Anti-Bullying Policy

Rationale

Although incidents of bullying do not occur very often at Ratcliffe, it is vital that all students feel safe and free from harassment in the School environment.  It is equally important that students, parents and staff feel secure in the knowledge that any report of an incident of bullying is treated with the utmost seriousness by the School.  The Anti-Bullying Policy, alongside other School pastoral policies with regard to behaviour management and rewards and sanctions, assists in achieving the aims of the School’s Mission Statement.

This policy has been written with regard to the guidance set out in Department for Education ‘Prevention and Tackling Bullying’, 2011 and in accordance to ISI Regulatory Requirements and National Minimum Standards for Boarding, September 2011, Standard 12. It also includes a separate section on cyber-bullying with regard to the revised NMS 4. Safe and responsible use of electronic communication can be found in the Mobile and Online Technology Safety Policy and within the School AUP. This policy also takes regard of ‘The Equality Act 2010’, Part 6 Education, Chapter 1 Schools, which came into force in April 2011.

Aims and Objectives

The aims of the Anti-Bullying Policy are as follows:

• To create a happy, well-ordered and caring community;
• To raise awareness among students, parents and staff as to what constitutes bullying behaviour;
• To communicate to students, parents and staff why bullying is unacceptable, that it will not be tolerated and that victims will be supported;
• To reduce incidents of bullying through the implementation of appropriate strategies, preventative and proactive as well as reactive;
• To ensure that students have knowledge of, and access to, a support structure within the School so they can share worries and seek help;
• To implement strategies for treating bullies and victims which effect appropriate behaviour changes.

Definitions of different types of bullying

Bullying is behaviour by an individual or group, repeated over time, that intentionally hurts another individual or group either physically or emotionally. Bullying can take many forms (for instance, cyber-bullying via text messages or the internet), and is often motivated by prejudice against particular groups, for example on grounds of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or because a child is adopted or has caring responsibilities. 

The three main features are:

• deliberate aggression;
• unequal power relationships;
• behaviour which results in pain or distress.
• bullying can cause psychological damage and even suicide.

Bullying includes:

• threats of violence, both verbal and non-verbal;
• actual violence;
• ignoring or shunning;
• teasing;
• name calling;
• interfering with property;
• deliberately damaging another’s possessions or work;
• racially offensive remarks and/or behaviour;
• sexually offensive remarks and/or behaviour;
• offensive remarks about a physical or other disability;
• incitement by others to commit an act of bullying;
• graffiti designed to intimidate and/or embarrass;
• ridiculing, mimicking, sarcasm;
• demanding money, material goods and/or favours through intimidation or force;
• vandalism;
• intimidation;
• deliberately trying to turn friends against one another by spreading false rumours;
• any other behaviour which is intended to cause distress to others.

Amongst other examples bullying can be:

Verbal or image

Being insulting, abusive, offensive, hurtful, spreading rumours; using sarcasm; teasing; using peer pressure on other students to make them act in ways that cause them to underachieve or to lose self-esteem. It can be spoken or written or placed on computer/mobile text messages or images on camera phones/internet sites/chat rooms/social networking sites.

Racist

Offensive mimicry; racist taunts or jokes; wearing of provocative badges or insignia; racist graffiti; making fun of customs, accent or dress; refusal to co-operate or work with others of a different culture.

Homophobic

Bullying because of sexuality or focusing on the issue of sexuality.

Emotional

Behaviour or body language which others find intimidating, unfriendly, threatening, tormenting; excluding from friendship or working groups or peer pressure to behave in inappropriate ways.

Physical

Violence of any form - pushing, kicking, punching, hitting, taking, damaging or hiding belongings

Students, but particularly girls frequently experience friendship issues in the early years of secondary school. These can be very distressing, but are not usually classified as bullying. However, girls will be supported in handling such issues in a mature fashion.

Information intended to raise awareness of the nature of bullying and the signs to look out for are contained in Appendix 1 of this policy.

Special Educational Needs and Disability

Bullying because of a specific learning need or physical or mental disability.

Cyber bullying

The rapid development of, and widespread access to, technology has provided a new medium for ‘virtual’ bullying, which can occur in or outside School. Cyber-bullying is a different form of bullying which can happen 24/7, with a potentially bigger audience, and more accessories as people forward on content at a click. Cyber-bullying is the use of information and communication devices and services to bully, harass or intimidate an individual or group. Additional information on cyber-bullying can be found in the Mobile and Online Technology Safety Policy.

