Anti Bullying Policy

Anti Bullying Policy

.Introduction

In accordance with the requirements of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000 and the code of behaviour guidelines issued by the NEWB, the Board of Management of St. Joseph’s Girls National School, has adopted the following anti-bullying policy within the framework of the school’s overall Code of Behaviour. This policy fully complies with the requirements of the Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools which were published in September 2013.
Principles of Best Practice

The Board of Management recognises the very serious nature of bullying and the negative impact that it can have on the lives of pupils and is therefore fully committed to the following key principles of best practice in preventing and tackling bullying behaviour:

A positive school culture and climate which is welcoming of difference and diversity and is based on inclusivity;
Encouragement of pupils to disclose and discuss incidents of bullying behaviour in a non-threatening environment
Promotion of respectful relationships across the school community
Effective leadership
A school-wide approach to preventing and dealing with bullying behaviour
A shared understanding of what bullying is and its impact
Implementation of education and prevention strategies (including awareness raising measures) that build empathy, respect and resilience in pupils and which explicitly address the issues of cyber-bullying and identity-based bullying including in particular, homophobic and transphobic bullying
Effective supervision and monitoring of pupils
Supports for staff
Consistent recording, investigation and follow up of bullying behaviour (including use of established intervention strategies) and
On-going evaluation of the effectiveness of the anti-bullying policy.

Definition of Bullying

In accordance with the Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools bullying is defined as follows:

Bullying is unwanted negative behaviour, verbal, psychological or physical, conducted by an individual or group against another person (or persons) and which is repeated over time.

The following types of bullying behaviour are included in the definition of bullying:

deliberate exclusion, malicious gossip and other forms of relational bullying
cyber-bullying
identity-based bullying such as homophobic bullying, racist bullying, bullying based on a person’s membership of an ethnic grouping and bullying of those with disabilities or special educational needs.
Physical aggression
Intimidation
Name calling
Damage to property
extortion

Isolated or once-off incidents of intentional negative behaviour, including a once-off offensive or hurtful text message or other private messaging, while they do not fall within the definition of bullying, will be dealt with, as appropriate, in accordance with our school’s Code of Behaviour.

However, in the context of this policy, placing a once-off offensive or hurtful public message, image or statement on a social network site or other public forum where that message, image or statement can be viewed and/or repeated by other people will be regarded as bullying behaviour.

Negative behaviour that does not meet the definition of bullying will be dealt with in accordance with the school’s Code of Behaviour.

Investigating Bullying

The relevant teacher(s) for investigating and dealing with bullying is (are) as follows:

Class teachers (Junior Infants – 6^th)
Support teachers (Learning support/Resource)
Principal
Designated Liaison Person (Child Protection)- Bn Uí Raghallaigh and Mrs O’Regan as Deputy Designated Liaison Person.

Education and Prevention Strategies

Education and Prevention strategies that will be used by the school are as follows:

All pupils will be encouraged to develop empathy and respect for other pupils and to understand the causes and effects of bullying behaviour.
For infant classes, education and prevention strategies will focus on positive behaviour, being kind to others and telling teacher or other school staff if any problems or worries arise in school. Inputs from programmes such as the ‘Stay Safe’ Programme and the Religious Education programme will complement this approach.
Visual cues will reinforce anti-bullying and positive behavioural messages delivered in class – commercial posters, pupil-designed posters, art, essays or pupil commentaries on anti-bullying workshops. These will be displayed around the school.
Age-appropriate classroom library books will be purchased to foster respect for differences; being kind to others; understanding the effect that bullying behaviour can have on others when funds allow.
In order to limit opportunities for cyber-bullying, only pupils in 3rd, 4th 5^th and 6^th classes will be permitted to bring a mobile phone/smart phone to school. In certain other exceptional cases, and subject to request in writing by the parents concerned, other pupils may bring a phone to school. All phones must be handed up to the classroom teacher and must not be switched on while on the school premises and grounds
Educational awareness measures aimed at senior classes and which focus on cyberbullying, will focus on discussion of appropriate online behaviour, how to stay safe while on-line and on reporting any concerns to a trusted adult in school
Fostering a school culture which is respective of all differences, including children with special education needs (SEN), will incorporate social inclusion measures to prevent isolation and encourage integration, developing social skills of SEN pupils and reinforce and reward good behaviour in all pupils
Opportunities for curricular integration and cross-curricular approaches will be used where appropriate to foster a wider understanding of the positive and negative effects of behaviour. As this is a Catholic school, an important emphasis will be placed on the spiritual aspect of our lives and our modelling of Christian behaviour with others. Literacy opportunities will be availed of to draw attention to cause and effect of conflict, which can be reinforced in SPHE and SESE lessons as appropriate.
Promotion of pupil self-esteem through highlighting achievements, both academic and non-academic, inside and after school, will take place throughout the school year. Celebration of individual achievements will be publicised in class, at school assemblies, in the school newsletter.

