mchs anti-bullying policy

MORECAMBE COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL Specialist College for Maths and Computing

ANTI BULLYING POLICY

June 2010

To be reviewed June 2011

Approved by Governors 17th

May 2010

MORECAMBE HIGH SCHOOL

ANTI-BULLYING POLICY

Key Teacher:

Andrew Armitstead (Lead Teacher Behaviour)

Contributors:

Ailsa Bunch (Learning Mentor),

Sue Boswell (Poulton Neighbourhood Management),

The Summer 2007 Diana Award Winners

Contents

• Background

• Law and Guidance

• The Policy

• Recording and Reporting

• Complaints Process

• School Sanctions

• Managing Incidents

• Prevention and Intervention

• School Reviews

• Monitoring and Implementation

• Anti-cyber Bullying

• References

• Summary sheet for planners

• Appendices

BACKGROUND

Morecambe Community High School is a typical school in that it deals with the issues

of over 1,000 students. It is inevitable that in such an environment, situations will

arise where students are made to feel uncomfortable by the actions of other students.

Our approach is to encourage an atmosphere where students are not afraid to talk

about problems and to devise strategies to address these problems for all involved

parties.

In 2005, a group of Year 9 students formed and Anti-Bullying Club, the ABC. They

provided support for students in need by enabling them to talk about problems and

feelings. Any incidents deemed to be of a serious nature were forwarded to the

relevant Head of Year. An important role was established through Poulton

Neighbourhood Management whereby a group of students would visit our two closest

primary schools to re-assure Year 6s about transition. The group were trained as

mentors and received a Red Rose Award for their efforts. Their efforts were

continued by a subsequent group who offered a similar service, having been trained in

mentoring at the local Fire Station

This impetus was continued in grand style by the next Anti-Bullying group who

thoroughly deserved the honour of becoming our first ever Diana Award winners in

the summer of 2006. These students became part of the peer mentoring programme,

visited primary schools, wrote and performed an anti-bullying play and organised the

anti-bullying week in November 2005. They represented the school with distinction

at a London conference for Diana Award holders in March 2007 and have been

accepted on a World Leaders programme next year.

The current group has emerged from the peer mentors and they have been rewarded

for their efforts with individual students by achieving the Diana Award for the second

year in a row. It is this group who have played a major role in developing this policy

document.

LAW AND GUIDANCE

“Schools must by law have a policy to prevent all forms of bullying among pupils”

(Bullying – don’t suffer in silence – 2000)

Headteachers have a responsibility to “encourage good behaviour and respect for

others on the part of pupils and, in particular, prevent all forms of bullying among

pupils”.

The measures taken to ensure this “shall be publicised in the form of a written

document as follows-

(a) he shall make the measures generally known within the school and to the

parents of registered pupils at the school;

(b) he shall, in particular, at least once in every school year, take steps to bring

them to the attention of all such pupils and parents and all persons employed,

or otherwise engaged to provide their services, at the school.”

(School Standards and Framework Act, 1998)

The Governing body also needs to be fully aware of the school’s anti-bullying policy

and it should monitor bullying within the school. Good practice would be to have a

committee or single governor responsible for anti-bullying.

Broadly speaking, the policy applies to all occasions where students are in school

uniform. This includes school trips, residentials and travel to and from school. To

ensure the safety of students travelling to and from school senior staff and a

Community Police Support Officer patrol the close surroundings of the school in the

mornings and afternoons.

Incidents that occur either on the way or on the way home from school will be dealt

with by the school in line with the anti bullying policy.

A summary of the policy is included in student planners.

THE POLICY

Definition of bullying

“Behaviour by an individual or group usually repeated over time, that intentionally

hurts another individual or group either physically or emotionally”

Bullying is:

• Deliberately hurtful with a clear intention of harming another

• Repeated over a period of time

• Difficult for victims to defend against

The three main types are:

• Physical – e.g. hitting, kicking or taking things

• Verbal – e.g. name calling, insulting of friends or family

• Indirect – e.g. spreading rumours, excluding, e-mail, text or any other form of

cyber bullying

The most common is name calling for a variety of reasons including ethnic origin,

appearance, disability or sexual orientation.

“It is the aim of the school community to promote an environment where all

individuals are valued and where bullying is viewed as an unacceptable way to

behave. Members of the school community are able to recognise bullying and are

prepared to take appropriate action. Pupils who have been bullied feel they can talk to

someone, witnesses of bullying feel they can take action and bullies will be helped to

address the reasons for their behaviour or be prepared to suffer the consequences if

they fail to change. Members of the school community have the right to feel safe in

and around school.”

