Anti-Bullying

Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School believes that bullying in all forms is undesirable and totally unacceptable. We all have a duty to work together to protect vulnerable individuals from bullying and other forms of abuse. This is because everyone has the right to work and learn in an atmosphere that is free from fear without negative effects on their learning, teaching or emotional wellbeing. Where a persistent and intentional in-power of balance is evident with the intention of harm either emotionally or physically then we must act to eradicate such behaviours from our community.

We are all God’s children, valued as such and must be treated accordingly. Therefore, we recognise that:

Bullying is a problem to which solutions can be found for the victim and the perpetrator.
Seeking help and openness are signs of strength not weakness.
All members of the school community must be listened to and taken seriously.
All of us have a responsibility to ensure that we do not abuse or bully others.
Young people should be able to talk to an adult if they are worried about bullying and have a right to expect that their concerns will be listened to and treated seriously.
Young people should be involved in decision-making about matters that concern them.

Bullying can take many forms:- racist, sexual/gender identity and sexual orientation, appearance, isolation and disability either in person or through cyber bullying. No form of bullying is tolerated at Archbishop Ilsley. In our eyes all of our pupils are equal, regardless of race, faith, gender, ability and background.

What is Bullying?

Bullying can be defined as ‘behaviour by an individual or group, usually repeated over time, that intentionally hurts another individual or group, either physically or emotionally.’ It is the repetition of the hurtful behaviour that constitutes bullying.

The main types of bullying are:

Physical bullying e.g. hitting, kicking, taking of personal belongings.

Verbal bullying: insults or persistent unkind comments, harassment.

Indirect bullying: deliberate spreading of rumours or gossip, denigration of character and harassment through indirect sources.

Cyber bullying text messages, other messaging forums and/or social media. Cyber bullying happens when a person or group uses the internet to threaten, tease, upset or humiliate someone.

In all cases, we seek to act quickly to resolve any issues deemed an incident of bullying.

Signs of Bullying

Trouble sleeping.
Complaining of headaches or stomach aches.
Bedwetting.
Cuts, bruises or marks that cannot be easily explained .

Becoming withdrawn or unusually quiet, spending more time alone

Isolating themselves and not talking to friends or family.
Changes in eating habits such as loss of appetite/comfort eating.
Changes in behaviour such as becoming easily angry or upset.
Avoiding social media/overly checking (more than usual).
Appearing anxious or nervous, lowered self-confidence.
Changes at school.
Anxious about going to school and saying they are feeling unwell more than usual.
Frequent absence or truanting .
Suddenly performing less well at school.
Missing items such as money, jewellery, phone, coat etc.
Damaged possessions such as bags, uniform, etc.
Not taking part in after school clubs previously attended.

Be aware, there may be several reasons for the signs, such as changes at home or with friendship groups. It is important to talk to your child if there have not been any recent changes that could explain the patterns or behaviour.

What to do if you suspect your child is being bullied

If you are concerned that your child is being bullied:

Get the facts and talk to your child and get as much information if possible
Ask if anyone is doing anything that is upsetting them or making them feel uncomfortable or embarrassed. Using open ended questions rather than yes or no, encourages your child to share.
Collect any information that evidence bullying; texts, emails, voice messages, screenshots of messages on social media.
If your child is reluctant or refuses to talk, list as many details as you can that led you to suspect bullying is happening.

Contact the school who will notify your child’s tutor or head of year – who will contact you.

How bullying is dealt with at Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School:

Archbishop Ilsley Behaviour Policy:

Any report of bullying will be taken seriously and dealt with in an appropriate manner. The approach is always on supporting all parties and seeking a positive resolution for all, based on forgiveness and compassion.

Some of the strategies we use at Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School are as follows:

Restorative meeting between the victim and the pupil demonstrating bullying behaviour.
Coaching conversations with the pupil demonstrating bullying behaviour.
Individual meetings with the families of the victim and the pupil demonstrating bullying behaviour.
Support for the victim e.g. time in The Hub, meeting with school counsellor.
Support for the pupil demonstrating bullying behaviour e.g. behaviour course in The Hub, meeting with school counsellor.
Change of band or timetable or other logistical arrangements in support of one or both parties.
Application of school sanctions such as detention or loss of social time.
Sanctions such as isolation, fixed-term or permanent exclusions where all other options have been exhausted.

Whole school approaches to discourage bullying:

At Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School we believe that there should be a proactive approach to discourage pupils from bullying behaviours. Some of the strategies we deploy to discourage bullying are:

Delivery of anti-bullying lessons through tutor time.
Staff training on how to report bullying and how to encourage positive relationships between pupils.
Education through the curriculum and in other activities e.g. assemblies on what constitutes acceptable social behaviour.
Staff model acceptable social behaviour and how to converse with others in a respectful manner.
Staff challenging behaviour that is not seen as safe, respectful or kind.
Assemblies and tutor time activities on how to stay safe online and use social media/internet appropriately without causing harm to others.

Tootoot

Tootoot is an online anti-bullying and safeguarding platform and app that allows our pupils to report any incidents or concerns in a confidential and discreet manner. These individual cases are monitored, managed and resolved by Tootoot trained staff within the school.

In this section

Anti-Bullying

What is Bullying?

The main types of bullying are:

Signs of Bullying

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