Procedures for dealing with cases of bullying behaviour:
Claims of bullying of a pupil must be brought, in the first instance, to the relevant class teacher. If another pupil in the school is involved, the primary aim for the relevant teacher in investigating and dealing with bullying is to resolve any issues and to restore, as far as is practicable, the relationships of the parties involved (rather than to apportion blame); if the bullying is being carried out on a pupil by someone outside the school (e.g. in a cyberbullying context), and it is having an impact in school, the relevant class teacher must be notified and he/she will discuss the matter with a member/s of the school Anti-Bullying team to arrange for appropriate supports for that pupil.

In investigating and dealing with bullying, the teacher will exercise his/her professional judgement to determine whether bullying has occurred and how best the situation might be resolved;

All reports, including anonymous reports of bullying must be investigated and dealt with by the relevant teacher. In that way pupils will gain confidence in ‘telling’. This confidence factor is of vital importance. It should be made clear to all pupils that when they report incidents of bullying they are not considered to be telling tales but are behaving responsibly;

Other school personnel (e.g. SNA’s, School Secretary, Visiting Specialist teachers, Student Teachers) will be encouraged to report any incidents of bullying behaviour witnessed by them, or mentioned to them, to the relevant teacher;

Parents and pupils are required to co-operate with any investigation and assist the school in resolving any issues and restoring, as far as is practicable, the relationships of the parties involved as quickly as possible;

It is very important that all involved (including each set of pupils and parents) understand the approach outlined at 1. to 5. above, from the outset;
Teachers will take a calm, unemotional problem-solving approach when dealing with incidents of alleged bullying behaviour reported by pupils, staff or parents;

Incidents will be investigated outside the classroom situation to ensure the privacy of all involved;

All interviews should be conducted with sensitivity and with due regard to the rights of all pupils concerned. Pupils who are not directly involved can also provide very useful information and may be asked for their version of events.

When analysing incidents of bullying behaviour, the relevant teacher will seek answers to questions of what, where, when, who and why. This should be done in a calm manner, setting an example in dealing effectively with a conflict in a non-aggressive manner;

If a group is involved, each member will, where practicable, be interviewed individually at first. Thereafter, all those involved will be met as a group. At the group meeting, each member will be asked for her account of what happened to ensure that everyone in the group is clear about each other’s statements;

The group will be supported by the teacher, if necessary, through the possible pressures that they may face after interview;

It may also be appropriate or helpful to ask those involved to write down their account of the incident(s); this will be done at the teacher’s discretion and taking pupil ages into account.

In cases where it has been determined by the relevant teacher that bullying behaviour has occurred, the parents of the parties involved should be contacted at an early stage to inform them of the matter and explain the actions being taken. The school will give parents an opportunity of discussing ways in which they can reinforce or support the actions being taken by the school and the supports for their pupils;

Where the relevant teacher has determined that a pupil has been engaged in bullying behaviour, it should be made clear to her how she is in breach of the school’s anti-bullying policy and efforts should be made to try to get her to see the situation from the perspective of the pupil being bullied;

It will also be made clear to all involved (each set of pupils and parents) that in any situation where disciplinary sanctions are required, this is a private matter between the pupil being disciplined, her parents and the school;