The policy exists to deal with bullying at all levels, that is

• Children bullying other children

• Adults bullying adults

• Adults bullying children

• Children bullying adults

Procedure

• TELL – an adult in school, a peer mentor or another pupil

• RECORD – use the bully report form and give it to a teacher

• SUSTANTIATE – report is investigated by the relevant Head of House

• ACTION TAKEN – by Head of House, Key Teacher or SMT

• SUPPORT – for all involved parties through pastoral system and peer mentors

Reporting and recording

Members of the school community are encouraged to report incidents of bullying

either verbally or through the use of the Incident of Bullying Report. Bullying is

usually reported directly to Heads of House or Year but may also be referred to any

adult in the school or student support groups.

Where there is evidence of severe and/or persistent bullying, Heads of House or Year

will record this on a separate form and inform parents of their actions throughout the

process. The Heads of House or Year will contact parents where necessary and not

for incidents that can be easily dealt with in school. The decision whether or not to

contact parents rests with the Heads of House and Year.

Where there is an instance of clear bullying, Heads of House and Year open up

regular communication channels with parents and monitor the process. This will

involve a minimum of one follow up phone call after a period of two to three weeks.

Complaints process

It is the aim of the school to resolve all bullying related issues in the best interests of

all concerned. If, however, a parent is not satisfied by the response of the school they

should contact the Head of House or Year in the first instance then the senior teacher

responsible for anti bullying. If they are still unsatisfied then contact should be made

with the Chair of Governors.

School sanctions

The school has a range of sanctions available to deal with bullying behaviour. These

range from lunch and break time detentions to internal isolation. The school has the

power to permanently exclude students who repeatedly intimidate and endanger

others. It is important to remember that each case of bullying will be judged on its

individual nature and the power of sanction lies with the Head of House or Year.

MANAGING INCIDENTS

If, at any point, a teacher suspects there may be child protection issues this must

immediately be referred to one of the Child Protection Officers, Alison Halhead,

Alex Cooper, Ailsa Bunch or Seb Ip.

“A large part of the success of a school’s anti-bullying policy is the vigilance and

observations of the adults concerned. The swift response to a cause for concern may

well find solutions to problems that may otherwise become distressing for the child.”

(Keeping TABS – Lancashire County Council 2004)

Once an allegation of bullying has been made it should be dealt with as soon as

possible.

• Never ignore claims of bullying

• Do not make assumptions

• Listen carefully to all accounts

• Inform Head of House/Year immediately

• Follow up

Heads of House will play the key role in the investigation of and response to incidents

of bullying.

Investigation

1. Carefully read the bully report form

2. Speak to the victim to clarify the claim and ask them what they fell should

happen next

3. Where possible, ensure the pupil is supported during the rest of the day

4. Interview witnesses and others to gain a clear picture of what has occurred

5. Make a decision as to the merits and severity of the incident

6. Select an appropriate way of resolving the issue

Response

1. If there is a genuine concern for pupil safety then the pupil should be taken to

a safe place

2. Using teaching skills and prior knowledge of the pupils, resolve the problem

with the accused in the best way possible. The aim is to make the bullying

stop and ensure there are no recriminations.

3. If necessary, contact parents of both the bully and victim

4. The use of sanctions should be considered very carefully as the aim is to stop

the bullying not make it worse. Exclusion should only be considered in the

most extreme of cases

5. It may also be necessary to inform teachers of the pupils involved so they too

can remain vigilant

6. Monitor both the victim and the bully

All parts of the investigation and response process must be recorded, logged in

the files of the pupils involved and passed on to the relevant Head of House or

Year. There is a central file available to record all bullying incidents.

INTERVENTION AND PREVENTION

Intervention techniques

• Peer mentoring

• CLASS focus on bullying

• Bullying part of SEAL

• Annual Anti-Bullying week in November

Intervention

• Two Diana Award holders groups exist in school

• Peer mentoring run by Ailsa Bunch, Learning Mentor, includes over forty

students who offer guidance and support to their younger peers.

• Anger Management sessions run through the LINC

• Nurture groups run through the LINC

• Counselling offered in the LINC by experienced staff

• Work with Poulton Neighbourhood Management with Morecambe Bay and

Poulton-le-Sands primary schools

Prevention

• The school is a caring school that is welcoming and friendly; has good

systems of communications and enjoys positive relationships.

