Anti-Bullying
Policy for
Scoil
Pádraig Naofa, Cregmore
January 2019
1. In accordance
with the requirements of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000 and the code of
behaviour guidelines issued by the NEWB, the Board of Management of Scoil Pádraig
Naofa, Cregmore has adopted the
following anti-bullying policy within the framework of the school’s overall
code of behaviour. This policy fully complies with the requirements of the
Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools which were
published in September 2013. This policy was reviewed and updated by Cregmore
N.S staff in December 2018.
2. The Board of
Management recognises the very serious nature of bullying and the negative
impact that it can have on the lives of pupils and is therefore fully committed
to the following key principles of best
practice in preventing and tackling bullying behaviour:
(a) A positive school culture and climate
which
·
is
welcoming of difference and diversity and is based on inclusivity;
·
encourages
pupils to disclose and discuss incidents of bullying behaviour in a
non-threatening environment; and
·
promotes respectful relationships across the
school community;
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See Table A (6.1.5.Procedures): Key elements of a positive school
culture and climate, and also Appendix 2: Practical tips for building a
school culture and climate. Both attached below.
|
(b) Effective leadership
(c)
A school-wide approach
(d)
A shared understanding of what bullying is and its impact
(e) Implementation of education and
prevention strategies (including awareness raising measures) that-
·
build
empathy, respect and resilience in pupils; and
·
explicitly
address the issues of cyber-bullying and identity-based bullying including in
particular, homophobic and trans phobic bullying;
·
effective
supervision and monitoring of pupils;
(f) Effective supervision and monitoring of
pupils
(g) Supports for staff
(h) Consistent recording, investigation and
follow up of bullying behaviour (including use of established intervention
strategies); and
(i) On-going evaluation of the
effectiveness of the anti-bullying policy.
3. In accordance
with the Anti-Bullying Procedures for
Primary and Post-Primary Schools bullying is defined as follows:
Bullying is
unwanted negative behaviour, verbal, psychological or physical conducted, by an
individual or group against another person (or persons) and which is repeated
over time.
The following
types of bullying behaviour are included in the definition of bullying:
·
deliberate
exclusion, malicious gossip and other forms of relational bullying,
·
cyber-bullying and
·
identity-based
bullying such as homophobic bullying, racist bullying, bullying based on a
person’s membership of the Traveller community and bullying of those with
disabilities or special educational needs.
Isolated or
once-off incidents of intentional negative behaviour, including a once-off
offensive or hurtful text message or other private messaging, do not fall
within the definition of bullying and should be dealt with, as appropriate, in
accordance with the school’s code of behaviour.
However, in the
context of this policy, placing a once-off offensive or hurtful public message,
image or statement on a social network site or other public forum where that
message, image or statement can be viewed and/or repeated by other people will
be regarded as bullying behaviour.
Negative behaviour
that does not meet this definition of bullying will be dealt with in accordance
with the school’s code of behaviour.
Additional
information on different types of bullying is set out in Section 2 of the Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and
Post-Primary Schools.
Examples of bullying
behaviours
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General behaviours which apply to all types of
bullying
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·
Harassment
based on any of the nine grounds in the equality legislation e.g. sexual
harassment, homophobic bullying, racist bullying etc.
·
Physical
aggression
·
Damage
to property
·
Name
calling
·
Slagging
·
The
production, display or circulation of written words, pictures or other
materials aimed at intimidating another person
·
Offensive
graffiti
·
Extortion
·
Intimidation
·
Insulting
or offensive gestures
·
The
“look”
·
Invasion
of personal space
·
A
combination of any of the types listed.
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Cyber
|
·
Denigration: Spreading
rumors, lies or gossip to hurt a person’s reputation
·
Harassment: Continually
sending vicious, mean or disturbing messages to an individual
·
Impersonation: Posting
offensive or aggressive messages under another person’s name
·
Flaming: Using inflammatory or vulgar words
to provoke an online fight
·
Trickery: Fooling someone
into sharing personal information which you then post online
·
Outing: Posting or sharing confidential or
compromising information or images
·
Exclusion: Purposefully
excluding someone from an online group
·
Cyber stalking: Ongoing
harassment and denigration that causes a person considerable fear for his/her
safety
·
Silent
telephone/mobile phone call
·
Abusive
telephone/mobile phone calls
·
Abusive
text messages
·
Abusive
email
·
Abusive
communication on social networks e.g. Facebook/Ask.fm/ Twitter/You Tube or on
games consoles
·
Abusive
website comments/Blogs/Pictures
·
Abusive
posts on any form of communication technology
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Identity Based Behaviours
Including any of the nine discriminatory grounds mentioned in Equality
Legislation (gender
including transgender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation,
religion, age, disability, race and membership of the Traveller community).