The following technology may be involved:-

• Mobile phones  and text messages
• E-mail Instant Messenger
• Chatrooms and message boards
• Webcams
• Social networking sites
• Virtual worlds
• Video hosting sites
• Gaming sites and consoles
• Virtual learning environments
• Photographs

Seriousness of Bullying in causing psychological damage

“The damage inflicted by bullying can frequently be underestimated. It can cause considerable distress to children, to the extent it affects their health and development or, at the extreme, causes them significant harm (including self-harm). All settings in which children are provided with services or are living away from home should have in place rigorously enforced anti bullying strategies.”

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2006

Although bullying is not a specific criminal offence, there are laws which apply to harassment and threatening behaviour. Cyber-bullying can infringe criminal laws including the Harrassment Act (1997) and the Communications Act (2003).

Implementation and procedures

The principle underlying the Anti-Bullying Policy is that a student who is a victim of bullying, or who witnesses an incident of bullying, should feel free to approach any member of staff for help.  The member of staff is expected to act in accordance with School policy.  All staff have a vital part to play in making it clear that bullying is not tolerated, in being vigilant and proactive if they note what may be developing into a bullying relationship and in being approachable and willing to offer help and support to any student who feels the need to discuss an incident.

The following procedures with regard to bullying must be followed:

Reporting, Investigating and Managing Incidents of Bullying

Reporting Bullying

1) Staff to whom an incident is reported, or who first discover an incident, must:

• stay calm and avoid making snap decisions or attaching blame;
• make the situation safe, if necessary;
• report the matter to the Head of Year / Resident Senior Housemaster/Housemistress / Head of Junior School / Head of Nursery School (as appropriate) in the first instance.

2) Staff must write, sign and date an account of any incident as soon as possible after reporting it.  Copies must be given to the Head of Year / Housemaster/Housemistress / Head of Junior School / Head of Nursery School (as appropriate) and to the Second Deputy Head.  Incidents can be reported using the red ‘Referral of Concern with Student’ form or in a separate written account. These forms can be found in the Staff Common Room.

3) It is vitally important that all written records of incidents are stored appropriately by the relevant member of staff.  This is usually the Head of Year / Housemaster/Housemistress / Head of Junior School / Head of Nursery School (as appropriate), but records of more serious incidents are kept by the Second Deputy Head and/or the Headmaster.

Investigating and Managing Incidents

It is important to note that not all incidents will require use of all of the following steps.  In many cases, a quiet word of warning is sufficient to modify behaviour.  In all cases, the level of response is determined by the facts that emerge from an investigation into an incident.

• Heads of Year / Housemaster/Housemistress / Head of Junior School / Head of Nursery School (as appropriate) take responsibility for initial investigations of any reported incidents;
• students are interviewed in order to ascertain what happened;
• written statements may be required from all parties involved, signed and dated;
• if it is decided that further action is required then the Second Deputy Head is informed;
• the students involved (both bully and bullied) may be brought together with a member of staff present to try to talk it through, with the aim of apology and reconciliation, if this is appropriate;
• clear guidelines for future behaviour are issued to both parties and a code of conduct agreed.  Students should know that the situation will be monitored and know of consequences for bully if bullying continues.  The sanctions which might be applied are set out below and in the Behaviour, Rewards and Sanctions Policy;
• parents of bully and bullied should be kept informed, where necessary, at appropriate times during an investigation;
• Form Tutors / Class Teachers, Heads of Year / Housemaster/Housemistress / Head of Junior School / Head of Nursery School (as appropriate) monitor the situation;
• if no improvement is seen then the Second Deputy Head implements further sanctions;
• a student who persistently makes life unhappy for others may face suspension from School or being asked to leave the School in extreme cases.

Sanctions

Students found to be bullying are likely to receive disciplinary sanctions. These sanctions must be applied fairly, proportionally, consistently and reasonably, taking account of any special educational needs (SEN) or disabilities that students may have and taking into consideration the needs of vulnerable children.

The disciplinary sanctions have three main purposes, namely to:

• impress on the perpetrator that what he/she has done is unacceptable;
• deter him/her from repeating that behaviour;
• signal to other students that the behaviour is unacceptable and deter them from doing it.

The procedure is as follows:

First offence	Discussion of the incident with parents and strategies put in place to help change their behaviour Student is placed in a Saturday detention.
Second offence	As ‘First Offence’ with possible extended length of detention or suspension from School. Parents invited in to discuss the matter and to suggest additional strategies sources of help for the student.
Subsequent offences	Student suspended from School, generally for two days. Letter home to parents, stating that on return to School the student will be monitored for a period, and that any further infringement may lead to exclusion from the School with a loss of fees already paid.