Follow-up meetings with the relevant parties involved will be arranged separately with a view to possibly bringing them together at a later date if the pupil who has been bullied is ready and agreeable. This can have a therapeutic effect;

In cases where the relevant teacher considers that the bullying behaviour has not been adequately and appropriately addressed within 20 school days after he/she has determined that bullying behaviour has occurred, it will be ‘recorded by the relevant teacher in the recording template at Appendix A

In determining whether a bullying case has been adequately and appropriately addressed, the relevant teacher must, as part of his/her professional judgement, take the following factors into account:

Whether the bullying behaviour has ceased;
Whether any issues between the parties have been resolved as far as is practicable;
Whether the relationships between the parties have been restored as far as is practicable; and
Any feedback received from the parties involved, their parents or the school Principal or Deputy Principal;

(xx) Where a parent is not satisfied that the school has dealt with a bullying case in accordance with these procedures, the parents must be referred, as appropriate, to the school’s Complaints Procedures;

(xxi) In the event that a parent has exhausted the school’s Complaints Procedures and is still not satisfied, the school must advise the parents of their right to make a complaint to the Ombudsman for Children.

Procedures for recording bullying behaviour

While all reports, including anonymous reports of bullying must be investigated and dealt with by the relevant teacher, the relevant teacher will use his/her professional judgement in relation to the records to be kept of these reports, the actions taken and any discussions with those involved regarding same;
If it is established by the relevant teacher that bullying has occurred, the relevant teacher must keep appropriate written records which will assist his/her efforts to resolve the issues and restore, as far as is practicable, the relationships of the parties involved.
The relevant teacher must use the recording template at Appendix A to record the bullying behaviour in the following circumstances:

a) in cases where he/she considers that the bullying behaviour has not been adequately and appropriately addressed within 20 school days after he/she has determined that bullying behaviour occurred; and
b) where the bullying takes the form of physical aggression, intimidation, damage to property or extortion. In such circumstances, the bullying will be reported immediately to the Principal or Deputy Principal.

In each of the circumstances at (a) and (b) above, the recording template at Appendix A must be completed in full and retained by the teacher in question and a copy provided to the Principal or Deputy Principal as applicable. It should also be noted that the timeline for recording bullying behaviour in the recording template at Appendix A does not in any way preclude the relevant teacher from consulting the Principal or Deputy Principal at an earlier stage in relation to a case.

Programme of support for pupils

The school’s programme of support for working with pupils affected by bullying will include the following:-

Consultation with the pupil and her parent/s as to what type of school support would help, for example:-
Individual discussion with a member/s of the school’s Anti-Bullying team
Individual ‘time-out’ from class to complete activities of the pupil’s choice (e.g. art, music, ICT)
Small group work with friends in the Resource room setting
Use of circle time by the class teacher or member of the school’s Anti-Bullying team to address issues
Situational drama, social or pictorial stories in a class or group setting
Focused workshop for the whole class

In the case of children for whom bullying is having a serious impact which cannot be dealt with satisfactorily is school, consultation will be made with the National Education Psychological Service (NEPS) as to whether formal referral to an outside, specialist agency (e.g. CAMHS) may be necessary in order to support the pupil concerned.

The school will also offer support for pupils who are bullying others, following consultation with parent/s. The options outlined above will be made available in such cases.

The Anti-Bullying team will also make arrangements for support for parents who need help in this area (for example, organization of an Information Evening for Parents; lists of specialist agencies to whom referrals could be made etc.)

Supports for parents

Parents who wish to discuss their child’s difficulties in relation to bullying will be facilitated to meet on a one to one basis with the child’s teacher, or a member of the school Anti-Bullying team. Any parental suggestions for appropriate supports for their child in the school setting, will be considered and implemented, as far as practicable, within school.

Any parent who considers that their child’s mental health is being affected by bullying, and is having a seriously detrimental effect on their child, should also contact their own GP for referral, if necessary, to the HSE’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAHMS).

Support and advice for parents and their child may also be available through local professional, accredited counsellors and psychotherapists, specialist organisations and support services. Many websites also provide information for parents to help their child in relation to bullying.

Details of these services are contained in Appendix D.