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Homophobic
and Transgender
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·
Spreading
rumours about a person’s sexual orientation
·
Taunting
a person of a different sexual orientation
·
Name
calling e.g. Gay, queer, lesbian...used in a derogatory manner
·
Physical
intimidation or attacks
·
Threats
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Race,
nationality, ethnic background and membership of the Traveller community
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·
Discrimination,
prejudice, comments or insults about colour, nationality, culture, social
class, religious beliefs, ethnic or traveller background
·
Exclusion
on the basis of any of the above
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Relational
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This involves manipulating
relationships as a means of bullying. Behaviours include:
·
Malicious
gossip
·
Isolation
& exclusion
·
Ignoring
·
Excluding
from the group
·
Taking
someone’s friends away
·
“Bitching”
·
Spreading
rumours
·
Breaking
confidence
·
Talking
loud enough so that the victim can hear
·
The
“look”
·
Use
or terminology such as ‘nerd’ in a derogatory way
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Sexual
|
·
Unwelcome
or inappropriate sexual comments or
touching
·
Harassment
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|
Special
Educational Needs,
Disability
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·
Name calling
·
Taunting others because of their disability or learning
needs
·
Taking
advantage of some pupils’ vulnerabilities and limited capacity to recognise
and defend themselves against bullying
·
Taking
advantage of some pupils’ vulnerabilities and limited capacity to understand
social situations and social cues.
·
Mimicking
a person’s disability
·
Setting
others up for ridicule
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4. The relevant
teacher(s) for investigating and dealing with bullying is (are) as follows:
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The Relevant Teachers in
this school are:
·
The Principal
·
The
Deputy Principal
·
All
Class teachers.
Any teacher may act as the
relevant teacher if the circumstances warrant it.
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5)
Cultivation
of a good school culture which has respect for all and helping one another as
central.
·
Use of
programmes that provide pupils with opportunities to develop a positive sense
of self-worth.
·
Initiatives
and programmes to develop pupils’ awareness and understanding of bullying
including its causes and effects. This includes programmes that deal with the
issue of identity based bullying and in particular homophobic and transphobic
bullying.
·
Prevention
and awareness raising measures that deal explicitly with cyber-bullying. This
includes education of pupils on appropriate on-line behaviour and how to stay
safe while on-line. Developing a culture of reporting any concerns about cyber-
bullying.
·
Emphasis
on inclusion for pupils with SEN in order to decrease the likelihood of
bullying. In addition, a focus on developing social skills and paying attention
to key moments such as transitioning from primary to post – primary school.
·
A
range of curricular activities will be used by teachers to influence attitudes
to bullying in a positive manner. This includes the SPHE which makes specific
provision for exploring bullying and the updated Stay Safe Programme which
seeks to enhance children’s’ self-protection skills including their ability to
recognise and cope with bullying.
·
There
is space within the teaching of all subjects to foster an attitude of respect
for all: to promote the value of diversity to address prejudice and stereotyping
and to highlight the unacceptability of bullying behaviour e.g. in English,
History Art, Drama, Religious Education and physical Education.
A sample of the education and
prevention strategies (including strategies specifically aimed at cyber-
bullying, homophobic and transphobic bullying) that will be used by the school
are as follows (see Section 6.5 of the Anti-Bullying
Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools - attached):
Sample
Education and prevention strategies
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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 professional development needs
with a view to assessing staff
requirements through internal staff
knowledge/expertise and external sources
·
Professional development with specific focus on the
training of the relevant teacher(s)
·
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 extra- curricular 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.
·
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 made available online on our school website to all parent(s)/guardian(s).
·
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.:
o Direct
approach to teacher at an appropriate time, for example after class.
o Hand
note up with homework.
o Make a
phone call to the school or to a trusted teacher in the school.
o Get a
parent(s)/guardian(s) or friend to tell on your behalf.
o Ensure
bystanders understand the importance of telling if they witness or know that
bullying is taking place.
