ANTI BULLYING

ANTI-BULLYING

“A Muslim is the one from who’s tongue and hands other Muslims are safe”  Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

What is Bullying?

 Bullying is a specific type of aggression in which:

1)            The behaviour is intended to the hurt victim(s) emotionally or physically

2)            The behaviour occurs repeatedly over time

3)            There is an imbalance of power, with a more powerful person or group attacking a less powerful one

Bullying can lead to victims feeling:

• Vulnerable
• Insecure
• Distressed
• Discriminated against
• Inferior
• In physical pain
• Pressurised into carrying out demands

Types of Bullying

Bullying can be emotional or physical; it can take many forms, and is often motivated by prejudice against particular groups, e.g. on grounds of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, intellectual ability, or because a child is adopted or has caring responsibilities. It can take place in or out of school, and even virtually (what is known as ‘cyber bullying’).

1. Examples of non-verbal bullying– Hiding possessions, damaging property, racist graffiti, threatening gestures, exclusion or isolation from groups/activities.
2. Examples of verbal bullying– Name-calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, teasing, racist or homophobic taunts, sexually abusive comments.
3. Examples of physical bullying– Pushing, kicking, hitting, punching or any other use of physical force. Unsolicited physical/sexual contact.
4. Cyber bullying– Misuse of any information and communication technologies, such as text messaging, email, instant messaging, smartphone applications and social networking websites by e.g. spreading false rumours online, putting up embarrassing photos of people without their permission, anonymously bombarding victims with unwanted/negative messages, making abusive or threatening telephone calls.

Prevention

It is our belief that the school should be a safe, secure and inclusive environment in which pupils are able to learn effectively without having to worry about being bullied. We aim to create this environment through a culture of respect and trust, where pupils treat the staff and each other with respect, and have enough confidence in the system to disclose and discuss incidents of bullying behaviour.

This will be achieved by

• Instilling noble values in pupils and encouraging good relationships between them via the school curriculum.
• Discussing issues of difference and celebrating diversity through lessons, assemblies, projects and events.
• Educating pupils about cyber-bullying (e.g. on Safer Internet Day) and how they can protect themselves from it.
• Making the process of reporting bullying incidents safe and easy for pupils
• Having effective deterrents and disciplinary measures in place to discourage bullying
• Monitoring pupil relationships and changes therein.
• Training staff to recognise and deal with bullying behaviour.
• Including parents in our anti-bullying strategy

Intervention

If pupils have any issues or want to report a bullying incident, they should approach their form tutor or the Anti-Bullying Officer and talk to them about their concerns. Parents and teachers should refer their concerns to the Anti-Bullying Officer, or any member of the Senior Leadership Team in their absence, Form tutors meet weekly to address concerns. Even if bullying takes place outside the school or out of hours, the SLT has a duty to investigate all incidents that are referred to them. The SLT will deal with each case as fairly and as consistently as possible and will apply whatever actions it considers necessary to support both the victim and the perpetrator. This may include the involvement of external agencies, if deemed necessary.

Please note that the victim will be given full consideration; however, in many cases, there is an underlying issue/motivation behind bullying behaviour, in which case the perpetrator also requires help or counselling from the school. Although bullying in itself is not a specific criminal offence in the UK, some types of harassing or threatening behaviour or communications could be a criminal offence. E.g. under the Malicious Communications Act 1988, it is an offence for a person to send an electronic communication to another person with the intent to cause distress or anxiety, or to send an electronic communication that conveys an indecent or grossly offensive message, a threat, or information that is false and known/ believed to be false by the sender. In such cases, the police may become involved.

Procedure for noting and reporting bullying

• All reports of bullying, no matter how minor, will be noted, investigated and dealt with by the Anti-Bullying Officer. This will ensure that pupils gain confidence in reporting incidents.
• If there are any grave cases of bullying behaviour by pupils, the Head teacher will immediately become involved in the process.
• If necessary, the parents of the perpetrator(s) and victim(s) will be informed by the Anti-Bullying Officer, so that they are given the opportunity of discussing the matter. They are then in a position to support and help their children before a crisis occurs.
• Non-teaching staff such as caretakers and cleaners will be encouraged to report any incidents of bullying behaviour witnessed by them to the Anti-Bullying Officer.
• In case of a complaint regarding a staff member, the concern will normally be raised with the staff member in question, and if necessary, the Head teacher.
• Where cases relating to either a pupil or a teacher remain unresolved at school level, the Complaints Procedure should be followed.

Procedures for investigating and dealing with bulling behaviour

• When analysing incidents of bullying behaviour, the Form Tutor will initiate an investigative process and seek answers to questions regarding the incident. If the case is deemed to be serious, Head of Behaviour or Head teacher will get involved at this stage.
• If there is are multiple individuals involved in an incident, each person will initially be interviewed individually to present their account and establish facts.
• All relevant individuals will then be present at a group meeting where each member will be asked to present their account of the incident; both the victim(s) and the accused will be given the opportunity to defend their accounts.
• Each individual will be helped to handle the possible pressures that face them from other individuals after the interview by the Form Tutor / Head of Behaviour.
• Everyone involved will be asked to write down their account of the incident, along with a date and signature.
• Members of staff who are investigating cases of bullying behaviour will also keep a written record of their discussions with those involved.
• If it is concluded that a pupil has been engaged in bullying behaviour, it will be made clear to them that they are in the breach of the school Code of Conduct, and every effort will be made to get the perpetrator to see the situation from the victim’s point of view.
• The perpetrator will be disciplined appropriately and made to understand the need for considerate relationships between fellow pupils. Depending on the nature and severity of the incident, the perpetrator may be excluded temporarily or even permanently from the school.
• If deemed necessary, a meeting maybe conducted with the parents of the victim(s) and the perpetrator(s) to explain the actions being taken and the reasons for them, referring them to the school policy, and to discuss ways in which they can reinforce or support the actions taken by the school.
• Staff will continue to monitor the situation after the disciplinary action has been enforced, to ensure that no further problems arise. Relevant members of staff will be informed of the bullying incident, so that both the victim(s) and the perpetrator(s) are suitably supported and relations are monitored.
• Every effort will be made to restore the victim’s sense of security.
• In cases of prolonged bullying the ‘Child Protection Policy’ may have to be followed.