Anti-Bullying

School-wide approach

• A school-wide approach to the fostering of respect for all members of the school community.

• The promotion of the value of diversity to address issues of prejudice and stereotyping, and highlight the unacceptability of bullying behaviour.

• The fostering and enhancing of the self-esteem of all our pupils through both curricular and extracurricular activities. Pupils will be provided with opportunities to develop a positive sense of self-worth through formal and informal interactions.

• Whole staff professional development on bullying to ensure that all staff develops an awareness of what bullying is, how it impacts on pupils’ lives and the need to respond to it prevention and intervention.

• An annual audit of profession development needs with a view to assessing staff requirements through internal staff knowledge/expertise and external sources

• School wide awareness raising and training on all aspects of bullying, to include pupils, parent(s)/guardian(s) and the wider school community.

• Supervision and monitoring of classrooms, corridors, school grounds, school tours and extracurricular activities. Non-teaching and ancillary staff will be encouraged to be vigilant and report issues to relevant teachers. Supervision will also apply to monitoring student use of communication technology within the school.

• Involvement of the student council in contributing to a safe school environment e.g. Buddy system, mentoring, Lunchtime Pals and other student support activities that can help to support pupils and encourage a culture of peer respect and support.

• Development and promotion of an Anti-Bullying code for the school-to be  included in student journals and displayed publicly in classrooms and in common areas of the school. 

• The school’s anti-bullying policy is discussed with pupils and all parent(s)/guardian(s)s are given a copy as part of the Code of Behaviour of the school (every year).

• The implementation of regular (e.g. per year/ per term/ per month/per week) whole school awareness measures e.g. a dedicated notice board in the school and classrooms on the promotion of friendship, and bullying prevention; annual Friendship Week and parent(s)/guardian(s) seminars; annual student surveys; regular school assemblies by principal

• Encourage a culture of telling, with particular emphasis on the importance of bystanders. 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.

• Ensuring that pupils know who to tell and how to tell, e.g.:

                  ○    Direct approach to teacher at an appropriate time, for example after class.

                    ○    Hand note up with homework.

                    ○    Get a parent(s)/guardian(s) or friend to tell on your behalf.

              ○  Ensure bystanders understand the importance of telling if they witness or know that bullying is taking place.

• Clear protocols to encourage parent(s)/guardian(s) to approach the school if they suspect that their child is being bullied. The protocol should be developed in consultation with parents.

• Implementation of the school’s Acceptable Use Policy in the school to include the necessary steps to ensure that the access to technology within the school is strictly monitored, as in the pupils’ use of mobile phones.

Implementation of curricula

• The full implementation of the SPHE  curriculum and the RSE and Stay Safe Programmes.

• Continuous Professional Development for staff in delivering these programmes.

• School wide delivery of lessons on bullying from evidence based programmes e.g. Stay Safe Programme, The Walk Tall Programme.

• Delivery of the Garda SPHE Programmes at primary level. These lessons, delivered by Community Gardai, cover issues around personal safety and cyber-bullying

• We will specifically consider  the additional needs of SEN pupils with regard to programme implementation and the development of skills and strategies to enable all pupils to respond appropriately.

• Targeted delivery of lessons on Cyberbullying, Diversity and Interculturalism at the appropriate class levels.

Links to other policies

• We will incorporate these anti-bullying procedures, Code of Behaviour, Child Protection policy, Supervision of pupils, Acceptable Use policy and Attendance.

Procedures for Investigating and Dealing with Bullying

The primary aim 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);

The school’s procedures must be consistent with the following approach.

Every effort will be made to ensure that all involved (including pupils, parent(s)/guardian(s)) understand this approach from the outset.

Reporting bullying behaviour

• Any pupil or parent(s)/guardian(s) may bring a bullying incident to any teacher in the school. Incident Report forms will be kept in all classrooms and in the office and will be completed thereafter.

• All reports, including anonymous reports of bullying, will be investigated and dealt with by the relevant teacher.

• Teaching and non-teaching staff such as secretaries, special needs assistants(SNA’s), bus escorts, caretakers, cleaners must report any incidents of bullying behaviour witnessed by them, or mentioned to them, to the relevant teacher;

Investigating and dealing with incidents: Style of approach

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

• Parent(s)/guardian(s) 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;

• Teachers should take a calm, unemotional problem-solving approach.

• Where possible incidents should be investigated outside the classroom situation to ensure the privacy of all involved;

• All interviews should be conducted with sensitively and with due regard to the rights of all pupils concerned. Pupils who are not directly involved can also provide very useful information in this way;

• When analysing incidents of bullying behaviour, the relevant teacher should 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 should be interviewed individually at first. Thereafter, all those involved should be met as a group. At the group meeting, each member should be asked for their account of what happened to ensure that everyone in the group is clear about each other’s statements;

• Each member of a group should be supported through the possible pressures that may face them from the other members of the group after the interview by the teacher;

            It may also be appropriate or helpful to ask those involved to write down their account of

             the incident(s)

• In cases where it has been determined by the relevant teacher that bullying behaviour has occurred, the parent(s)/guardian(s) of the parties involved should be contacted at an early stage to inform them of the matter and explain the actions being taken (by reference to the school policy). The school should give parent(s)/guardian(s) an opportunity of discussing ways in which they can reinforce or support the actions being taken by the school and the supports provided to the pupils;

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

• It must also be made clear to all involved (each set of pupils and parent(s)/guardian(s)) that in any situation where disciplinary sanctions are required, this is a private matter between the pupil being disciplined, his  parent(s)/guardian(s) and the school.

