Anti-Bullying
At Brookland School we seek to create a culture in which bullying of any kind, either against pupils or adults is not accepted by any member of the school community. We are serious about preventing and tackling bullying whether it is on the grounds of race, religion, educational need, disability or sexual orientation. Bullying of any kind can threaten both the mental health and educational progress of our pupils.
Anti-Bullying
At Brearley Hall School we seek to create a culture in which bullying of any kind, either against pupils or adults is not accepted by any member of the school community. We are serious about preventing and tackling bullying whether it is on the grounds of race, religion, educational need, disability or sexual orientation. Bullying of any kind can threaten both the mental health and educational progress of our pupils.
What is bullying?
"Behaviour by an individual or group, repeated over time, that intentionally hurts another individual or group either physically or emotionally."
Brookland School enables all members of the school community to understand what constitutes bullying, making it clear to pupils, staff, parents and guardians that bullying is completely unacceptable. We strongly believe that our pupils have the right to study in a safe, supportive and secure environment, free from physical threats, verbal taunts and any form of harassment. Incidents of bullying threaten this and cause enormous stress to victims.
We are therefore strongly committed to the avoidance of bullying in all its forms. We provide a clear framework for dealing with incidents of bullying, ensuring that bullies are dealt with swiftly and firmly.
Our Aim
Our aim is to promote positive relationships amongst all members of the school community and to develop a culture in which individuals are listened to and their concerns taken seriously. Our straightforward procedures make it easy to report bullying, including cyber bullying and bullying and bullying outside of school.
Bullying can take
many forms
Cyber-bullying
via text messages, social media or gaming, which can include the use of images and video
Motivated by prejudice against particular groups
for example on grounds of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, specialeducational needs or disabilities
Because a child is adopted, in care or has caring responsibilities
Motivated by actual differences between children, or perceived differences.
Bullying can be:
Emotional
(indirect bullying) including isolation of others by a refusal to co-operate with them and exclusion
Physical harm or a threat
including the abuse of personal property
Cyber/Online
Racist
Cultural
Sexist
Sexual
Homophobic
Religious
Verbal
Written
Bullying can be:
Emotional
(indirect bullying) including isolation of others by a refusal to co-operate with them and exclusion
Physical harm
or a threat including the abuse of personal property
Cyber/Online
Racist
Cultural
Sexist
Sexual
Homophobic
Religious
Verbal
Written
Stopping violence and ensuring immediate physical safety is our school’s priority, but emotional bullying can be more damaging than physical; the school will make judgements about each specific case. Bullying also involves an imbalance of power between the perpetrator and the victim.
This could involve perpetrators of bullying having control over the relationship which makes it difficult for those they bully to defend themselves. The imbalance of power can manifest itself in several ways, it may be physical, psychological (knowing what upsets someone), derive from an intellectual imbalance, or by having access to the support of a group, or the capacity to socially isolate.
It can result in the intimidation of a person or persons through the threat of violence or by isolating them either physically or online. Low-level disruption and the use of offensive language can have a significant impact on its target. If left unchallenged or dismissed as banter or horseplay it can also lead to reluctance to report other behaviour.
What we do
Brookland School ensures early intervention to help set clear expectations of the behaviour that is and isn’t acceptable and help stop negative behaviours escalating. Keeping Children Safe in Education (2023) defines bullying as a form of abuse, ‘child on child abuse’.
It is an offence for a person to send an electronic communication to another person with the intent to cause distress or anxiety or to send an electronic communication which conveys a message which is indecent or grossly offensive, a threat, or information which is false and known or believed to be false by the sender.
If our staff consider that an offence may have been committed, we will seek assistance from the police. As part of our Behaviour Management Policy, Riverbank Primary School believes that all children and adults have the right to live in a supportive, caring, and safe environment without the fear of being bullied. Bullying can occur through several types of anti-social behaviour.
Our staff will:
All staff act with strict accordance to the expectations of our Anti-Bullying policy. If bullying is identified staff are consistent in their response.
There is a solid understanding that the victim and the bully may require additional support and/or intervention. Staff are aware that bullying (in its myriad of forms), may be taking place.
All staff act swiftly and sensitively to ensure that appropriate strategies are put in place to support all the children involved. Additional advice may be sought from the Head of Education (or external agencies as appropriate) to meet the individual needs of all concerned.
Children’s confidence will be nurtured and developed to challenge bullying in a positive and non-confrontational way.
All school staff conducting interviews will have completed a Safeguarding: Safer Recruitment in Education course, or equivalent, to a satisfactory standard.
All school staff conducting interviews will be conversant with current practice relating to identifying potential safeguarding concerns during interviews.
In achieving an environment in which it is safe to learn, we:
Continue to implement procedures for identifying and reporting cases, or suspected cases, of abuse that will be in addition to, or consistent with, the established Timeout Care procedures for safeguarding children.
Support any child who has been abused or suffered maltreatment in accordance with her or his agreed child protection plan for example, as well as any other supportive mechanisms.
Establish a safe environment in which all children can learn and develop. Incorporate key safeguarding guidance, direction and advice to all children in lessons, about Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PSHE and SMSC), as well as opportunities for cross-curricular learning.
Initiate and maintain appropriate training to ensure all staff can carry out their duty to safeguard all children at the school, including Prevent/ Wrap and Channel recommendations.
Ensure that all staff adhere to mandatory whistle blowing obligations that relate directly to concerns raised in confidence inside and, where necessary, outside the school.
Ensure that the appropriate outside professionals, such as Local Authority officers (Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) for example) and agencies, such as the Police, are contacted in appropriate circumstances.
Actively encourage all our staff to keep up-to-date with the most recent local and national safeguarding advice and guidance.
The Lead Teacher and The Designated Safeguarding Lead will be used as a first point of contact for concerns and queries regarding safeguarding concern in our school.
In achieving an environment in which it is safe to learn, we:
All school staff conducting interviews will have completed a Safeguarding: Safer Recruitment in Education course, or equivalent, to a satisfactory standard.
All school staff conducting interviews will be conversant with current practice relating to identifying potential safeguarding concerns during interviews.
Continue to implement procedures for identifying and reporting cases, or suspected cases, of abuse that will be in addition to, or consistent with, the established Timeout Care procedures for safeguarding children.
Support any child who has been abused or suffered maltreatment in accordance with her or his agreed child protection plan for example, as well as any other supportive mechanisms.
Establish a safe environment in which all children can learn and develop. Incorporate key safeguarding guidance, direction and advice to all children in lessons, about Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PSHE and SMSC), as well as opportunities for cross-curricular learning.
Initiate and maintain appropriate training to ensure all staff can carry out their duty to safeguard all children at the school, including Prevent/ Wrap and Channel recommendations.
Ensure that all staff adhere to mandatory whistle blowing obligations that relate directly to concerns raised in confidence inside and, where necessary, outside the school.
Ensure that the appropriate outside professionals, such as Local Authority officers (Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) for example) and agencies, such as the Police, are contacted in appropriate circumstances.
Actively encourage all our staff to keep up-to-date with the most recent local and national safeguarding advice and guidance.
The Lead Teacher and The Designated Safeguarding Lead will be used as a first point of contact for concerns and queries regarding safeguarding concern in our school.
We ensure that:
All members of our school community are aware that bullying, harassment and oppressive behaviour in any form is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
Bullying, harassment and oppressive behaviour will involve clear sanctions or consequences.
Children will be involved in creating systems to support each other.
Strategies such as Restorative Practice or “buddying” and “befriending” systems are adopted as appropriate.
