Montgomery Combined The School Approach to Bullying – information for staff and parents
What is Bullying? Bullying is persistently doing something to another person that the person is unable to defend themselves against. It usually involves some emotional upset. Bullying may involve name-calling, making fun, being left out, threatening, hitting, kicking, pinching or other types of physical hurt. There are many instances of playground bickering or dispute that need sorting out, but are not bullying. It is school policy that all bullying should be dealt with vigorously, including bullying related to physical disability, racism, religious differences, homophobic bullying , physical, verbal and emotional abuse. What Should you do if you think your child is being bullied? Take time to talk to your child about what is going on Find out whether your child has told someone in school and what has been done. Remember that you will be hearing only one side of the story. Come to see the class teacher with your child and explain what has been happening. Bullying incidents can be very upsetting but remember that a calm approach to resolving the issue is more effective than an aggressive one. Allow the teacher time to investigate and resolve the situation Sometimes bullying cannot be resolved immediately and you may need to contact the teacher again. In some very difficult cases the parent and teacher may wish to refer the situation to the Deputy or Head. What will the School Do? We will take all cases of bullying seriously and once it has come to light that bullying may be taking place an investigation will take place immediately. If a child has been involved in bullying this will be taken very seriously and the matter will be discussed with parents and may involve some sanction being applied, so we need to be as certain as possible about what has been happening. As many people as appropriate will be spoken to in order to gain a comprehensive picture of what has happened. The child who has been bullied will be told what is happening throughout the process and will be reassured that he/she is not to blame and have very right to go about their business with out fear of being got at in some way. The teacher will contact parents to let them know how the matter has been dealt with In very serious cases the children will be asked to write [or dictate] an incident report, so that immediate recollections can be referred to latter. In some serious and persistent cases the head will be informed. The school will encourage an open atmosphere in which children are comfortable with talking about problems. Children will be encouraged to go to specific adults and pupil mentors with bullying problems. Lunch time clubs provide secure, supervised spaces for children who find the lunch break difficult.
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A counsellor is employed by the school to enable children to talk confidentially about concerns. In some cases children who are having problems will be tracked by named MTA In some cases children who appear to be involved in bullying will be tracked by named MTA
Ways to Help Your Child Teach your child that that it is difficult to bully someone who reacts calmly and confidently to provocation. Bullies are encouraged if you show fear or loose your rag. What should you do if you find out that your child is bullying others? It can be very difficult for parents to accept that their child is involved in bullying. Don’t fly off the handle, don’t panic – try to find out what is going on – there is probably an underlying problem of some sort. Give time to discussion. Things for children to do Tell an adult – don’t wait Remember – telling about bullying is never wrong. Be bold – tell the bully to stop
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