• The school has a Key Teacher for anti-bullying, Mr.A.Armitstead, who is

available during registration each day.

• Heads of House and Transition have access to the Key Teacher for anti-

bullying to help in all dealings with bullying behaviour

• Pupils, parents and other adults within the school are fully aware of the anti-

bullying ethos of the school and have the opportunity to be fully involved in

the evolution of anti-bullying.

• Pupils from local primary schools are supported in Year 6 through the

transition phase by the school’s anti-bullying club.

• SEAL has a focus on anti-bullying

• The Year 7 CLASS programme contains material on bullying

• The school runs an anti-bullying week in November

• Subjects are encouraged to adopt an anti-bullying theme during this week

• Assemblies are delivered on anti-bullying by the Heads of House and SMT

Diana Award holders

In school we are very fortunate to have had numerous student groups who have

received the Princess Diana Anti Bullying Award. These students play a major role in

the peer mentoring programme and often become Seniors. The peer mentors offer a

drop in support service for students who are struggling to settle in school and the

Seniors work with Year 7 students, offering guidance and support. The Diana Award

holders also organise anti bullying week, deliver assemblies and offer extra support

for our most vulnerable students.

Many thanks must go to all the pupils who have been involved in the school’s anti-

bullying initiatives but in particular to our first Diana Award winners,

• Kirsty Thomson

• Carey Winder

• Sadie Spence

• Katie Barlow

• Ben Philburn

• John Rogerson.

The students involved in the production of this policy were

• Beth Troumans

• Beth Hobbs

• Sophie Ward

• Kathryn Senior

• Jay Murray

• Becky Wilson

• Tamla Kerry

• Beth McLachlan

• Jade Curwen

Finally, recognition must go to the group who started this all, the original Morecambe

Community High School A.B.C., winners of the Red Rose Young Persons of the Year

Award,

• Emma Costello

• Sarah Dewar

• Laura Fleetwood

• Stacey Walker

• Chantelle Threlfall

• Catherine Bevan

SCHOOL REVIEWS

The school SEF contains information relating to the effectiveness of its policies.

The relevant sections are summarised below.

• The school has received awards for anti-bullying and also has a Healthy

Schools Award

• Peer mentors work with a Learning mentor to support students

• The school has a well developed Anti-Bullying Club

• The pastoral system continues to provide excellent support for all students

During Anti-bullying week all students complete a pupil designed questionnaire on

attitudes towards bullying. The questions are listed below

1. Have you ever been bullied?

2. What sort of abuse did you suffer?

3. Have you ever bullied someone?

4. Where would you feel safest?

5. Where would you avoid?

6. Do you ever delay going home?

7. Have you ever witnessed bullying?

8. If yes, what happened?

9. Do certain pupils get targeted?

10. Is the presence of teachers at the main gates reassuring?

11. Have you ever challenged a bully?

12. Do you think bully forms work?

13. If you got bullied who would you rather talk to?

14. Are you aware of the Anti-Bullying Club?

15. At what time of day do you feel least safe?

16. Would you feel better if there were more teachers on duty?

17. Have you ever felt victimised by a teacher?

18. Do you think bullying is right?

The results from all Year groups are collated and passed on to the SMT with

suggestions for action.

From September 2008 for a three year period, the school is using W3 Insights Pupil

Attitude to School and Self survey. The analysis for this will be passed on to form

tutors and ultimately Heads of House and Year

Monitoring and implementation

The Pastoral Deputy has overall responsibility for the school’s anti bullying policy

and it is her responsibility, with the assistance of the key teacher for anti bullying, to

monitor the work of the Heads of House and Year. This monitoring should include an

analysis of genders and ages of victims and perpetrators of bullying as well as a

reference to types of bullying.

Monitoring also should include the views of students, teachers and parents. As well

as information from surveys a group of school council students have volunteered to

work on anti bullying initiatives.

The data produced by the monitoring process is readily available to all staff, students

and parents.

Anti bullying is an item on the annual agenda for whole staff meetings either as part

of a specific meeting or as an item for an INSET day. This is part of the legal duty of

the school to implement an anti bullying policy.

Dealing with anti bullying forms part of the training of NQTs and student teachers

and these groups are given an anti bullying information sheet when they start school.