·
Identify 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.
·
The development of an 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 is the pupils’ use of mobile
phones.
·
The listing of supports currently being used in the
school and the identification of other supports available to the school e.g. Rainbows
Programme
Implementation of curricula
·
The full implementation of the SPHE and CSPE
curricula 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. Cool School Lessons, Stay Safe Programme, The
Walk Tall Programme.
·
School wide delivery of lessons on Relational aggression, Cyber
Bullying ( Be Safe-Be Web wise, Web wise Primary teachers’ resources), Diversity and Interculturalism, Yellow
Flag Programme.
·
Delivery of the Garda SPHE Programmes at primary and
post- primary level. These lessons, delivered by Community Gardai, cover
issues around personal safety and cyber-bullying
·
The school 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.
·
The school will implement the advice in “Sexual
Orientation advice for schools” (RSE Primary, see booklet).
Links to other policies
·
List school policies, practices and activities that
are particularly relevant to bullying, e.g. Code of Behaviour, Child
Protections policy, Supervision of pupils, Acceptable Use policy, Attendance,
Sporting activities.
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6. The school’s procedures for investigation,
follow-up and recording of bullying behaviour and the established intervention strategies used
by the school for dealing with cases of bullying behaviour are as follows (see Section 6.8 of
the Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and
Post-Primary Schools):
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6.8.9. 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.
·
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 (SNAs),
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 (see section 6.8.9)
·
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
sensitivity 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
his/her 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/her how he/she 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 or her parent(s)/guardian(s) and 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
relationships 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 in their class-based incident journals.
All incidents must also be reported to the relevant teacher
·
While all
reports, including anonymous reports of bullying must 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
·
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 which will assist his/her efforts to resolve
the issues and restore, as far as is practicable, the relationships of the
parties involved.
·
The school in
consultation with the relevant teacher/s should develop a protocol for the
storage of all records 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 adequately 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.
The school should list behaviours that must be
recorded and reported immediately to the principal. These should be in line
with the school’s code of behaviour.
When the recording template
is used, it must be retained by the relevant teacher in question and a copy
maintained by the principal. The relevant teacher keeps a copy in their Child
Protection File and a copy will be kept by the DLP in the Child Protection
File kept in the office in a secure filing cabinet.
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)s to support school interventions
·
No
Blame Approach
·
Circle
Time
·
Restorative
interviews
·
Restorative
conferencing
·
Implementing
sociogram questionnaires
·
Peer
mediation where suitable training has been given
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7. The school’s programme of support for
working with pupils affected by bullying is as follows
(see Section 6.8.16 of the
Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools) :
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·
All
in-school supports and opportunities will be provided for the pupils affected
by bullying to participate in activities designed to raise their self-esteem,
to develop friendships and social skills and build resilience e.g.
- Pastoral care system
- Buddy / Peer mentoring system
- Group work such as
circle time
·
If
pupils require counselling of further supports the school will endeavour to liaise
with the appropriate agencies to organise same. This may be for the pupil
affected by bullying or involved in the bullying behaviour.
·
Pupils
should understand that there are no innocent bystanders and that all incidents
of bullying behaviour must be reported to a teacher.
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8. Supervision and Monitoring
of Pupils
The Board of Management
confirms that appropriate supervision and monitoring policies and
Practices are in place to
both prevent and deal with bullying behaviour and to facilitate early
intervention where possible.
9.
Prevention of Harassment
The Board of Management
confirms that the school will, in accordance with its obligations under
equality legislation, take all such steps that are reasonably practicable to
prevent the sexual harassment of pupils or staff or the harassment of pupils or
staff on any of the nine grounds specified i.e. gender including transgender,
civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability,
race and membership of the Traveller community.
10. This policy was adopted
by the Board of Management on _____________________ [date].
11. This policy has been made
available to school personnel, published on the school website (or where none
exists, is otherwise readily accessible to parents and pupils on request) and
provided to the Parents’ Association (where one exists). A copy of this policy
will be made available to the Department and the patron if requested.
12. This policy was updated
and reviewed by Cregmore N.S staff in December 2018.