Supports for staff

The Board of Management will ensure that members of the school staff have sufficient familiarity with the school’s anti-bullying policy to enable them to effectively and consistently apply the policy when required. Supports for staff will be appropriate to the individual’s role and will enable staff to recognize bullying, implement effective strategies for preventing bullying and, where appropriate, intervene effectively in bullying cases.

Staff will be facilitated by the Board of Management to update skills on a regular basis in relation to bullying and its impact on pupils, and where approved in advance by the Board, funding will be made available for members of staff to attend training in specific areas at various centres or as part of whole school training.

Supervision and Monitoring of Pupils

The Board of Management confirms that appropriate supervision and monitoring policies are in place to both prevent and deal with bullying behaviour and to facilitate early intervention where possible. Pupils are supervised at break times in school and on arrival at and dismissal from school. Supervision is not provided by school staff on bus transport to and from school, however, pupils are encouraged to report any incidents of bullying to their parents/guardians and/or the relevant teacher.

Although it is not physically possible for staff to supervise and monitor all pupils at every minute of the school day, ‘hot spots’ – where opportunities for bullying can occur- have been indentified by staff and senior pupils-

Beside bushes
At the doors before school
In cloakrooms/toilets
On the school bus
In the playground
The school garden
Group work

Supervision and monitoring practices will take account of these areas and staff will be vigilant so that opportunities for bullying will be minimised.

Prevention of Harassment

The Board of Management confirms that the school will, in accordance with its obligations under equality legislation, take all such steps that are reasonably practicable to prevent the sexual harassment of pupils or staff or the harassment of pupils or staff on any of the nine grounds specified i.e. gender including transgender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race and membership of an ethnic grouping or of the Traveller community.

Management and Oversight of the Policy

The effectiveness of the school’s Anti-Bullying policy will be subject to continuous review in the light of incidents of bullying behaviour encountered.

The school will make provision for periodic examination of the prevention and intervention strategies in place. Surveys of pupils, staff and parents may be used to provide information and feedback about the effectiveness of the anti-bullying measures in place and identify any significant behavioural trends that may benefit from early intervention.

The implementation and effectiveness of the anti-bullying policy will be regularly included as an item at staff meetings so as to ensure that concerns about the policy and/or the welfare of individual pupils can be shared and effectively addressed.

Data gathered from Bullying Reports completed by relevant teachers (Appendix A), will be collated and analysed annually with a view to monitoring levels of bullying behaviour and identifying any particular issues that require attention or any significant trends in behaviour. A record of this analysis will be retained and made available to the Board of Management. Appropriate responses to any issues identified will be drawn up and implemented by staff.

Furthermore, at least once in every school term, the Principal will provide a report to the Board of Management setting out:

(i) the overall number of bullying cases reported (by means of the bullying recording template at Appendix A) since the previous report to the Board and

(ii) confirmation that all cases referred to at (i) above have been or are being, dealt with in accordance with the school’s anti-bullying policy and the Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary schools.

The minutes of the Board of Management meeting will record the above but in doing so will not include any identifying details of the pupils involved.

Referral of cases to outside authorities

In cases where the school has serious concerns in relation to managing the behaviour of a pupil, the advice of the National Education Psychological Service (NEPS) will be sought.

Children First National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2011 (Children First) and the Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools provide that in situations where “the incident is serious and where the behaviour is regarded as potentially abusive, the school must consult the HSE Children and Family Social Services with a view to drawing up an appropriate response, such as a management plan”. Serious instances of bullying behaviour will, in accordance with the Children First and the Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools, be referred to the HSE Children and Family Services and/or Gardaí as appropriate.

The Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools also provide that where school personnel have concerns about a child but are not sure whether to report the matter to the HSE, the Designated Liaison Person must seek advice from the HSE Children and Family Social Services.

Any such referrals or consultations with NEPS or HSE, in the context of this Anti-Bullying Policy, will be notified to the Board of Management by the Principal as part of regular reporting on Child Protection issues, which is on the agenda of each Board meeting.

