Action on Bullying

Information for Pupils

What is bullying?

Currently our definition of bullying is ‘Bullying is a form of cruelty and abuse that can cause great suffering and unhappiness to the person who is being bullied and to the family of that person.’

What does bullying involve?

It can take the form of on-going:

  • teasing
  • verbal abuse
  • taunting or threatening
  • deliberately damaging another person’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
  • cyber-bullying, that is, bullying via the media of mobile phone, computer and social networking sites; this has become more prevalent.

How to tell if someone is being bullied:

  • If someone in your class is taking a lot of time off school, getting to school late or trying to avoid being in situations like the toilets or changing rooms
  • If you hear someone calling another student names, not loudly, but so that they will overhear
  • If there are rumours being spread, in person or online
  • If a student is being left out when partners are chosen in class
  • If they spend break and lunchtime on their own.
  • If they are being excluded from social activities outside of school
  • If they are being abused on the internet, phone or instant messaging

What can I do to help stop bullying in our school?

If you are being bullied:

  • Try to stay calm and look as confident as you can
  • Be firm and clear; look them in the eye and tell them to stop
  • Get away from the situation as quickly as possible and
  • Tell an adult/buddy what has happened straight away or ‘safe complain’.

After you have been bullied:

  • Tell a teacher/buddy or another adult in school or use your ‘safe complaints’ box in your form room
  • Tell your family
  • If you are scared to tell on your own, take a friend
  • Keep on speaking until someone listens and then acts on your behalf
  • Don’t blame yourself
  • Be clear about what has happened to you, how often, who was involved, where it happened and any witnesses. Use a ‘bully log’ to gain evidence for your Lead Learner.
  • If you experience cyber-bullying, report it to an E-cadet. Encourage your parents to report incidents to the police.

If you see someone else being bullied:

  • Tell a teacher, or another responsible adult, an anti-bullying buddy, or post in the ‘safe complaints’ box.
  • Go with the person being bullied and support what they say to the teacher
  • Tell your parents or tell the person being bullied that you will help them to tell their parents
  • Ask your parents to have a quiet word with the Lead Learner.
  • Agree with your friends that you will all make it clear to the person doing the bullying that you don’t like what they are doing
  • Keep a diary of what you see going on or what you experience so that you can give a teacher a reliable account of what has been happening
  • Invite the victim to join your group.

You must always tell someone. Only then can the school talk it through with you and decide the best course of action.

 

Our Anti-Bullying Promise:

As a school we promise to:

  • Regularly consult with you to get a true picture of the nature and extent of the problem
  • Be pro-active in preventing bullying
  • Develop our E-cadets scheme to tackle cyber-bullying
  • Work with outside agencies and provide counselling services to support victims of bullying
  • Provide effective supervision in key areas of the school
  • Ensure there is a ‘safe place’ to go to
  • Provide access to safe reporting
  • Make use of peer support
  • Display details of where help is available.

We at Ysgol Rhiwabon will not tolerate bullying; it has no place in our safe and nurturing environment. While we are confident that we deal with all incidents of bullying that we are aware of, we believe that there is no room for complacency and that any school which states that bullying does not take place there, is deluding itself.

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

 

Information for Parents

Whilst 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 is deluding itself.

The leaflet 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 and ask for your child’s Lead Learner, a Pastoral Support Worker or Mrs Hellen.

What is bullying?

Bullying is a form of cruelty and abuse that can cause great suffering and unhappiness to 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:

Direct bullying:

  • teasing
  • calling names and using nicknames
  • taunting or threatening
  • deliberately damaging another person’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

Indirect bullying:

  • cyber-bullying

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 indicated 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 is wrong

If your child has been bullied:

  • calmly talk with your child about his or her experience
  • Make a note of what your child says, particularly who was said to be involved, how often the bullying has occurred, where it happened and what has happened.
  • Reassure your child that he/she has done the right thing in telling you.
  • Explain to your child that if further incidents occur he or she should report them to a teacher immediately.
  • Make an appointment to see your child’s form tutor, Lead Learner or Pastoral Support Worker.
  • Explain the problems your child is experiencing
  • Don’t encourage your child to ‘hit back’.

Unfortunately, most bullying of children takes place in schools. We will work with all concerned to deal with the matter head on.

Therefore you should contact the school immediately so that action can be taken.

When talking with school staff 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 other children involved
  • Stay in touch and let the school know if things improve as well as if problems continue.

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 a variety of methods to gauge the situation periodically
  • An E-cadets service for incidents of cyber-bullying
  • An anti-bullying charter
  • Links to internal support including a counselling service, Youth Work service, Pastoral Support workers, Year 11 buddies and Succeed provision (ALN support)
  • Links to external agencies including CAMHS, INSPIRE, Police Liaison and Childline.
  • Clear guidance and strategies for dealing with bullying
  • Useful websites and helplines

Useful Websites:

www.kidscape.org.uk

www.childline.org.uk

www.nspcc.org.uk

www.bullying.co.uk

www.counselling-directory.org.uk

Free phone number for childline: 0800 11 11

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