13. This policy and its
implementation will be reviewed by the Board of Management once in every school
year. Written notification that the review has been completed will be made
available to school personnel, published on the school website (or where none
exists, be otherwise readily accessible to parents and pupils on request) and
provided to the Parents’ Association (where one exists). A record of the review
and its outcome will be made available, if requested, to the patron and the
Department.
Signed:
___________________________
(Mr. Odhrán O’Mahoney - Chairperson
of Board of Management)
Date: ______________
Signed: ____________________________
(Mr. Joe Kennelly- Principal)
Date: __________________
Date of next review:
_______________
Table A: Key elements of a positive school culture
and climate
·
The
school acknowledges the right of each member of the school community to enjoy
school in a secure environment.
·
The
school acknowledges the uniqueness of each individual and his/her worth as a
human being.
·
The
school promotes positive habits of self-respect, self-discipline and
responsibility among all its members.
·
The
school prohibits vulgar, offensive, sectarian or other aggressive behaviour or
language by any of its members.
·
The
school has a clear commitment to promoting equity in general and gender equity
in particular in all aspects of its functioning.
·
The
school has the capacity to change in response to pupils’ needs.
·
The
school identifies aspects of curriculum through which positive and lasting
influences can be exerted towards forming pupils’ attitudes and values.
·
The
school takes particular care of "at risk" pupils and uses its
monitoring systems to facilitate early intervention where necessary and it
responds to the needs, fears or anxieties of individual members in a sensitive
manner.
·
The
school recognises the need to work in partnership with and keep parents
informed on procedures to improve relationships on a school-wide basis.
·
The
school recognises the role of parents in equipping the pupil with a range of
lifeskills.
·
The
school recognises the role of other community agencies in preventing and
dealing with bullying.
·
The
school promotes habits of mutual respect, courtesy and an awareness of the
interdependence of people in groups and communities.
·
The
school promotes qualities of social responsibility, tolerance and understanding
among all its members both in school and out of school.
·
Staff
members share a collegiate responsibility, under the direction of the Principal,
to act in preventing bullying/aggressive behaviour by any member of the school
community.
Appendix 2 Practical tips for
building a positive
school culture and climate
The following are some practical tips for immediate actions that can be taken to help build a positive school culture and climate and to help prevent and
tackle
bullying behaviour.
Model respectful behaviour to all members of the school community at all times.
Explicitly teach pupils what respectful language and respectful behaviour looks like, acts like,
sounds like and feels
like in class and around the school.
Display key respect messages in classrooms, in assembly areas and around the school. Involve
pupils in the development of these
messages.
Catch them being good - notice and acknowledge desired respectful behaviour by providing positive attention.
Consistently tackle the use of discriminatory and derogatory
language in the school – this includes homophobic and racist language
and language that is belittling of pupils with
a disability or SEN.
Give constructive feedback to pupils when respectful behaviour and respectful language are absent.
Have a system of encouragement and rewards to promote desired behaviour and compliance with the
school rules
and
routines.
Explicitly teach pupils about the appropriate use of social media.
Positively encourage pupils to comply with the school rules on mobile phone
and internet use.
Follow up and follow through with pupils who ignore the
rules. Actively involve parents and/or the Parents’ Association in awareness raising campaigns around
social media.
Actively promote the right of every member of the school community to be safe and secure in school.
Highlight and explicitly teach school rules in pupil friendly language in the classroom and in common areas.
All staff can actively watch out for signs of bullying behaviour.
Ensure there is adequate playground/school yard/outdoor supervision.
School staff can
get
pupils to help them to identify bullying “hot spots” and
“hot
times” for
bullying in the school.
o Hot spots tend to
be in the playground/school yard/outdoor areas, changing rooms, corridors and
other areas of unstructured supervision.
o Hot times again
tend
to be times where there is
less structured supervision such
as when pupils are
in
the playground/school yard
or moving classrooms.
Support the establishment and work of student councils.
Appendix 3 Template for recording bullying behaviour
1. Name
of pupil being bullied and class group
Name _________________________________________Class__________________
2.
Name(s) and class(es) of pupil(s) engaged in bullying behaviour
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_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
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3.
Source of bullying concern/report (tick relevant box(es))*
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4.
