Anti Bullying Policy

The Anti Bullying Policy is also available in PDF Format here - (Issue date: January 2022

This policy statement applies to anyone working on behalf of Kingsway Park High School, including senior managers and the board of trustees, paid staff, volunteers, sessional workers, agency staff and students.

Aim:

The purpose of this policy statement is:

• to prevent bullying from happening between children and young people who are a part of our school.
• to make sure bullying is stopped as soon as possible if it does happen and that those involved receive the support they need
• to provide information to all staff, volunteers, children and their families about what we should all do to prevent and deal with bullying.

The purpose of the anti-bullying policy is to ensure students learn in a supportive caring and safe environment without fear of being bullied and that staff are free from fear of bullying by students.

Bullying is anti-social behaviour and affects everyone; it is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

Purposes of the policy statement:

Bullying of any kind is unacceptable and will not be tolerated at our school. The safety, welfare and well‐being of all students and staff is a key priority. At Kingsway Park High School, we take all incidences of bullying seriously and it is our duty as a whole school community to take measures to prevent and tackle any bullying, harassment or discrimination.

We believe children and young people should never experience abuse of any kind.

We actively promote values of respect and equality and work to ensure that difference and diversity is celebrated across the whole school community. We want to enable our students to become responsible citizens and to prepare them for adult life. The values promoted reflect those that will be expected of our students by society when they leave school and enter the world of work or further study.

We are committed to improving our school’s approach to tackling bullying by regularly monitoring, reviewing and assessing the impact of our preventative measures.

Allegations about bullying of students by staff will be dealt with under the Kingsway Park High School’s Safeguarding Policy.  We have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people to keep them safe and operate in a way that protects them.

This policy has links to the following Kingsway Park High School Policies and Procedures.

• Equality and Diversity Policy
• Behaviour for Learning Policy
• Safeguarding Policy
• Complaints Procedure

Definition of bullying

Bullying is hurtful or unkind behaviour which is deliberate and repeated. Bullying includes a range of abusive behaviours.  Bullying can be carried out by an individual or a group of people towards another individual or group, where the bully or bullies hold more power than those being bullied.  It is intended to hurt someone either physically or emotionally.

The nature of bullying can be:

• Physical – such as hitting or physically intimidating someone or using inappropriate or unwanted physical contact towards someone.
• Attacking property – such as damaging, stealing or hiding someone’s possessions.
• Verbal – such as name calling, spreading rumours about someone, using derogatory or offensive language or threatening someone.
• Psychological – such as deliberately excluding or ignoring people.
• Cyber – such as using text, email or other social media to write or say hurtful things about someone including sexualised behaviours.
• Attacks against race, sexual orientation, religion are all forms of bullying/abuse either face to face or online.

We recognise that:

• Young people with special educational needs disability (SEND) are particularly vulnerable as they are not always able to communicate effectively.  Staff vigilance is paramount to recognise all aspects of bullying incidents and take action.
• Teenage relationship abuse involves abusive behaviours within a relationship to exert power and control over a dating partner.
• Bullying causes real distress and affects a person’s health and development.
• In some instances, bullying can cause significant harm.
• all children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, have the right to equal protection from all types of harm or
• Everyone has a role to play in preventing all forms of bullying (including online) and putting a stop to bullying.

We will seek to prevent bullying by:

• Developing a code of behaviour that sets out how everyone involved in our organisation is expected to behave, in face-to-face contact and online, and within and   outside of our activities.
• Holding regular discussions with staff, volunteers, children, young people and families who use our organisation about bullying and how to prevent it.

No form of bullying will be tolerated and all incidents will be taken seriously. We have clear and robust anti-bullying procedures in place.

Identifying and Reporting Concerns about Bullying

All concerns about bullying will be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly.

Students who are being bullied may not report it.  However, there may be changes in their behaviour, such as becoming shy and nervous, feigning illness, taking unusual absences or clinging to adults. There may be evidence of changes in work patterns, lacking concentration or truanting from school. KPHS teaching and support staff will be alert to the signs of bullying and act promptly and firmly against it in accordance with this policy.

Students who are bullying others also need support to help them understand and change their behaviour. Students who are aware of bullying (‘bystanders’) can be a powerful force in helping to address it and will be encouraged to do so in a safe way.

Responding to bullying:

We will make sure our response to incidents of bullying takes into account:

• the needs of the person being bullied.
• the needs of the person displaying bullying behaviour.
• needs of any bystanders.
• our school as a whole.

All students will be encouraged to report bullying by:

• talking to a member of staff either face to face or school email.
• contacting local and national support agencies for advice/support NSPCC.
• talking to an anti‐bullying ambassador.
• Telephone School 01706 716761
• Call ChildLine to speak with someone in confidence on 0800 1111
• Kooth online support https://www.kooth.com/

Diversity and Inclusion:

We recognise that bullying is closely related to how we respect and recognise the value of diversity. We will be proactive about:

• seeking opportunities to learn about and celebrate difference.
• increasing diversity within our staff, volunteers, children and young people.
• welcoming new members to our organisation.

Legal framework:

This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in the UK.

NSPCC Learning provides summaries of the key legislation and guidance on:

• bullying and cyberbullying
• online abuse
• child protection in each nation of the UK

Related policies and procedures:

This  policy statement should be read alongside our organisational policies and procedures including:

• Safeguarding and child protection policy and procedures.
• Managing allegations made against a child or young person.
• Managing allegations of abuse made against staff and volunteers.
• Code of conduct for staff and volunteers.
• Online safety policy and procedures for responding to concerns about online abuse.
• Equality, diversity and inclusion policies.

