called in to a “bullying assessment session” with an appropriately skilled teacher, where the situation will be looked at in detail.
5. The bully will then be expected to have 4 sessions with this teacher, so that he/she can work on the unacceptable behaviour. This also provides an opportunity for the underlying reason for the bullying to be explored and worked on. The victim can also be seen, should he/she request this. This teacher will provide the social worker with reports on all the sessions conducted.
6. Where necessary, a further referral can be made to the school social worker, should it be found that the child needs in-depth counselling.
7. In all severe cases, and for repeat offenders who are not rehabilitating through the above mentioned interventions, the parents of both the bully and the victim will be called in to separate meetings with management, to discuss the problem and to reach solutions.