In conjunction with disciplinary sanctions, there are a range of other strategies that can be used to combat bullying. These include:

• Engaging with parents promptly when issues of bullying come to light
• Development of roles that students can play such as the trained Student Listeners
• Independent Listener
• Restorative justice approaches which hold students to account for their behaviour and engage with them to agree actions to be taken to repair the harm caused

Junior School and Nursery School

It is recognised that younger children may require a different response as their understanding of personal relationships develops. The following guidelines are specifically given to staff in the Junior School and the Nursery School (though many of them are applicable to the Senior School as well):

If there is evidence of a child bullying another child or children then staff action is as follows:

• intervene to stop the child harming the other child or children;
• explain to the child doing the bullying why his/her behaviour is inappropriate;
• give reassurance to the child or children who have been bullied;
• help the child who has been bullying to say sorry for his/her actions;
• ensure that the child who has been bullying receives praise when he/she displays acceptable behaviour;
• do not label children who bully;
• when a child has been bullying, this is discussed with his/her parents and a plan is worked out for handling the child’s behaviour;
• when a child has been bullied, this is shared with his/her parents, explaining that the child who did the bullying is being helped to adopt more acceptable ways of behaving and that his/her parents have been informed.

Staff Professional Development

• Through appropriate continuing professional development (CPD) training and induction, all staff are made aware of the School’s anti-bullying policy, including new staff and support staff.
• Teaching staff, ancillary staff, prefects and monitors contribute to a suitably deployed supervisory presence around the School.
• All staff are asked to be vigilant and to be willing to take appropriate action if they suspect that a student is being bullied.

Preventative Strategies

 Effective School leadership that promotes an open and honest anti-bullying ethos.

• Opportunities to reinforce the values of the School’s Mission Statement are taken through School and year assemblies, tutor time, and night prayer for boarders.
• The PSHCE programme covers the topic of bullying.
• Using Anti-Bullying week in November to raise awareness of the negative consequences of bullying.
• Appropriate opportunities are taken within the curriculum to consider issues relating to bullying such as drama, stories, literature, historical events, current affairs etc.
• Incidents of bullying are reflected upon and discussed when they occur so that lessons can be learned.
• Information for students about what to do if they are being bullied is displayed around the School, including telephone numbers for the independent listener/School counsellor and other organisations that can help (See Appendix 3).
• Ensuring that staff duties are carried out effectively each day at the appropriate times and locations around the School campus.

Monitoring and Support for the Victim and the Bully

Once a student has been disciplined for bullying they will be monitored on a daily and weekly basis by their tutor and Head of Year and Housemaster/Housemistress for an agreed period of time. Where appropriate subject staff will be notified of the bullying in order to monitor behaviour in class. In order to check that the bullying has stopped and that the student(s) being bullied feel safe again, the tutor or Head of Year or Housemaster/Housemistress may undertake a review at the end of the term or half term. This would normally take the form of a simple discussion with those involved and their parents. If the response indicates the bullying has not stopped or the student does not feel safe, then this would lead to further discussions or actions.

Review

The Anti-Bullying Policy is monitored by the Second Deputy Head through liaison with the Head of Nursery School and the Head of Junior School, who evaluate the effectiveness of the policy in the Nursery School and the Junior School.

In the Senior School, the Second Deputy Head monitors the policy through discussions with key post holders through the Pastoral Meeting and the Heads of Department meeting, and discussions with students, in addition to checking the records of incidents which are reported and through feedback from parents if appropriate.

The Governors will (evaluate and review) the Anti-Bullying Policy, and will ensure that it is non-discriminatory.

The Second Deputy Head will ensure that staff receive regular training updates.

Links to Other Policies

Boarding Policy

Child Protection Policy

Pastoral Care Policy

Behaviour, Rewards and Sanctions Policy

Mobile and On-line Technology Safety Policy

School Development Plan

Staff Development Plan

Further Information

A simplified version of this policy is made available for all students, in appropriate formats, throughout the School, on printed sheets and in Information Handbooks.  Parents are informed of the policy through the Parents’ Information Handbooks.  Details of the levels of awareness of the anti-bullying policy are contained in Appendix 2.

Review

The anti-bullying policy is reviewed annually by the Second Deputy Head in the summer term. This policy was last reviewed by Governors in October/November 2011. The Policy was agreed and given full approval by the school’s directors on 29^th November 2011.

Appendix 1 – Important Information about Bullying

The following information is intended to raise awareness of some of the important signs and symptoms that are displayed by both those who bully and those who are bullied.

Who Bullies and Who is Bullied?

It is not possible in the policy to give comprehensive answers to these questions. The following points try to illustrate the diversity of circumstances that might lead to bullying relationships.

Young people who bully may:

• be excessively criticised at home;
• feel undervalued;
• live in a family where aggression is valued or the norm;
• witness hostility within their parents’ relationships;
• be struggling to cope academically.

