Anti-bullying Guide
“Treat others just as you want to be treated” Luke
6:31
We are a rights respecting school. All our policies
and procedures are written and reviewed to ensure that children’s
rights, as detailed in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of
the Child, are respected and promoted.
Article 29: Education should help children use
and develop their talent and abilities. It should also help children
learn to live peacefully, protect the environment and respect other people.
For more information on the convention and the rights of
each child visit: http://www.unicef.org.uk/
Anti-Bullying Guide for Parents
“Bullying is any behaviour which is deliberately
intended to hurt, threaten or frighten another person or group of people.
It is usually unprovoked and is often repeated and can continue for
a long period of time. It usually reflects an imbalance and abuse of
power. Bullying behaviours are aggressive although they may not
seem so”.
Bullying can include the following:
- Name calling and teasing frequently
- Threats and extortion
- Physical violence
- Damage to someone’s belongings deliberately and repeatedly
- Leaving pupils out of social activities and friendships deliberately
and frequently
- Spreading malicious rumours
- Bullying by mobile phone text messages or email.
Parents and families have an important part to play in helping our school
to deal with bullying. Pupils are more likely to tell someone at home than
at school with around 50% of children not telling anyone.
Children can, and MUST, be encouraged to TELL ON BULLIES
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Discourage your child from using bullying behaviour at home or elsewhere. Show
them how to resolve the difficult situation without using violence or aggression. |
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Take an interest in the school’s policy on behaviour and discipline
and see how our school deals with incidents of bullying and inappropriate
behaviour. |
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Watch
out for signs that your child is being bullied or is bullying others. Parents
and families are often the first to detect that a problem exists. |
If you are concerned that your child is being bullied, do not dismiss it,
contact the school immediately if you are worried.
If your child has been bullied:
- Calmly talk with your child about his/her experience.
- Make a note of what your child says, who was said to be involved, how
often the bullying has occurred, where it happened and what happened.
- Reassure your child that he/she has done the right thing to tell you about
the bullying.
- Explain to your child that should any further incidents occur he/she should
report them to a teacher immediately.
- Make an appointment to see your child’s class teacher.
- Explain to the teacher the problems your child is experiencing.
When talking with teachers about bullying:
- Try to stay calm, bear in mind that the teacher may have no idea that
your child is being bullied or may have heard conflicting accounts of an
incident.
- Be as specific as possible about what your child says has happened, give
dates, places and names of children involved.
- Make a note of what action is to be taken.
- Ask if there is anything you can do to help your child.
- Stay in touch with the school; let them know if things improve as well
as if problems continue.
If
you are not satisfied:
- Make an appointment to discuss the matter with the Headteacher.
- Discuss concerns with the parent governor.
- If this fails write to the Chair of Governors explaining your concerns
and what you would like to see happening.
If
your child is bullying other children:
Many children may be involved in bullying other pupils at some time or
another. Often parents are not aware that their child is involved.
Children sometimes bully others because:
- They do not know it is wrong.
- They are copying older brothers or sisters or other people in the family
whom they admire.
- They have not learnt other, better ways of mixing with their school
friends.
- Their friends encourage them to bully.
- They are going through a difficult time and are acting out aggressive
feelings.
To stop your child from bullying others:
- Talk with your child, explain that what he or she is doing is unacceptable
and makes other children unhappy.
- Discourage other members of your family from bullying behaviour or from
using aggression or force to get what they want.
- Show your child how he or she can join in with other children without
bullying.
- Make an appointment to see your child’s teacher and explain the
problems your child is experiencing, discuss with the teacher how you and
the school can help stop him or her to stop bullying others.
- Give your child lots of praise and encouragement when he or she is co-operative
or kind to other people.
If
your child experiences bullying via mobile phone, text, social media
or email a parent can:
- Report to the child’s teacher.
- Ensure the child is careful about who they give their mobile phone number
or email address to.
- Check exactly when a threatening message was sent.
- Where necessary, report incidents to the police.
Useful Contacts
Childline - Confidential helpline for
children if they find it difficult to talk to anyone at home or school.
0800 1111
www.childline.org.uk
Anti-Bullying Alliance- Offers advice, resources and a reading list.
www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk
Kidscape- Has a wide range of publications for young people, parents,
and teachers. Bullying counsellor available Monday and Tuesday 10:00 am – 5:00pm
02077303300
www.kidscape.org.uk
Family Lives - Parent advice helpline
0808 800 2222
www.familylives.org.uk
Useful Resources
LAWSON S: Helping Children Cope with Bullying. Sheldon
Press (1994)
ELLIOT M: 101 Ways to Deal with Bullying: A Guide for Parents.
Stoughton (1998)
LINDENFIELD G: Confident Children: A Parents’ Guide to Helping
Children Feel Good. Thorsens (1994)
