ysgol rhiwabon
Information for pupils
Information for parents
Useful links
ACTION ON BULLYING - INFORMATION FOR PUPILS
What is a bully?
A bully is a person who makes life hard for others by deliberately picking on them for no reason.
It may involve hitting, kicking, pulling hair and doing other things that hurt the body.
It may involve spreading rumours, leaving people out on purpose, name calling, or threatening. All of these things are upsetting and make children afraid.
What can i do to help stop bullying in our school?
If you are ever bullied or see someone being bullied then tell a member of staff as soon as possoble. If for some reason you don't feel able to, then tell a friend or your parents.
You should always try to report bullying as soon as it happens, but be honest and ask yourself whether your own behaviour has caused others to get angry or upset with you.
What does our school think of bullying?
The staff of Ysgol Rhiwabon believe that bullying is never right and that it should be dealt with seriously.
We promise to look into every report or incident and to deal with it.
How should we behave towards one another?
The school will be a happier place for us all if we:-
help one another
look after one another
invite others to join in
are willing to listen to others
respect everyone's point of view
ACTION ON BULLYING - INFORMATION FOR PARENTS
Surveys suggest that in Britain about 15% of children are involved in bullying:
9% as victims
6% as bullies
While we at Ysgol Rhiwabon are confident that the percentage is nowhere near as high in our school, we also believe that there is no room for complacency and that any school which states that bullying does not take place there is deluding itself.
The information below is intended to give answers to four key questions. If you feel that you require further information or if you wish to report any suspected bullying, please do not hesitate to contact the school on 01978 822392.
What is bullying?
Bullying is a form of cruelty and abuse that can cause great suffering and unhappiness in the person who is being bullied and to the family of that person.
Bullying of children and young people tends to happen mostly at school or on the way to and from school. It takes many forms:
- Teasing
- Calling names and using nicknames
- Taunting or threatening
- Deliberately damaging another pupil's work or taking something of his or hers
- Physical attacks
- Exclusion - deliberately making someone an outsider by, for example, not allowing him or her into a game.
How might I recognise that my child is being bullied?
The victims of bullying can suffer both physically and psychologically. The charity KIDSCAPE lists the behaviours i ndicated below in their publication 'Stop Bullying.' If your child, or someone you know, starts to do these things then he or she may be being bullied.
A child may:
- be frightened of walking to or from school
- be unwilling to go to school
- ask for a lift to school
- begin doing less well at school
- come home regularly with clothes or books destroyed
- come home hungry because lunch money was taken
- become withdrawn
- start eating less
- sleep badly
- have unexplained bruises, scratches and cuts
- have possessions 'go missing'
- ask for money or begin stealing money (to pay the bully)
- continually 'lose' pocket money
- refuse to say what's wrong
What do I do about it?
- Try to discuss the problem with your child. Give reassurance by telling him or her that you believe what you have been told.
- Do not encourage your child to 'hit back' as this may only make matters worse.
- Give your child the chance to talk about things that have happened.
Remember
Most bullying happens in schools and that is where it must be dealt with.
Therefore you should contact the school immediately so that action can be taken.
What will the school do about it?
Once informed a member of staff will look into the matter and together with you, devise strategies to improve the situation for your child.
Ysgol Rhiwabon takes bullying very seriously and has an anti-bullying policy which includes:
- the use of questionnaires to gauge the situation periodically
- the availabity of staff and to listen to pupils who have incidents to report
- clear guidelines and strategies for dealing with bullying.
USEFUL LINKS
Here are some useful web links:-
KIDSCAPE
Bullying Online