Anti-Bullying
Bullying
At Chancellor’s School we endeavor to promote an environment in which students learn respect for others and where all members of the school are encouraged to contribute to making the school a caring and inclusive atmosphere, where everybody feels valued.
Our “Safe to Learn” policy is available on the school website. We recommend that this policy is read in conjunction with the school’s Behaviour Policy.
If students are being made to feel uncomfortable at school or if they witness something unpleasant happening to others, they are encouraged to speak to a member of staff - their Form Tutor or Head of Year is usually the first port of call. Please make sure that you, or your child, lets us know if there is a problem that is making them unhappy; bullying cannot be dealt with if the school is unaware of the problem.
Anti-Bullying
Parents and Carers - Frequently Asked Questions
If I feel my child is being bullied, to whom do I report it to?
You should contact the school as soon as possible and report the incident(s) to your child’s Form Tutor or Head of Year who will investigate the incident. The school will take statements from all students involved and any witnesses to the bullying.
What if the bullying does not stop?
Once we have investigated and dealt with an incident, we speak with the students involved to determine whether or not the issue has been resolved. However, if you have evidence that the bullying is still ongoing, please contact your child’s Head of Year as soon as possible. If the bullying has continued, this would be considered to be an even more serious matter. The vast majority of students realise, when challenged, that such behaviour is unacceptable. However, where children persist in making the wrong choices despite advice, warnings and sanctions, then the school would impose a more serious sanction and in some cases consider permanent exclusion.
My child has fallen out with her friend who has said some unpleasant things about her. Is this bullying?
Unfortunately, children do fall out with friends from time to time. This can result in children saying unkind things to one another. Most of these situations are quickly resolved and the children “make up” after a short time, generally both being very sorry for the hurt they have caused one another. However, if the situation continues, this can become bullying in nature, and needs intervention to ensure that this stops.
My child has fallen out with friends and is now being ostracised by a group of students, what should I do?
Children cannot be forced into friendships. However, deliberate ostracising is a form of bullying and will be dealt with accordingly by the school.
What is “cyber-bullying?”
Cyber-bullying is when a person, or a group of people, uses the internet, mobile phones or other digital technologies to threaten or abuse someone. This is illegal and can be reported to the police.
My child has received abusive messages on a social network site. What should I do?
Report it to the social network site. You can also report this to the police.
My child has retaliated to being bullied by another student, and is now being punished. How is this fair?
Retaliation is never acceptable. We don’t accept physical violence as a solution to a problem. If a child is being bullied, they must report it to the school so that appropriate action can be taken. We never advise students to take matters into their own hands, as this can escalate the problem, or even develop into bullying itself.
Will I be informed of the sanctions given to the student who has bullied?
We will inform the parents that the student has been dealt with and a sanction has been issued; however, the details of this sanction will not necessarily be shared as these are a private matter regarding another student.
What if I think my child is treated unfairly by a member of staff?
Please let us know your child’s concerns, or they can talk directly to their Head of Year, or the appropriate Head of Faculty, if they prefer. Usually, it is due to the student feeling upset about being sanctioned, and not recognising that others are treated in the same way. However, this perception can have a negative effect on relationships. We would therefore raise the concern with the member of staff and identify any problems that need to be addressed by either the student or staff member.
What do I do if I don’t agree with your policy on bullying?
As always, if you feel an approach is unfair or unreasonable, then you can write to the Governing Body asking for a review. However, whilst any such policy is in place, the school will operate as stated.
Cyber-bullying
Cyber-bullying is when a person or group of people use modern technology, such as the internet, mobile phones or other digital technologies, to deliberately cause upset to someone by threatening, harassing, abusing or teasing them.
Dealing with cyber bullying:
If cyber-bullying takes place in school, this will be dealt with in the same way as any other form of bullying in line with the school’s Safe to Learn/Behaviour for Learning policies.
If cyber-bullying is happening outside of school through, for example, texts, calls, or social networking communication, then it would still be helpful for the school to be aware. If those involved are known/suspected, we would contact the parents of the other children and let them know what has been alleged. We would also explain that cyber-bullying is a form of harassment and thus a matter that can be passed to the police. The police would be the correct contact for concerns of ongoing harassment when children are out of school and in the care of their parents.
Preventing cyber-bullying:
This is a matter which the school takes very seriously and therefore we educate students about the damaging effects of this type of behaviour. Bullying and cyber-bullying are issued that are covered in How to Thrive, Extended Learning Days, Form Time activities and assemblies throughout the year.
What if your child is a perpetrator?
Although it may be uncomfortable to accept, you should be aware that sometimes children get caught up in cyber-bullying simply by not thinking about the consequences of what they are doing. You may find that your child has been involved in cyber-bullying others. It is therefore important that you talk with your children and understand the ways in which they are using the internet and their mobile phone. The internet is a ‘faceless’ area where people sometimes say or write things that they would not during face-to-face conversations. They need to understand that the consequences of what they say or write online or by text are just as serious as those that they say directly to a person.
E Safety (For Students/Parents)
- Childnet Parent Factsheet
- Childnet Supporting Young People Online
- Childnet Young People and Social Networking Sites
http://www.ceop.gov.uk/ - UK Government Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre
www.thinkuknow.co.uk - The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre has set up its own educational website which has been designed and written specifically for children, young people, teachers, parents and carers.
www.childnet.com – A non-profit making organisation working directly with children, parents and teachers to ensure that the issues of online child protection and children’s safe and positive use of the internet are addressed. Childnet International produce an online CD guide specifically for parents - KnowITAll – http://www.childnet.com/resources/kia/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/ The BBC Webwise is a beginner’s guide to using the internet. There is a good section on children’s online safety.
http://www.internetmatters.org This website contains lots of information about staying safe online, with tips about games, social networking, mobile technology and more.
http://www.getsafeonline.org/ A beginners guide to using the Internet safety, including a quiz and some video tutorials about how to ‘stay safe’ on-line.
www.kidsmart.org.uk/ – Kidsmart is an award winning internet safety website for parents and those working with children. It has been developed by the children’s internet charity Childnet International and has excellent information on many of the technologies used by children, with guidance on how to ‘stay safe’ online.
www.bullying.co.uk – One in five young people have experienced bullying by text message or via email. This web site gives advice for children and parents on bullying.
http://www.chatdanger.com/ – This website is about the potential dangers with interactive services online like chat, IM, online games, email and on mobiles. It provides information, advice, true stories and games. The resource page also contains a number of links to other useful websites.
http://parents.vodafone.com/ – Vodafone have developed this website in conjunction with mumsnet. It is very accessible and provides information and guidance to parents with understanding their child’s digital world and get more involved. There is even an on-line test to see how much you know!
http://www.net-aware.org.uk/#– O2 have worked in conjunction with the NSPCC and Mumsnet to develop this site. It provides a guide to the social networks that children might use.
The internet is an exciting and fun place for adults and children to use and explore educationally and socially. The challenge for parents, carers and teachers is to make sure our children are aware and understand how to be safe when using the internet and related technologies.
