St. Nathy's School Policies - Effective: September 2007

BULLYING

1. INTRODUCTION
'All that is needed for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing'.

(Edmund Burke).

I.A. CONTEXT
The formulation of a policy statement on bullying is undertaken in the context of national statistics which indicate that'52% of school going children aged 7-13 and, to a lesser extent, approximately 40% of older children are involved in bullying either as victims, bullies or both'.

(O'Donnell, Vivette, 1993).

The predominant forms of bullying are name-calling, passing nasty remarks, and sending insulting notes. Most bullying takes place during break time: 36%, between classes: 19%, lunchtime: 16%, after school: 6%, during class 10%. 54.2% of students had told someone about the incident. Comparatively speaking most told their parents, with a much smaller number telling teachers.

In relation to suggestions as to improving the situation the following ranked the highest:

	Encourage telling
	Punishment
	Appoint watchers - (increased supervision)
	Have a special teacher to talk to.

I.B DEFINITIONS:
For the purposes of this policy we will follow the definition of the Department of Education & Science which sees bullying as:

'repeated aggression, verbal, psychological or physical conducted by an individual or group against others.'

'Isolated incidents of aggressive behaviour (which will not be condoned) will not be counted as bullying. When such behaviour is systematic and ongoing it is bullying'. (Dept. of Ed., 1993, p.6.)

Looking from the perspective of the victim, bullying will be considered; 'abuse which causes only distress or displeasure to the victim'.

(Vivette O'Donnell, 1993).

The Department's guidelines give a more detailed listing of types of bullying: physical aggression, damage to property, extortion, intimidation, abusive telephone calls, isolation, name-calling, slagging, teacher behaviour.
 
1. C. PHILOSOPHY:
Our approach to this specific issue is considered and formulated in the light of the school Code of Discipline which is based on respect for the human person. The Code aims to guarantee justice and fairness for all so that "each student can benefit fully from the school environment and, in the process, develop knowledge and self discipline" We, therefore, strive to uphold each student's right to an education free from fear and intimidation. Bullying (as defined above) cannot be an accepted part of school life.

I.D AIMS.
This policy will address the issue within the framework of the existing School Code of Discipline and the school S.P.H.E. policy.The policy will consider the following areas:

PREVENTION: (Section 2)
Further developing the school environment by
(a) raising awareness of bullying as unacceptable behaviour.
(b) developing an ethos of reporting and disclosure.
(c) ensuring comprehensive supervision and monitoring.
(d) developing links with parents and community to further this environment.

HANDLING COMPLAINTS: (Section 3).
(a) Procedures for reporting and noting incidents of bullying.
(b) Procedures for investigating and dealing with ALL reported incidents.
 
CARE OF THE STUDENTS CONCERNED: (Section 4).
 
(a) A programme of support for those affected (victims).
(b) A programme to work with those who bully.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:

2. PREVENTION:
We will continue to further develop the school environment so as to avert incidents of bullying and to make our school a community in which bullying will not occur, and one where if it does, it will not be tolerated, by staff or students.

2.A. Raising awareness of bullying and unacceptable behaviour.
2.B. Developing an ethos of reporting and disclosure. This is very important as the students themselves see it as being an important measure in combating incidents of bullying. A series of measures will be undertaken to achieve these aims. Particular attention will be paid each year to incoming pupils in first year to inform them of the procedures for reporting bullying. This can best be achieved through the First Year S.P.H.E. programme and the First Year Class Tutor System. The programme will work to establish the ethos of reporting among first years.

Since bullying is a result of a lack of respect and esteem, the focus in the S.P.H.E. programme on esteem should assist in developing the atmosphere of respect that is desirable. A basic four-part message will be conveyed:

(1) I respect myself
(2) I respect others.
(3) I expect others to respect me.
(4) I will not tolerate disrespect.

2.C. Ensuring comprehensive supervision and monitoring. National statistics show that most bullying occurs in between classes and at break times, thus we must remain conscious of the need for supervision of corridors and yard during break times. To help in developing an atmosphere where people are more aware of the effects of bullying, a checklist of indicators is attached, cf. Appendix A.

