Anti-Bullying Policy

Introduction

In 1995 all schools in Borders Region were asked by the Education department to develop an anti-bullying policy for their school in consultation with parents and pupils. Advice was given to school from the Education Department at that time to support the development of these policies.

It has been recognised since that time that there was a need to update both the department's policy and for schools to revisit their anti-bullying policies and procedures. This document is intended to set out the authority's policy on bullying and to provide support and guidance for schools in revisiting their anti- bullying policies.

There is now a recognition that is essential for schools and the authority to have a record of bullying incidents that take place and with this in mind procedures for monitoring incidents of bullying within schools and across the authority are included in this document. At present it will be necessary for school to use the paper pro-formas at the end of the document to record incidents and for these to be kept in the school anti-bullying log. Schools will be asked to provide information to the authority on an annual basis. Recording of information is to be trialled using the Phoenix system and the outcome of this trial will inform future developments in recording incidents.

Section 1: Anti-Bullying Policy

Schools in Scottish Borders work to minimise bullying and to deal effectively and efficiently with allegations. They recognise that pupils have a right to be educated in an atmosphere that is free from fear and abuse. This right is enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. In addition section 2(1) of the Standards in Scotland's Schools etc Act 2000 states that:

Where school education is provided to a child or young person.. By an education authority it shall be the duty of the authority to ensure that the education is directed to the development of the personality, talents and mental and physical abilities of the child or young person to their fullest potential (Standards in Scotland's Schools Act: 2000:1)

Definition of bullying

Bullying is an abuse of power. It is a repeated, deliberate act of aggression that causes embarrassment, pain or discomfort to another. It takes many forms and may include physical attacks, verbal insults, extortion and theft, threatening and obscene gestures, spreading malicious rumours and deliberately excluding people from a group or activity.

Bullying behaviour is normally characterised by:

Deliberate aggression: where someone wilfully seeks to harm another
A perceived imbalance of power: where those being harmed feel powerless
Action that leads to pain and distress: pain that can be physical and/or emotional
Action that takes place over a period of time: a single, isolated incident of aggression would not normally be described as bullying.

People can be bullied because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, learning ability, physical appearance and/or because they have a disability. There are endless reasons and sometimes no apparent reason, why people are bullied.

Bullying can occur whenever groups of people come together. No organisation can ever prevent bullying from happening and no school can ever guarantee that it is, or will become, 'bully free'.

In the development of their anti-bullying policy and practice, schools in Scottish Borders will continue to:

Adopt a 'whole school' approach to this work and recognise that meaningful policy development requires the participation of all school staff, pupils, parents and other stakeholders.
Ensure that the development of anti-bullying policy and practice is embedded into the school development planning process.
Ensure that the development of anti-bullying policy and practice is developed in conjunction with other key themes (eg personal and social development, health and safety, promoting positive behaviour etc) which contribute to the development of a positive and enabling ethos and culture.

In the work undertaken to minimise bullying, schools in Scottish Borders will continue to:

Ensure that anti-bullying policies are made fully accessible to all members of their community
Explore the issue of bullying through a number of curricular themes, for example through:
- Multiculturalism
- Safety
- Self esteem and building better relationships
- Equal opportunities
- Citizenship
- Health promotion
Develop a range of curriculum based methods such as Circle Time, PSE programme, Pupil Councils etc
Build links with external agencies in order to clarify their role in supporting pupils involved in/affected by bullying.

When dealing with and reporting allegations of bullying, schools in Scottish Borders will continue to:

Ensure that all alleged incidents of bullying are taken seriously and managed appropriately
Ensure that a range of strategies are in place for dealing with alleged incidents
Endeavour to work in partnership with parents to try to find solutions to incidents that involve their child.
Maintain appropriate systems for recording alleged incidents and ensure that the Authority's pro-forma for recording allegations of bullying is completed and sent to the Authority for processing.
Ensure that the Child Protection Co-ordinator is aware of their responsibilities with regard to anti-bullying.

In supporting schools with this work Scottish Borders Council will:

Ensure that schools are provided with appropriate guidance on anti-bullying policy and practice.
Continue to offer advice and support to schools on issues relating to allegations/incidents of bullying including support on legal matters and those involving the media.
Collect and collate information submitted by the schools in order to gather Authority wide data on bullying.
Ensure that information on the nature and extent of bullying is disseminated to schools.
Ensure that pupils and parents are informed of the Authority's decision to record and monitor incidents of bullying in its schools.
Work with schools to assess the training needs of school staff and, within the resources available; endeavour to provide opportunities for staff development.

Section 2; Recording and Monitoring Allegations of bullying

The proforma attached as appendix 2 gives schools a framework for investigating and recording allegations of bullying. A log should be kept of all bullying incidents. Those implicated in an alleged incident should be informed that details will be recorded on the form and that the information will be used by the Local Authority for monitoring purposes. Schools should ensure that pupils and parents understand that all data supplied to the Authority will be anonymous in nature.

Dealing with allegations of bullying

Assessing the nature of the incident

When trying to assess the nature of an incident and the type of response needed, the following factors should normally be taken into account:

Has the pupil who is experiencing the distress been subjected to repeated incidents of unacceptable behaviour? If the answer to this question is 'yes', over what time period has the behaviour been occurring?
Is there evidence that the behaviour is planned / pre-meditated?
How does the pupil seem to perceive him/herself in relation to those allegedly involved?
How distressed are the pupil and what effect is the situation having on his/her self esteem, feelings about school, motivation, and relationships with peers, physical wellbeing etc?
Which pupils are involved in the alleged incident?
What seemed to trigger the start of the difficulty?
Where did/do the alleged incidents take place?
Are there any witnesses?
Is there any background to the alleged incidents?
When was the alleged incident first reported? Who reported it and to whom?
How do the others involved in the alleged incident perceive it?
What explanations do they give for the alleged difficulty?
What is required to try to resolve the difficulty now and in the future?

If the evidence indicates that bullying has taken place then the following steps should be taken:

Appropriate measures should be put in place to support all those involved.
Any disciplinary measures used should be in line with the school's an
authorities disciplinary policy.
Parents of the pupils involved should be informed of the incident and the action taken by the school.
If a peer has physically or sexually assaulted a pupil, then exclusion may be considered. In the case of peer to peer physical and sexual assault the school should also seek guidance from the Authority's Child Protection Officer immediately.
If the allegation involves extreme action such as physical and/or sexual assault or theft or extortion, the parent and the pupil should be informed of their right to report this to the police. Although school staff may feel concerned about highlighting these rights to parents and pupils it should be borne in mind that assault, theft and extortion are criminal acts.
Monitoring of those involved should take place and appropriate follow-up agreed.

Scottish Borders Council – Department of Education and Lifelong Learning Anti-bullying Policy Mar 2005