Review of Policy

This policy and its implementation will be reviewed by the Board of Management once in every school year. Written notification that the review has been completed will be made available to school personnel, published on the school website and provided to the Parents’ Association. The review and its outcome will be made available, if requested, to the patron and the Department.

Availability of Policy

This policy has been made available to school personnel, published on the school website and provided to the Parents’ Association. A copy of this policy will be made available to the Department and the patron if requested.

This policy was adopted by the Board of Management on 9^th December, 2013 and will be reviewed annually.

Signed: ____________________________________

Appendix A: Template anti-bullying policy

All sections of this template must be completed

In accordance with the requirements of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000 and the code of behaviour guidelines issued by the NEWB, the Board of Management of_______________________ school has adopted the following anti-bullying policy within the framework of the school’s overall code of behaviour. This policy fully complies with the requirements of the Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools which were published in September 2013.

The Board of Management recognises the very serious nature of bullying and the negative impact that it can have on the lives of pupils and is therefore fully committed to the following key principles of best practice in preventing and tackling bullying behaviour:

A positive school culture and climate which:
is welcoming of difference and diversity and is based on inclusivity;
encourages pupils to disclose and discuss incidents of bullying behaviour in a non-threatening environment; and
promotes respectful relationships across the school community;
Effective leadership;
A school-wide approach;
A shared understanding of what bullying is and its impact;
Implementation of education and prevention strategies (including awareness raising measures) that-
build empathy, respect and resilience in pupils; and
explicitly address the issues of cyber-bullying and identity-based bullying including in particular, homophobic and transphobic bullying.
Effective supervision and monitoring of pupils;
Supports for staff;
Consistent recording, investigation and follow up of bullying behaviour (including use of established intervention and strategies)
On-going evaluation of the effectiveness of the anti-bullying policy.

In accordance with the Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools bullying is defined as follows:

Bullying is unwanted negative behaviour, verbal, psychological or physical conducted, by an individual or group against another person (or persons) and which is repeated over time.

The following types of bullying behaviour are included in the definition of bullying:

deliberate exclusion, malicious gossip and other forms of relational bullying, cyber-bullying and
identity-based bullying such as homophobic bullying, racist bullying, bullying based on a person’s membership of the Traveller community and bullying of those with disabilities or special educational needs.

Isolated or once-off incidents of intentional negative behaviour, including a once-off offensive or hurtful text message or other private messaging, do not fall within the definition of bullying and should be dealt with, as appropriate, in accordance with the school’s code of behaviour.

However, in the context of this policy, placing a once-off offensive or hurtful public message, image or statement on a social network site or other public forum where that message, image or statement can be viewed and/or repeated by other people will be regarded as bullying behaviour.

Negative behaviour that does not meet this definition of bullying will be dealt with in accordance with the school’s code of behaviour.

Additional information on different types of bullying is set out in Section 2 of the Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools.

The relevant teacher(s) for investigating and dealing with bullying is (are) as follows: (see Section 6.8 of the Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools):

The education and prevention strategies (including strategies specifically aimed at cyberbullying and identity-based bullying including in particular, homophobic and transphobic bullying) that will be used by the school are as follows (see Section 6.5 of the Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools):

The school’s procedures for investigation, follow-up and recording of bullying behaviour

The school’s programme of support for working with pupils affected by bullying is as follows (see Section 6.8 of the Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools) :

Supervision and Monitoring of Pupils

The Board of Management confirms that appropriate supervision and monitoring policies and practices are in place to both prevent and deal with bullying behaviour and to facilitate early intervention where possible.

Prevention of Harassment

This policy has been made available to school personnel, published on the school website, provided to the Parents’ Association. A copy of this policy will be made available to the Department and the Patron if requested.

This policy and its implementation will be reviewed by the Board of Management once in every school year. Written notification that the review has been completed will be made available to school personnel and provided to the Parents’ Association. A record of the review and its outcome will be made available, if requested, to the Patron and the Department.

Signed: ______________________ Signed ___________________________

(Chairperson of Board of Management) (Principal)

Date: __________________

Date of next review: _______________

Appendix B Practical tips for building a positive school culture and climate

The following are some practical tips for immediate actions that can be taken to help build a positive school culture and climate and to help prevent and tackle bullying behaviour.

