Introduction  

This policy is intended to support the College in countering bullying. It is recognised that bullying can occur in all schools and that activity to counter any bullying is not an indicator that a school has a particular problem with bullying; rather, it is an indicator that the school takes the responsibility of countering bullying seriously. 

All teachers have a duty of care towards our students, taking reasonable steps to protect the welfare, health and safety of students and to act with reasonable skill and care. 

The staff carry the responsibility for making the school a safe and positive place for the whole school community. If a student takes part in a serious campaign of victimisation, abuse and intimidation, or episode of physical bullying against any other person belonging to the school community, they will be instantly suspended from coming to school whilst the behaviour is investigated and they may well be excluded.  Counselling may, however, be maintained for both parties even after certain sanctions have been applied. 

Principles

• We believe that all our community have the right to be respected and not to be bullied.
• Students should tell someone if they are being bullied.
• We all have the right to work in an environment without harassment, intimidation, or fear.
• We believe that bullying in any form is wrong and should not be tolerated, and that any environment that encourages bullying, prejudice or discrimination is unacceptable.
• We respect difference and welcome diversity in our students and in society in general and believe our work should be inclusive of all.
• We believe that everyone should have the right to feel safe, secure and valued, and that creating a safe environment and dealing with bullying is everyone’s responsibility.
• We believe children and young people should actively participate in decisions that affect them and should be supported in taking responsibility for their choices and subsequent actions.

Students should be encouraged: 

• To know, understand and accept the principle that any form of bullying, including online bullying, is unacceptable and they should be encouraged to tell their parents, a member of staff, or someone they trust should bullying occur;
• To tell a parent, a member of staff or a peer mentor;
• To contribute to an atmosphere in which positive relationships can be nurtured; and
• To contribute ideas through Student Council to reduce bullying and to volunteer, through the Student leadership team, to support other students.

Parents have responsibility for:

• Supporting the principle that any bullying, including online bullying, is unacceptable;
• Monitoring their children and communicating promptly with the College if they believe bullying is taking place;
• Engaging in information evenings where bullying issues and strategies for managing bullying behaviour, including online bullying, are discussed; and
• Supporting the College in following the counter-bullying procedures outlined in this policy.

Students who are bullying

Bullying behaviour has no place at the College. If students are involved in bullying, they can expect that:

• Their bullying behaviour will be challenged;
• They will be treated fairly; and
• They will be given the opportunity to change their behaviour and will be encouraged and supported in doing so.

This means:

• They will be expected to work with staff to look at the reasons why they have been bullying and to find and put into practice other ways of behaving.
• They will be offered the chance to work with the school counsellor who can help them to understand their behaviour and stop bullying.
• Their form teacher will let parent(s)/carer(s) know what is going on and offer them the chance to help support their daughter in changing their behaviour.
• The student will have regular meetings with staff to review their behaviour.
• In the case of serious incidents, the Principal may decide to take more serious action, e.g. to suspend the student and involve parents.

Online bullying procedures

• Reassure the victim that online bullying is the same as other types of bullying and that it is unacceptable.
• Investigate and gather evidence.
• Refer to the online safety policy and acceptable use agreement.
• Seek assistance from IT specialists.
• Follow the normal counter-bullying procedures.
• Advise parents regarding their child’s responsible usage of online technology.

What to do if you are bullied or if you see others being bullied

• Tell your parents, a friend or a teacher (this may be your tutor, a subject teacher or a teacher that you wish to tell. You may wish to take a friend with you to help you to explain what has happened).
• Tell a peer mentor or a friend if you would like to talk to another student and you think they will be able to help.
• Students and parents will be informed of action taken where appropriate.

Peer Mentors / Student Support Prefects will:

• Help students who are being bullied either physically or mentally.
• Mentor victims of bullying and give them advice when needed in a calm, patient and understanding manner.
• Maintain confidentiality unless somebody is in danger.
• Respect personal boundaries.
• Refer students to counsellors or appropriate adults should they have concerns about the student’s wellbeing.
• Keep themselves safe.
• Seek support should they have dealt with an issue they consider disturbing.
• Keep up to date by using the https://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/ or https://respectme.org.uk/ websites.

Form tutors have responsibility for:

• Knowing, understanding and accepting the principle that any form of bullying is unacceptable and following the school policy on Counter-Bullying.
• Developing an atmosphere in which positive relationships are developed.
• Building positive relationships with students, creating a positive environment in which issues, such as bullying are discussed and addressed.
• Providing students with the opportunity to discuss any concerns that they may have, during tutor sessions and also during academic mentoring.
• Ensuring students know that they will be listened to and taken seriously and that action will be taken to stop the bullying, explaining to them that they will be involved in the process of deciding what action to take to help stop the bullying and any worries that they may have will be listened to and respected.
• Explaining that they will be given the opportunity to talk about the way that the bullying has made them feel and to find strategies to deal with these feelings and to understand and cope with bullying behaviour.
• Following up on students who have expressed concern, encouraging them to meet with the school counsellor for support when it is appropriate to do so.
• Communicating with the Head of School and completing a record of the incident using the form in Appendix 2, passing it to the Head of School.
• Informing parents if appropriate to do so.
• Reporting to the Assistant Head Teacher Progress and Welfare or Principal if there are serious concerns about a student’s welfare.

Heads of Department have responsibility for:

• Supporting class teachers should an incident of bullying occur during teaching time.
• Supporting the teacher in dealing with the incident.
• Communicating any concerns to the relevant Head of School and recording the incident using the form in Appendix 2, passing it to the Head of School.