Location of incidents (tick relevant box(es))*
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Pupil concerned
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Playground
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Other Pupil
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Classroom
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Parent
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Corridor
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Teacher
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Toilets
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Other
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School Bus
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Other
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5. Name
of person(s) who reported the bullying concern
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6. Type of
Bullying Behaviour (tick relevant box(es)) *
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Physical Aggression
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Cyber-bullying
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Damage to Property
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Intimidation
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Isolation/Exclusion
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Malicious Gossip
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Name Calling
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Other (specify)
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7. Where behaviour is regarded as identity-based
bullying, indicate the relevant category:
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Homophobic
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Disability/SEN related
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Racist
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Membership of Traveller community
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Other (specify)
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8. Brief
Description of bullying behaviour and its impact
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9.
Details of actions taken
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Signed ______________________________ (Relevant Teacher)
Date ___________________________
Date submitted to Principal/Deputy Principal
___________________
* Note: The
categories listed in the tables 3, 4 & 6 are suggested and schools may add
to or amend these to suit their own circumstances.
Appendix 4 Checklist for annual review of the anti-bullying
policy and its implementation
The Board of Management (the Board) must
undertake an annual review of the school’s anti-bullying policy and its
implementation. The following checklist must be used for this purpose. The
checklist is an aid to conducting this review and is not intended as an
exhaustive list. In order to complete the
checklist, an examination and review involving both quantitative and
qualitative analysis, as appropriate across the various elements of the
implementation of the school’s anti-bullying policy will be required.
Yes /No
|
Has
the Board formally adopted an anti-bullying policy that fully complies with
the requirements of the Anti-Bullying
Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools?
|
|
|
Has
the Board published the policy on the school website and provided a copy to
the parents’ association?
|
|
|
Has
the Board ensured that the policy has been made available to school staff
(including new staff)?
|
|
|
Is
the Board satisfied that school staff are sufficiently familiar with the
policy and procedures to enable them to effectively and consistently apply
the policy and procedures in their day to day work?
|
|
|
Has
the Board ensured that the policy has been adequately communicated to all
pupils?
|
|
|
Has
the policy documented the prevention and education strategies that the school
applies?
|
|
|
Have
all of the prevention and education strategies been implemented?
|
|
|
Has
the effectiveness of the prevention and education strategies that have been
implemented been examined?
|
|
|
Is
the Board satisfied that all teachers are recording and dealing with
incidents in accordance with the policy?
|
|
|
Has
the Board received and minuted the periodic summary reports of the Principal?
|
|
|
Has
the Board discussed how well the school is handling all reports of bullying
including those addressed at an early stage and not therefore included in the
Principal’s periodic report to the Board?
|
|
|
Has
the Board received any complaints from parents regarding the school’s
handling of bullying incidents?
|
|
|
Have
any parents withdrawn their child from the school citing dissatisfaction with
the school’s handling of a bullying situation?
|
|
|
Have
any Ombudsman for Children investigations into the school’s handling of a
bullying case been initiated or completed?
|
|
|
Has
the data available from cases reported to the Principal (by the bullying
recording template) been analysed to identify any issues, trends or patterns
in bullying behaviour?
|
|
|
Has
the Board identified any aspects of the school’s policy and/or its
implementation that require further improvement?
|
|
|
Has
the Board put in place an action plan to address any areas for improvement?
|
|
Signed
_____________________________________ Date ________________
Chairperson,
Board of Management
Signed
_____________________________________ Date ________________
Principal
Notification regarding the
Board of Management’s annual review of the anti-bullying policy
To:
_____________________________________
The
Board of Management of ____________________ wishes to inform you that:
o
The Board
of Management’s annual review of the school’s anti-bullying policy and its implementation
was completed at the Board meeting of _______________ [date].
o
This
review was conducted in accordance with the checklist set out in Appendix 4 of the Department’s Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and
Post-Primary Schools.
Signed
_____________________________________ Date ________________
Chairperson,
Board of Management
Signed
_____________________________________ Date ________________
Principal
6.5 Implementation of education and prevention
strategies including awareness raising
6.5.1 The prevention of bullying must be an integral part of the
written anti-bullying policy of all primary and post-primary schools. Every
school must document in its anti-bullying policy the specific education and
prevention strategies that the school will implement. This must include
documenting the measures being taken by the school to explicitly address the
issues of cyber-bullying and identity-based bullying including in particular,
homophobic and transphobic bullying.