Young people who are bullied may:

• be unable to manage everyday social situations with ease;

• have a distinctive appearance or stand out in some way, e.g. accent, behaviour, intellect, tastes, known or assumed sexual orientation, home background, racial background, disability, etc;
• experience difficulties forming friendships;
• be late developers and therefore less mature than their peers, socially or physically or both;
• be physically less strong.

What Are the Signs of Bullying?

The following signs may indicate that a young person is being bullied. He/she may:

• suffer damage or loss to items such as clothing, property and School work more often than might be considered normal;
• suffer unexplained injuries;
• become withdrawn and be reluctant to say why;
• display a reduction in educational attainment, either gradually or suddenly;
• be reluctant to go to School;
• be reluctant to travel to and from School by bus, indicating problems during the journey;
• display unusual patterns of behaviour with regard to money and/or possessions;
• become depressed;
• be reluctant to eat or play normally;
• appear generally unhappy, moody and/or irritable;
• visit the Medical Centre more frequently than usual.

Taken individually, the above may not be due to bullying, but a combination of even some of these signs could be a reason to suspect it.  If a child is showing signs of, or is experiencing, any of the above it might be an indication that all is not well and that the child is not happy.  If this is the case, whatever the circumstances, further investigations are appropriate.

Victims of Bullying

Students who feel that they are being bullied should feel confident about reporting any incident and should have as many ways of reporting it as possible, for example:

• telling a friend who will pass the information on to an adult;
• telling a prefect or monitor who will pass the information on to an adult;
• telling his/her Class Teacher or Form Tutor;
• telling his/her Head of Year/Head of Junior School/Head of Nursery School;
• telling a member of the boarding staff;
• telling a member of the chaplaincy team;
• telling a member of the senior management team;
• telling any other member of staff.

Incidents of bullying reported by students are always taken seriously.  Information reported to staff is treated as confidentially as possible.

Appendix 2 – Awareness of Procedures with regard to Bullying

All Staff

All members of staff must follow the School’s procedures when a bullying incident occurs

Staff must also:

• discuss issues of bullying if they arise in the classroom;
• note and report any significant changes in a student’s behaviour to his/her Form Tutor / Class Teacher or Head of Year / Housemaster/Housemistress / Head of Junior School / Head of Nursery School (as appropriate);
• watch for interaction between students which may indicate bullying;
• note and report to the Form Tutor / Class Teacher or Head of Year / Resident Senior Housemaster/Housemistress / Head of Junior School / Head of Nursery School (as appropriate) any students who are consistently left out by others;
• intervene, as far as possible, to encourage the inclusion of all students;
• be vigilant in informing the Form Tutor / Class Teacher or Head of Year / Resident Senior Housemaster/Housemistress / Head of Junior School / Head of Nursery School (as appropriate) of unexplained absences from classes or activities.

Students need to know:

• the aims of the School’s anti-bullying policy;
• the School’s definition of bullying behaviour;
• the signs to look out for in case a friend is being bullied;
• the ways in which they can report an incident of bullying;
• that they will be taken seriously if they report an incident of bullying;
• that any information they give will be dealt with as confidentially as possible;
• the methods used by the School to prevent bullying from occurring;
• an outline of the School’s procedures when an incident of bullying is reported, including the possible sanctions that might be used against those who bully.

This information is summarised in a separate document for students that is displayed around the School and it will be included in the appropriate student handbooks.

Parents need to know:

• the aims of the School’s anti-bullying policy;
• the School’s definition of bullying behaviour;
• the signs to look out for in case they suspect their son/daughter is being bullied;
• that they will be taken seriously if they report an incident of bullying;
• the person they should contact if they suspect their son/daughter is being bullied. This would normally be the Head of Year / Housemaster/Housemistress / Head of Junior School / Head of Nursery School (as appropriate), but contact can be made with any member of staff;
• the methods used by the School to prevent bullying from occurring;
• the School’s procedures when an incident of bullying is reported.

Reference to this policy is included in the Parents’ Information Handbook and the policy is available on the School website.

Appendix 3

 

The following telephone numbers are also posted around the School in case any student wishes to make use of them:

 

ChildLine            www.childline.org.uk                                                0800 1111

 

Social Services                                                                        0116 253 1191

 

Ofsted 08456 404045

 

Drug Helpline (11 to 19yr olds)                                                0800 776600

 

Alcohol Helpline (11 to 19yr olds)                                                0116 222 9545

 

Eating Disorders Association – youthline - BEAT                        0845 347650

 

Bereavement care – youthline                                                            0808 8081677

 

Samaritans                                                                                    08467 909090