Subject Teachers have responsibility for:

• Dealing with any incidents of bullying, should they occur in the teaching room.
• Following up on incidents, reporting their concerns to their HoD and also to the Form tutor of the students concerned.

Heads of School (HoS) have responsibility for:

• Supporting the subject teacher, form tutor or Head of Department in dealing with incidents.
• Recording and filing any serious incident of bullying and informing parents.
• Liaising with the Assistant Head Teacher Student Progress and Welfare regarding any incidents of bullying.
• Ensuring a tutorial programme that incorporates appropriate reference to counter bullying.
• Together with the Head of Personal Development, coordinate the appointment, training and monitoring of the Peer Mentor group.

Head of Personal Development has responsibility for:

• Ensuring that students learn about bullying issues, including online bullying, and that Counter Bullying techniques are included in the PSHE Scheme of Work and delivered through the PSHE programme.
• Encouraging peer mentors / student support prefects to take part in training to become Anti-bullying Mentors.
• Supporting Mentors in their role.

Assistant Head teacher Student Progress and Welfare has responsibility for:

• Supporting the HoS in dealing with any incidents and in serious cases of bullying supporting the HoS and students during the consultation process.
• Referring to Principal for advice concerning serious incidents.
• Referring a student to the School Counsellor.

The Principal has responsibility for:

• Ensuring the Counter Bullying policy is implemented and that all staff are aware of the policy and know how to deal with incidents of bullying.
• Reporting to the Governing body about the effectiveness of the counter bullying policy on request.

The Governors have responsibility for:

• Supporting the Principal in the oversight of this policy and that the procedures of this policy are implemented.
• Ensuring that when incidents of bullying do occur they are taken very seriously and are dealt with appropriately in line with the procedures set out in this policy.

If students ever fear for their physical safety, staff will take immediate action to keep them safe with the help of staff at the school, parents/carers and if necessary outside agencies such as the police.

Monitoring and evaluation

This policy will be monitored, evaluated and reviewed every two years. We will include students in the review.

Dissemination

JCG will ensure that students are aware of this policy through PSHE / tutor time. Parents and carers can view the policy via the College website.

Relationship to other policies

• Education Policy on Counter Bullying
• Education Child Protection Policy

Internal Policies:

• Safe Guarding & Child Protection Policy
• Improving Behaviour Policy

Definition

• Bullying is a subjective experience and can take many forms.
• Any behaviour that is harmful, which may be carried out by an individual or group.
• Behaviour which is repetitive, wilful or persistent.
• It involves an imbalance of power, leaving the person being bullied feeling defenceless.

Examples of different types of bullying:

Physical: hitting, kicking, tripping someone up, stealing/damaging someone’s belongings.

Verbal: name-calling, insulting a person’s family, threats of physical violence, spreading rumours, constantly putting a person down, homophobic or racist remarks or verbal abuse.

Emotional/Psychological: excluding someone from a group, humiliation.

Racist: insulting language / gestures based on a person’s actual or perceived ethnic origin or faith, name-calling, graffiti, racially motivated violence.

Sexual: sexually insulting language / gestures, name-calling, graffiti, unwanted physical contact / Homophobic – insulting language / gestures, name-calling based on a person’s actual or perceived sexuality, name-calling, graffiti, homophobic violence.

Online bullying: the use of information and communications technology particularly mobile phones, email, social networking sites, text messages, cameras and the internet, deliberately to upset or harass someone else (see Preventing and tackling bullying July 2017, guidance issued by the Department for Education).

Examples of such behaviour include:

• Sending threatening or abusive text messages
• Creating and sharing embarrassing images or videos
• Trolling – the sending of menacing or upsetting images on social networks, chat rooms or online games
• Excluding children from online games, activities or friendship groups
• Setting up hate sites or groups
• Encouraging young people to self-harm
• Creating fake accounts, hijacking or stealing online identities to embarrass a young person or cause trouble using their name
• Sending explicit messages, also known as sexting
• Pressuring children into sending sexual images or engaging in sexual conversations

Covert bullying:

Covert bullying is often harder to recognise and can be carried out behind the bullied person’s back. It is designed to harm someone’s social reputation and/or cause humiliation. Covert bullying includes:

• Lying and spreading rumours, gossiping
• Negative facial or physical gestures, menacing or contemptuous looks
• Playing nasty jokes to embarrass and humiliate
• Mimicking unkindly
• Encouraging others to socially exclude someone
• Damaging someone’s social reputation or social acceptance.
• Teasing
• Breaking secrets
• Whispering - Sending abusive notes
• Maliciously excluding them
• Coercive behaviour

Who can I talk to?

If you have any comments, questions or worries, the first person you would naturally discuss them with might often be your form tutor or Head of School. Alternatively, of course, you can talk to any teacher.

The Student Support Team Office is situated at the top of the wooden staircase by Reception. For Sixth Form Students please visit the Heads of Sixth Form office in the Sixth Form Centre.

Our counsellors Mrs Jan Sims and Mrs Elif Mossop are available as follows:

You can book an appointment by emailing Jan and Elif directly: [email protected] and [email protected] or by dropping in to Jan and Elif’s counselling room at the end of the middle floor of Roberts.

Please respect your peers using the counselling room.

Members of the Peer Mentor team are also available to talk to you. Peer mentors are here to listen to any student with a problem or anyone who would just like a chat. Throughout the year, the peer mentors support younger students, organise activities and run initiatives to bring students together whilst promoting a positive ethos across the college. They will visit form times regularly.