6.5.2 Effective practice includes prevention and awareness raising
measures across all aspects of bullying and involves strategies to engage
pupils in addressing problems when they arise. In particular, such strategies
need to build empathy, respect and resilience in pupils.
6.5.3 As self-esteem is a major factor in determining behaviour,
schools should, through both their curricular and extra-curricular programmes, provide
pupils with opportunities to develop a positive sense of self-worth.
6.5.4 Initiatives and programmes
focused on developing pupils’ awareness and understanding of bullying,
including its causes and effects, should deal explicitly with the issue of
identity-based bullying and in particular homophobic and transphobic bullying.
For example, the inclusion of LGBT posters on notice boards, discussions with
parents about specific statements of welcome and respect for LGBT members of
the school 26 community,
teaching the Social, Personal, Health Education (SPHE) resource, Growing Up
LGBT and participating in LGBT awareness events are just some of the ways
in which a school can address homophobic and transphobic bullying.
6.5.5
Prevention and awareness raising measures must also deal explicitly with
cyber-bullying. The best way to address cyber-bullying is to prevent it
happening in the first place. Prevention and any awareness raising measures
should focus on educating pupils on appropriate online behaviour, how to stay
safe while on-line and also on developing a culture of reporting any concerns
about cyber-bullying. The school-wide approach and the role of parents as
outlined in Section 6.3 is of importance in this regard. The prevention and
awareness raising measures should also take into account the scope for
cyber-bullying to occur as a result of access to technology from within the
school.
6.5.6
A school’s approach to tackling and preventing bullying should take particular
account of the needs of pupils with disabilities or with SEN, should join up
with other relevant school policies and supports and should ensure that all the
services that provide for such pupils work together. Approaches to decreasing
the likelihood of bullying for pupils with SEN include improving inclusion,
focusing on developing social skills, paying attention to key moments such as
transitioning from primary to post-primary and cultivating a good school
culture which has respect for all and helping one another as central.
6.5.7
A school’s prevention and awareness raising measures need to be appropriate to
the type of bullying and take into account the age and gender of the pupils involved.
Each school must work to raise the awareness of bullying so that all members of
the school community understand what bullying is and how the school deals with
bullying behaviour.
6.5.8
Schools could for example choose to have a staff day on the subject of bullying
complemented by an awareness day for pupils and parents. An awareness day can
help give the parents of a pupil who is being bullied the confidence to
approach the school and also helps to send a clear message to the parents of a
pupil who is engaged in bullying behaviour that they have a major
responsibility in addressing their child’s behaviour.
6.5.9
Teachers can influence attitudes to bullying behaviour in a positive manner
through a range of curricular initiatives. There are a number of curriculum
components and 27
programmes which are particularly relevant to the prevention
of bullying and the promotion of respect for diversity and inclusiveness. The
SPHE curriculum makes specific provision for exploring bullying as well as the
inter-related areas of belonging and integrating, communication, conflict,
friendship, personal safety and relationships. The Stay Safe programme at
primary level, is a personal safety skills programme which seeks to enhance
children’s self-protection skills including their ability to recognise and cope
with bullying. The Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) programme at
post-primary provides opportunities to explore and discuss areas such as human
sexuality and relationships, which has particular relevance to identity-based
bullying. Various other social, health and media education programmes can
further help to address the problem of bullying behaviour. For example, the Schools
for Health in Ireland framework provides guidance on developing a health
promoting school.
6.5.10
There is space within the teaching of all subjects to foster an attitude of
respect for all: to promote the value of diversity; to address prejudice and
stereotyping and to highlight the unacceptability of bullying behaviour. In
English, there is a wide range of literature available which could be used to
stimulate discussion. In Civil, Social and Political Education (CSPE), the
interdependence of people in communities at local, national and international
levels is stressed. In Geography and History references to colonisation,
exploitation and dictatorships could be used to illustrate the negative aspect
of power. The work could be extended into many other areas such as Art, Drama,
Religious Education, and Physical Education. Co-operation and group enterprise
can be promoted through team sports, school clubs and societies as well as
through practical subjects. Sporting activities in particular can provide
excellent opportunities for channelling and learning how to control aggression.