A parental anti bullying information sheet is available to all parents from reception

and this is given to all parents of new starters.

Welfare staff are given guidance on anti bullying as part of their annual training.

Anti-cyber bullying code

Being sent an abusive or threatening text message, or seeing nasty comments about you on a website, can be really upsetting. This code gives you seven important tips to protect yourself and your friends from getting caught up in cyber bullying, and advice on to how to report it when it does happen.

1. Always respect others Remember that when you send a message to someone, you cannot see the impact that your words or images may have on the other person. That is why it is important to always show respect to people and be careful what you say online or what images you send. What you think is a joke may really hurt someone else. Always ask permission before you take a photo of someone.

If you receive a rude or nasty message or picture about someone else, do not forward it. You could be assisting a bully and even be accused of cyber bullying yourself. You could also be breaking the law.

2. Think before you send It is important to think before you send any images or text about yourself or someone else by email or mobile phone, or before you post information on a website. Remember that what you send can be made public very quickly and could stay online forever. Do you really want your teacher or future employer to see that photo?

3. Treat your password like your toothbrush Don't let anyone know your passwords. It is a good idea to change them on a regular basis. Choosing hard-to-guess passwords with symbols or numbers will help stop people hacking into your account and pretending to be you. Remember to only give your mobile number or personal website address to trusted friends.

4. Block the Bully Most responsible websites and services allow you to block or report someone who is behaving badly. Make use of these features, they are there for a reason!

5. Don't retaliate or reply Replying to bullying messages, particularly in anger, is just what the bully wants.

6. Save the evidence Learn how to keep records of offending messages, pictures or online conversations. These will help you demonstrate to others what is happening and can be used by your school, internet service provider, mobile phone company, or even the police to investigate the cyber bullying.

7. Make sure you tell You have a right not to be harassed and bullied online.

There are people that can help:

• Tell an adult you trust who can help you to report it to the right place, or call a helpline like Childlike on 0800 1111 in confidence.

• Tell the provider of the service you have been bullied on (e.g. your mobile-phone operator or social-network provider). Check their websites to see where to report.

• Tell your school. Your teacher or the anti-bullying coordinator at your school can support you and can discipline the person bullying you.

Finally, don't just stand there. If you see cyber bullying going on, support the victim and report the bullying. How would you feel if no one stood up for you?

REFERENCES

“Bullying – don’t suffer in silence” DFEE (2000)

“Bullying – effective action in secondary schools” HMI (2003)

“The Anti Bullying School” Lancashire County Council (2004)

“Bullies and victims in school” Besag (1989)

“Bullying in schools” Tattum and Lane (1989)

“Countering bullying. Initiatives by schools and local authorities” Tattum and

Herbert (1993)

“The anti-bullying handbook” Sullivan (2000)

“Sticks and Stones” Anti Bullying Alliance (2005)

“The No Blame Approach” Robinson and Maines (2004)

“Safe to Tell” Robinson and Maines (2003)

“Crying for Help” Robinson and Maines (2004)

“Developing Emotional Health and Well Being – a whole school approach to

improving behaviour and attendance” Key Stage 3 National Strategy DFES (2005)

Appendices

• Student and parent information for planners

• Guidance sheet for parents of new starters

• Guidance for NQTs, ITT students, visitors and all other adults in the school community

• Guidance for welfare staff

• Heads of House/Year Bullying Record form

• Bully report form

Morecambe Community High School

BULLYING GUIDANCE FOR PARENTS AND

PUPILS

BULLYING IS DELIBERATELY CAUSING HARM TO ANOTHER PERSON

AND IT WILL NOT BE TOLERATED AT THIS SCHOOL

If you feel you are being bullied:

• Fill in a bully report form

• Tell an adult in school

• Go and see the Anti-Bullying Club or Peer Mentors

• Tell a friend

• DO NOT JUST LET IT HAPPEN. TELL SOMEONE

All reports of bullying will be fully investigated and dealt with by heads of house

or transition. If necessary the key teacher for bullying may become involved

along with senior teachers in the school.

As a school we will take all reasonable steps to support our pupils and make

them safe but we need to know if you feel threatened or unhappy

Parents will be contacted immediately if their child has been bullied and the

school will take the necessary action to make sure the bullying stops.

If parents become concerned about bullying they are welcome to contact the

relevant Head of House or Transition to discuss ways of resolving the situation.