Reporting – roles and responsibilities

STAFF: All school staff, both teaching and non‐teaching have a duty to report bullying, to be vigilant to the signs of bullying and to play an active role in the school’s efforts to prevent bullying. If staff are aware of bullying, they should reassure the students involved and inform a relevant member of the pastoral team, and report on CPOMS online reporting system.

SENIOR STAFF: The Senior Leadership Team and the head teacher have overall responsibility for ensuring that the anti‐bullying policy is followed by all members of staff and that the school upholds its duty to promote the safety and well‐being of all young people.

PARENTS AND CARERS: Parents and carers should look out for potential signs of bullying such as distress, lack of concentration, feigning illness or other unusual behaviour. Parents and carers should tell their child not to retaliate and should support and encourage them to report the bullying. Parents and carers can report an incident of bullying to the school either in person, or by phoning or emailing the school office or a Head of Year.

STUDENTS: Students should not take part in any kind of bullying and should watch out for potential signs of bullying among their peers. They should never be bystanders to incidents of bullying. If students witness bullying, they should support the victim, encourage them to report the bullying and, if possible, accompany them to tell a trusted adult.

STUDENTS: should never record and distribute any incidents inside or outside of school.

Responding to bullying

When bullying has been reported, the following actions will be taken:

• Staff will record the bullying on an incident reporting form and record the incident centrally on CPOMS.
• Designated school staff will monitor incident reporting forms and information recorded on CPOMS analysing and evaluating the results.
• Students and Staff may be asked to provide handwritten statements to ensure all voices are heard.
• Designated school staff will produce termly reports summarising the information, which the headteacher will report to the governing body.
• Support will be offered to those who are the target of bullying from the Head of Year in school or through the use of the Safeguarding and Kingsway Avenue team(s).
• Staff will pro‐actively respond to the bully, who may require support from the Head of Year in school or through the use of the Safeguarding and Kingsway Avenue team(s).
• Staff will inform parents and carers of what has been witnessed or disclosed.
• Staff will assess whether any other authorities (such as police or the local authority) need to be involved, particularly where actions take place outside of school.

Bullying outside of school – contextual Safeguarding

Bullying is unacceptable and will not be tolerated, whether it takes place inside or outside of school. Bullying can take place on the way to and from school, before or after school hours, at the weekends or during the holidays, or in the wider community. The nature of cyber bullying in particular means that it can impact on students’ well‐being beyond the school day. Staff, parents and carers, and students must be vigilant to bullying outside of school and report and respond according to their responsibilities as outlined in this policy.

Derogatory language

Derogatory or offensive language is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. This type of language can take any of the forms of bullying listed in our definition of bullying. It will be challenged by staff recorded and monitored on CPOMS with follow up actions and sanctions being applied, if appropriate. Staff are also encouraged to record the casual use of derogatory language using Class Charts and/or CPOMS.

Prejudice‐based incidents

A prejudice‐based incident is a one‐off incident of unkind or hurtful behaviour that is motivated by a prejudice or negative attitudes, beliefs or views towards a protected characteristic or minority group. It can be targeted towards an individual or group of people and have a significant impact on those targeted. All prejudice‐based incidents are taken seriously and recorded and monitored in school, with the head teacher regularly reporting incidents to the governing body. This not only ensures that all incidents are dealt with accordingly, but also helps to prevent bullying as it enables targeted anti‐bullying interventions.

School initiatives to prevent and tackle bullying

We use a range of measures to prevent and tackle bullying including:

• A student‐friendly anti‐bullying policy ensures all students understand and uphold the anti‐bullying policy.
• The PSHE programme of study includes opportunities for students to understand about different types of bullying and what they can do to respond and prevent bullying.
• Tutor time provides regular opportunities to discuss issues that may arise in class and for form tutors to target specific interventions.
• Whole‐school and year group assemblies help raise students’ awareness of bullying and derogatory language.
• Difference and diversity are celebrated across the school through diverse displays, books and images. The whole school participates in events including Anti‐bullying week, Black History Month and LGBT History Month.
• The British values of mutual respect and tolerance are embedded across the curriculum to ensure that it is as inclusive as possible.
• Stereotypes are challenged by staff and students across the school.
• Peer mentoring and student‐led programmes offer support to all.
• Restorative justice programmes provide support to targets of bullying and those who show bullying behaviour.
• Students are continually involved in developing school‐wide anti‐bullying initiatives through consultation with anti‐bullying committee, student voice and through the anti‐bullying survey.
• Working with parents and carers, and in partnership with community organisations, to tackle bullying where appropriate.

Training

The headteacher is responsible for ensuring that all school staff, both teaching and non‐ teaching (including midday supervisors, caretakers and cleaners) receive regular training on all aspects of the anti‐bullying policy.

Monitoring and reviewing

The head teacher is responsible for reporting to the governing body (and the local authority where applicable) on how the policy is being enforced and upheld, via the termly report. The governors are in turn responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of the policy via the termly report and by in‐school monitoring such as learning walks and focus groups with students.

The policy is reviewed every 12 months, in consultation with the whole school community including staff, students, parents and carers and governors.