2.D. Developing links with parents and community to further this environment. Information sheets for parents on the topic of bullying will be made available to help in highlighting the importance of the issue - especially if the issue arises when parents visit the school and at parent / teacher meetings.

2.E. Again in response to the findings of the survey, we should continue to highlight the roles of the Class Tutor, the year head, the chaplain, the Home Liaison Officer etc., as pastoral contacts within the school i.e. teachers who are identified as people to be contacted by students with any difficulties.

3. HANDLING COMPLAINTS

3.A. PROCEDURES FOR REPORTING:
The following procedures for reporting of bullying is recommended:
 
3.A.1. By Students:
Students should report all incidents and allegations to their Class Teacher/ Tutor, who in turn will inform the Year Head. The Class Tutor will record the details in the Report Book already assigned to them.
It will be the responsibility of the Class Tutor of the victim to inform the respective Class Tutor of the perpetrator and also to inform the Principal if deemed sufficiently serious.
 
3.A.2. By Parents:
Parents should be informed at every opportunity that they can report any incident of bullying to the appropriate Class Tutor or directly to the Principal. The role of parents in this process is vital, since statistics indicate that most students will prefer to tell parents.

3.A.3 By subject teacher:
Incidents of bullying reported to subject teachers should be forwarded to the appropriate Class Tutors.

3.A.4 By ancillary staff:
Ancillary staff are also encouraged to report incidents directly to the Principal.

3.B. PROCEDURES FOR INVESTIGATING AND DEALING WITH ALL REPORTED INCIDENTS:

In accordance with our policy, all allegations of bullying must be investigated. This is necessary if students are to feel secure that their reporting will achieve any result.

3.B.1 Investigation
The Class Tutors of the victim and perpetrator should conduct the investigation of incidents. The veracity of the complaint needs to be established. Separate interviews are suggested with victim and bully and any witnesses Incidents should be investigated outside the classroom. In the case of gang bullying, interview separately taking an account of the individual versions. This should be followed by an interview together in order to check the accounts. An account of all interviews should be kept. An account of the events should be made by the bully and the victim in writing.

3.B.2.  When bullying is established / Sanctions
The bully should be made aware of how he/she has breached the Code of Discipline and what sanctions are to be enforced. In accordance with the Code of Discipline, sanctions will be enforced according to the seriousness of the issue. Possible sanctions include: loss of privileges, detention during break time, report sheets, suspension. In each case the perpetrator will write a letter of apology to the victim. The letter should be signed and a copy kept on file. The victim should also be made aware of the action to be taken against the bullies.
 
3.B.3. Parents
The parents of both the bully and the victim should be contacted and made aware of the situation so that they can be given an opportunity to discuss the matter. They are then in a position to help and support their children to avoid an escalation of the situation into a crisis. Only the Principal or the Deputy-Principal should contact parents.

3.B.4 Caring for those involved
Arrange help for the victim and the bully - see Section 4. Arrange a follow-up meeting between the victim and bullies to assess progress. It is also important for both the bullies and the victims to see that the incident is being monitored.

4. CARE OF THE STUDENTS CONCERNED:

4.A A programme to work with those who bully.
It is important to realise that the bully, though engaged in destructive and hurtful behaviour, is himself/herself acting out of hurt and therefore needs support to find more socially acceptable ways to fulfil his/her needs.

There are different categories of bully:
(a) Those who know no better way of behaving, who have learned an aggressive behaviour pattern at home and elsewhere and have consequently poor social skills. Here work needs to be done on developing self-esteem in other ways, by encouraging interests, hobbies, talents etc., etc. Work also needs to be done on developing empathy for the feelings of others so that the bully realises the pain he/she is causing.

(b) The former victim, who has started to bully.
Work can be done on reminding the former victim of the feelings they themselves experience while being bullied. The development of empathy is vital in deterring further episodes. Work needs to be done on uncovering the reasons for having started to bully now, so that the root causes can be addressed.

(c) The student who has started to bully as a result of some traumatic event.
Work here needs to centre on identifying the underlying cause and helping the student to handle the pain in a more mature way.
 
4.B. A programme of support for those affected, (the victims).
Again, here it is important to distinguish the type of victim involved.
Passive victim - who tends to have poor self-esteem.
Provocative victim easily provoked.

INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

HOW PARENTS CAN HELP - The role of parents in this process is vital since national statistics indicate that most students will prefer to tell parents.

IF YOUR CHILD IS A VICTIM

1 . Be aware of the following signs:
The following list of indicators is based on the 1993 Department of Education & Science guidelines. Children may be:

	Frightened of walking to or from school.
	Be unwilling to go to school.
	Beg you to drive them to school.
	Change their route to school.
	Begin doing poorly in their schoolwork.
	Come home regularly with clothes or books damaged.
	Come home hungry (lunch money has been taken).
	Become withdrawn, start stammering.
	Become distressed, stop eating, stop sleeping.
	Cry themselves to sleep, have nightmares.
	Have unexplained bruises or scratches.
	Have their possessions go missing.
	Ask for money or start beginning to steal money.
	Continually 'loose' their pocket money.
	Refuse to say what’s wrong.
	Become troubled, depressed, attempt suicide.

2. If you are worried that your child is being bullied, ask them directly rather than worry in silence.
3. Take bullying seriously and find out the facts when told about the incident.
4. It is important to communicate to the victim that he/she has done nothing wrong and that there is nothing wrong with them because they are being bullied. The bulling says more about the bully than about the victim. Do not make your child feel inferior because they are being bullied - letting themselves down or such like. It is best not to over-emphasise the victim's role, yet at the same time it is important to give your child a chance to vent his/her feelings about being bullied.

5. DO NOT KEEP BULLYING A SECRET.
The power of the bully depends on secrecy. Bringing the bullying out into the open is not easy on the victim, but things cannot be much worse than they are already for the victim. Ultimately, bringing the situation into the open will improve things. In any case, the unhappy situation cannot just be ignored. If it is happening in school, talk with the school about the matter.

If the bullying is happening outside school, it may be necessary to intervene and approach the parents of the bullies. If the bullying is serious and dangerous, it may be necessary to follow a legal route.
Keep a written record if the bullying persists. It may be difficult, but it will provide evidence of who, what and when. With the help of others, devise strategies to help your child to cope better, such as shouting 'no', walking with confidence or simply avoiding the bully.

	Do not encourage your child to hit back. It will only make matters worse.
	Arrange to meet your child, if bullying happens on the way to or from school.
	Check that your child is not inviting the bullying by some habit, such as name calling, meddling with the possessions of others.
	Invite other children to your home to help your child make friends. A child who has friends is less likely to be bullied.

IF YOUR CHILD IS INVOLVED IN BULLYING.
1. Remain calm.
2. Do not, in turn, bully the child or hit - it will only make matters worse.
3. Try to find out why the child is bullying.
It is important to establish what is the source of the bullying, as this is the key to solving the problem. Some children may become temporary bullies after a traumatic event, such as a parental separation, or the death of a loved one or because of boredom or frustration.

Other children become chronic bullies because they:

	Like the feeling of power.
	Feel insecure and inadequate and use this method to falsely boost self-image.
	Have themselves been abused in some way.
	Are scapegoats or are bullied at home.
	Are under too much pressure.
	Don't fit in with other pupils (revenge).
	Feel no sense of accomplishment.
	Are spoilt and expect that they can have their own way with no regard for the feelings of others.

4. Talk to teachers, staff, friends or anyone who can give you some insight into the behaviour. Have an open mind on the matter. It is not easy to hear that a son or daughter is bullying, but it is important to hear the signal that all is not well at the moment with them that they need to behave in this way.
5. If the situation is not serious give it time to sort itself out on the basis of a discussion which clearly points out that this form of behaviour is not acceptable.
6. Set realistic and firm rules to help your son/daughter control his/her behaviour. The sanctions must be realistic and suitable and then firmly enforced.
7. Ensure that your child apologises, either in person or in writing to the child he/she has hurt. It is also important that restitution is made for any damage to property. This should come from the child's own pocket and not paid for by you the parent.
8. If it is serious and chronic, do not hesitate to get help. Talk to the school authorities and if counselling help is necessary it should be sought.
9. Bullies need to achieve some success to make them feel good about themselves. Help them to find something they can do well and often the behaviour will change.

<<<< Back