REMEMBER:

Do not let bullies get away with it.

The more people stand up to bullying the less it

will happen.

Together we can make this stop.

MORECAMBE COMMUNITY HIGH

SCHOOL

ANTI-BULLYING POLICY – Information to

parents of students new to the school

Bullying is:



The three main types are:

• Physical – e.g. hitting, kicking or taking things

• Verbal – e.g. name calling, insulting of friends or family

• Indirect – e.g. spreading rumours, excluding, e-mail, text or any other form of

cyber bullying

AS A SCHOOL WE WILL TAKE ALL REASONABLE STEPS TO SUPPORT

OUR PUPILS AND MAKE THEM SAFE BUT WE NEED TO KNOW IF YOU

FEEL THREATENED OR UNHAPPY

Parents will be contacted immediately if their child has been bullied and the school

will take the necessary action to make sure the bullying stops. If parents become

concerned about bullying they are welcome to contact the relevant Head of House or

Transition to discuss ways of resolving the situation. If a student feels they are being

bullied they are encouraged to tell someone.

This could be:

• A teacher

• The form tutor

• The Head of House or Year

• A friend

• A peer mentor

• A student support manager

• A member of the LINC

• A lunch time supervisor






Where there is an instance of clear bullying, Heads of House and Year open up

regular communication channels with parents and monitor the process. This will

involve a minimum of one follow up phone call after a period of two to three weeks.

GUIDANCE FOR ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

OF THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY

ANTI BULLYING











possible.





• Follow up

Heads of House/Year will play the key role in the investigation of and response to

incidents of bullying.

The school has a range of sanctions to deal with incidents of bullying. At the lowest

level this could be a detention but in serious cases exclusion could be appropriate.

All adults in school are responsible for the safety of all members of the school

community. We do not tolerate bullying at any level and a record is kept of all

bullying related incidents.

The work of the Heads of House in this area is monitored by the Pastoral Deputy and

she is, in turn, responsible to the Chair of Governors.

GUIDANCE FOR WELFARE STAFF

Anti Bullying

THE POLICY

Definition of bullying



“It is the aim of the school community to promote an environment where all

individuals are valued and where bullying is viewed as an unacceptable way to

behave. Members of the school community are able to recognise bullying and are

prepared to take appropriate action. Pupils who have been bullied feel they can talk to

someone, witnesses of bullying feel they can take action and bullies will be helped to

address the reasons for their behaviour or be prepared to suffer the consequences if

they fail to change. Members of the school community have the right to feel safe in

and around school.”

The policy exists to deal with bullying at all levels, that is

• Children bullying other children

• Adults bullying adults

• Adults bullying children

• Children bullying adults

Reporting and recording





All members of the school community must report any bullying they see or pass on

any allegations of bullying to the relevant Head of House/Year


possible.





Any allegations of bullying involving adults is to be referred directly to the Pastoral

Deputy.

HEAD OF HOUSE/YEAR RECORD OF BULLY REPORT FORM

Victim(s)

Name(s) Form(s)

__________________________________ _________

___________________________________ _________

___________________________________ _________

Brief outline:

Response: Date:

Details of parental contact Date:

Bully/bullies

________________________________

________________________________

________________________________

Sanction Date:

Details of parental contact Date:

Morecambe Community High School Incident of Bullying Report

1) Write down your name and form………………………………………………… 2) Today’s date……………………………………………………………………….. 3) Who is bullying you?....................................................................................... 4) Write down the names of any witnesses……………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5) Where did the bullying happen?..................................................................... 6) What type of bullying was it? These are some suggestions, if you can, select one and give as many details as clearly as you can:

1. Called names 2. Something taken 3. Been threatened 4. Been hit or attacked 5. Another type of bullying (please explain)

………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………. 7) For how long has the bullying been going on? Please circle one option. 1 day 2 – 3 days 4 – 7 days If longer than 1 week, write how long……………………….. Check that you have filled in this bullying report as fully as possible and pass it to a member of staff. If possible try to talk to the member of staff about what has happened.

Staff Action: Please turn over and write a full account of

action taken. All involved staff to indicate action taken.

Action taken (to be completed only by members of staff)

Action 1:……………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… Signed………………………………………………………………………………….

Action 2:……………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… Signed…………………………………………………………………………………

Action 3

………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… Signed…………………………………………………………………………………

Please return completed form to Head of Year 7 / Head of House

mchs anti-bullying policy

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