• In the event that they have been involved in bullying behaviour they are asked to sign a binding promise that they will treat all pupils fairly, equally and respectfully including the targeted pupil(s).
• The ‘Relevant Teacher’ does not apportion blame but rather treats bullying behaviour as a ‘mistake’ that can and must be remedied.  S/he emphasises that the intention is not to punish perpetrators but to talk to them, to explain how harmful and hurtful bullying is and to seek a promise that it will stop.  If that promise is forthcoming and is honoured there will be no penalty and that will be the end of the matter. Pupils who report bullying therefore are not getting others ‘in trouble’ so much as enabling them to get out of trouble into which they may ultimately get if the bullying continued.
• When an investigation is completed and/or a bullying situation is resolved the ‘Relevant Teacher’ will complete a report, to include the findings of the investigation, the strategy adopted and the outcome of the intervention, as well as any other relevant information. This information is recorded on the back of the Incident report form and on the Appendix 3 document which is filed and stored by the Principal. 
• If a pupil has signed such a promise but then chooses to break that promise and continue the bullying behaviour, this can then no longer be considered a ‘mistake.’  In this event parent(s)/guardian(s) will be informed and requested to countersign their daughter/son’s promise.  Breach of this additional promise by further bullying behaviour is regarded as a very grave matter and a serious sanction may be imposed by the school authorities (See sanctions below).
• All documentation regarding bullying incidents and their resolution is retained securely by the relevant teacher during investigation and is handed over to the Principal thereafter. A copy of the incident report and action taken is filed in the pupils’ profile folder which is stored in a locked filed cabinet in the relevant classroom. 

Sanctions:

Where a pupil has been found to be engaged in bullying behaviour, has formally promised to stop and has broken that promise, any of the following sanctions may be imposed:

• He may be required to sign another promise, this time countersigned by a parent/guardian;
• Parent(s)/guardian(s) may be contacted by the ‘Relevant Teacher’ and informed of the nature and extent of the bullying behaviour with a view to agreeing a strategy whereby a promise to end the bullying behaviour would be honoured;  
• Parent(s)/guardian(s) may be invited to a meeting with the ‘Relevant Teacher’. 
• Parent(s)/guardian(s), the relevant teacher and the Principal meet in a final effort to resolve the situation.
• The pupil may be suspended from the school.  (See school’s Code of behaviour)
• The case may be referred to the Board of Management and the pupil may be expelled from the school.

Follow up and recording

• 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 relationship between the parties have been restored as far as is practicable;

– Any feedback received from the parties involved, their parent(s)/guardian(s)s or the school Principal or Deputy Principal 

• Follow-up meetings with the relevant parties involved should 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.

• Where a parent(s)/guardian(s) is not satisfied that the school has dealt with a bullying case in accordance with these procedures, the parent(s)/guardian(s) must be referred, as appropriate, to the school’s complaints procedures.

• In the event that a parent(s)/guardian(s) has exhausted the school’s complaints procedures and is still not satisfied, the school must advise the parent(s)/guardian(s) of their right to make a complaint to the Ombudsman for Children.

Recording of bullying behaviour

It is imperative that all recording of bullying incidents must be done in an objective and factual manner.

The school’s procedures for noting and reporting bullying behaviour are as follows:

Informal- pre-determination that bullying has occurred

• All staff must keep a written record of any incidents witnessed by them or notified to them on the incident report form ( Appendix 2). Incident report forms will be kept in all classrooms and in the office.  Consideration needs to be given to where the records will be made e.g. incident book. All incidents must be reported to the relevant teacher

• While all reports, including anonymous reports of bullying much be investigated and dealt with by the relevant teacher, the relevant teacher must keep a written record of the reports, the actions taken and any discussions with those involved regarding same. This is recorded on the back of the Incident Report form 

• The relevant teacher must inform the principal of all incidents being investigated.

Formal Stage 1-determination that bullying has occurred

• If it is established by the relevant teacher that bullying has occurred, the relevant teacher must keep appropriate written records ( Incident report form) which will assist his/her efforts to resolve the issues and restore, as far as is practicable, the relationships of the parties involved.

• All records will be retained by the relevant teacher.

Formal Stage 2-Appendix 3 (From DES Procedures)

The relevant teacher must use the recording template at Appendix 3 to record the bullying behaviour in the following circumstances:

a) in cases where he/she considers that the bullying behaviour has not been adequate and appropriately addressed within 20 school days after he/she has determined that bullying behaviour occurred; and

b) Where the school has decided as part of its anti-bullying policy that in certain circumstances bullying behaviour must be recorded and reported immediately to the Principal or Deputy Principal as applicable.

When the recording template is used, it must be retained by the relevant teacher in question and a copy maintained by the principal. 

Established intervention strategies

• Teacher interviews with all pupils

• Negotiating agreements between pupils and following these up by monitoring progress.  This can be on an informal basis or implemented through a more structured mediation process

• Working with parent(s)/guardian(s) to support school interventions

• No Blame Approach

• Circle Time

• Restorative interviews

• Strengthening the victim

• Mediation