Model respectful behaviour to all members of the school community at all times.
Explicitly teach pupils what respectful language and respectful behaviour looks like, acts like, sounds like and feels like in class and around the school.
Display key respect messages in classrooms, in assembly areas and around the school. Involve pupils in the development of these messages.
Catch them being good – notice and acknowledge desired respectful behaviour by providing positive attention.
Consistently tackle the use of discriminatory and derogatory language in the school – this includes homophobic and racist language and language that is belittling of pupils with a disability or SEN.
Give constructive feedback to pupils when respectful behaviour and respectful language are absent.
Have a system of encouragement and rewards to promote desired behaviour and compliance with the school rules and routines.
Explicitly teach pupils about the appropriate use of social media.
Positively encourage pupils to comply with the school rules on mobile phone and internet use.
Follow up and follow through with pupils who ignore the rules.
Actively involve parents and/or the Parents’ Association in awareness raising campaigns around social media.
Actively promote the right of every member of the school community to be safe and secure in school.
Highlight and explicitly teach school rules in pupil friendly language in the classroom and in common areas.
All staff can actively watch out for signs of bullying behaviour.
Ensure there is adequate playground/school yard/outdoor supervision.
School staff can get pupils to help them to identify bullying “hot spots” and “hot times” for bullying in the school.
Hot spots tend to be in the playground/school yard/outdoor areas, changing rooms, corridors and other areas of unstructured supervision.
Hot times again tend to be times where there is less structured supervision such as when pupils are in the playground/school yard or moving classrooms. Appendix 3 Template for recording bullying behaviour
Name of pupil being bullied and class group

Appendix C Template for recording bullying behaviour

Name of pupil being bullied and class group

Name ________________________________ Class________________

Name(s) and class(es) of pupil(s) engaged in bullying behaviour

Source of bullying concern / report Location of incidents

(tick relevant box(es))* (tick relevant box(es))*

Pupil concerned □ Playground □

Other Pupil □ Classroom □

Parent □ Corridor □

Teacher □ Toilets □

Other □ School Bus □

Other □

5.Name of person(s) who reported the bulling concern

______________________________________________________________________

6.Type of Bulling Behaviour (tick relevant boxes)

Physical Aggression □ Cyber Bullying □

Damage to property □ Intimidation □

Isolation /Exclusion □ Malicious Gossip □

Name Calling □ other (specify) □

Where behaviour is regarded as identity –based bullying , indicates the relevant category

Homophobic

Disability/sen related

Racist

Membership of traveller com

Other

Specify

Brief Description of bullying behaviour and its impact

9.Details of actions taken

Signed _______________+____ Relevant Teacher Date ______________

Date submitted to Principal/Deputy Principal____________________________

*Note: The categories listed in the tables 3,4 &6 are suggested and schools may add to or amend these to suit their own circumstances.

APPENDIX D

USEFUL WEBSITES FOR PARENTS

WEBSITE	CONTACT NO.	GENERAL INFORMATION
http://www.abc.tcd..ie	01-8962573 01-8963488	The Anti-Bullying Centre in Trinity College, Dublin, gives advice and guidance to parents in relation to bullying
http://www.npc.ie	Helpline 01-8874477	National Parents council – provides support, including training on Anti-Bullying, to parents
http://www.corkmentalhealth.com	021-4511100	Offers advice about mental health, including leaflets for adolescents
http://www.socialandhealth@eircom.net	021-4666180	Coiscéim – offers affordable counselling in the locality
http://www.barnardos.ie	1850 222300	Barnardos is a family support agency. Its website contains advice in relation to bullying and parenting
http://www.iacp.ie	01-2723427	Provides lists of accredited counselors and psychotherapists
The Grace Centre	087-2887649	Offers affordable counselling in West Cork

St. Joseph’s N.S.

Skibbereen, Co. Cork

Tel: 028 21804

E-mail: info@stjosephsskibbereen.ie

Anti Bullying Policy

Appendix B Practical tips for building a positive school culture and climate