Anti-Bullying Policy

5.   The education and prevention strategies (including strategies specifically aimed at cyber- bullying and identity-based bullying including in particular, homophobic and transphobic bullying) that will be used by the school are as follows (see Section 6.5 of the Anti-BullyingProcedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools):

Measures to be undertaken

• A cross-curricular approach will be adopted especially in the following subject areas – RE. SPHE. I.T. C.S.P.E.
• Class Charter will be created for each class.
• The following programmes will be used to address the issue of bullying – Kerry Life Education, Mentor Programme, Orientation Day, Students Council, Pastoral Care Team, Year Heads, Individual Teachers, Guidance Counsellor, First Year Induction Day. In September 2013 the creation of Base Groups shall be undertaken.
• Content of Bullying Programme (Green sheet from NEPS)
• Model respectful behaviour to all members of the school community at all times.
• Explicitly teach students what respectful language and respectful behaviour looks like; acts like; sounds like; feels like in class and around the school.
• Display key respect messages in classrooms, in assembly areas and around the school. Involve students in the development of these messages.
• Positive Behaviour strategies shall be encouraged through initiatives such as „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 children with a disability.
• Teachers will give constructive feedback to students when respectful behaviour and respectful language are ignored by students.
• Have a system of encouragement and rewards to promote desired behaviour and compliance with the school rules and routines.
• Explicitly teach students about the appropriate use of social media.
• Positively encourage students to comply with the school rules on mobile phone and internet use. Follow up and follow through with students who ignore the rules.
• Actively involve parents / 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.
• Actively watch out for signs of bullying behaviour.
• Ensure there is supervision before and after school (as specified in S&S scheme)  as well as at break lunch and school trips. Danger areas tend to be in the school yard/outdoor areas, changing rooms, corridors and other areas of unstructured supervision.
• Support the establishment and work of the Student Council.
• Student Council Suggestion Box.

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)

Agreed Procedures:

All reports of bullying behaviour will be noted, investigated and dealt with sensitively. In this way it is hoped that pupils will gain confidence in disclosing bullying behaviour.

We recognise that there are many different types of bullying behaviour and each situation will be evaluated on an individual basis. In each reported case, however, the following will apply:

• The person to whom the report of alleged bullying is made will make a formal report to the Year Head giving her/him in writing a copy of all the known information surrounding the incident(s). (Use Standard School Reporting Form)
• The date of the report will be noted.

On receiving the report of alleged bullying the Year Head will:

• Speak to the student against whom the allegation has been made and give her the opportunity to respond to them. She will be informed that the situation is being monitored and that further incidents will be formally noted by the student who is alleging the bullying.
• Encourage the student who reported the alleged bullying to keep a record, to include times, dates and description of any further incidents which may occur for a period of time agreed.
• Meet with the students involved as often as is necessary to monitor the situation.
• Invite both parties to tell their own parents/guardians about the incidents/allegations informally. The Year Head may choose to inform the parents of those involved depending on the circumstances of the particular case.
• The Principal and/or Deputy Principal will be informed and regularly updated regarding the case as appropriate the Year Head will complete the Management Tracking of Bullying Incident Form.
•  The co-operation of all parties involved, students and parents/guardians is essential in resolving incidences of bullying.
• Should the student who made the allegations report to the Year Head that the incidents have stopped, the student against whom the allegation was made will be informed by the Year Head and the matter closed.
• Should incidents continue or recur the parent(s)/guardian(s) of the alleged bully will be formally notified and invited to the school to meet the Year Head and where appropriate the Deputy Principal or Principal. Parents/guardians of the alleged victim will be formally notified of the allegations brought by their daughter and given the opportunity to meet with the Year Head and the Deputy Principal or Principal also.

System of Reporting

By students

Students should report any incidents and allegations of bullying to any Teacher/SNA/Ancillary Staff, who in turn will inform the Year Head. The subject teacher/Year Head/Deputy Principal will record the details on the Standard School Form which will be given to the Year Head/Deputy Principal (See attached incident sheet)

By Parents

Parents will be informed that they should report any incident of bullying to the Principal. The Principal shall then inform the Year Head who will follow the agreed procedures for dealing with the complaint.

By Subject Teachers and Ancillary Staff

Incidents of bullying reported to Teacher/SNA/Ancillary Staff should be forwarded to the Year Head and the Standard School Form completed as previously stated.

Any bullying issue not resolved after twenty days must be recorded by the Year Head in the Recording Bullying Behaviour Form (20 Day Form)

The Recording Bullying Behaviour Form (20 Day Form) is then given to the Principal

The role of the Principal and Deputy Principal.

At Year Head and management meetings the Year Head should make the Principal and Deputy Principal aware of ongoing incidents and any serious incidents will be notified. The Principal and Deputy Principal will therefore be aware of all serious incidents of bullying in the school and be in a position to co-ordinate the school response. The Principal should report all serious incidents of bullying to the Board of Management

Once in every school term, the Principal will provide a report to the Board of Management setting out the overall number of bullying cases reported (by means of The Recording Bullying Behaviour Form (20 Day Form)  to the Principal or Deputy Principal

Role of the Board of Management

The Board of Management must undertake an annual review of the school’s anti-bullying policy and its implementation by the school.

Written notification that the review has been completed must 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. A standardised notification is provided for this purpose.

A record of the review and its outcome must be made available, if requested, to the patron and the Department.

Investigation

In accordance with our policy, all allegations of bullying will be investigated thoroughly. This is necessary if students are to feel secure that their reporting of an incident will achieve results.

The investigation of incidents will be done by the Year Head and the Principal/Deputy Principal.

Procedure

• The veracity of the complaint should be established.
• All reports, including anonymous reports of bullying will be investigated and dealt with by the Year Head. In that way pupils will gain confidence in ‘telling’. This confidence factor is of vital importance. It will 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
• Separate interviews should be held with both parties and with any witnesses. These interviews should be held outside the classroom in a quiet, private area. Both Year Head and Principal/Deputy Principal should attend.
• In the case of group bullying, each member will be interviewed separately taking an account of the individual versions. This should be followed by an interview of the group in order to verify the various accounts – as required.

If a group is involved, each member will be interviewed individually at first. Thereafter, all those involved will be met as a group. At the group meeting, each member will 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 will be supported through the possible pressures that may face them from the other members of the group after interview by the teacher;

•  It may also be appropriate or helpful to ask those involved to write down their account of the incident(s);

An account of all interviews should be kept. Separate accounts of the events can be made by any or all of the parties involved.  All efforts will be made to advance the investigation, but account must be taken of the complexity of some situations. It may take several days to properly uncover the complexity of some situations.

Any bullying issue not resolved after twenty days must be recorded by the Year Head in the Recording Bullying Behaviour Form (20 Day Form)

The Recording Bullying Behaviour Form (20 Day Form) is then given to the Principal

Responding to the Incident

Principles underlying our Response.

We work with both the student engaged in bullying behaviour and the students victimised separately establishing for each that the behaviour is unacceptable. It is important for the student who has been victimised that the unacceptable nature of the behaviour is brought to understand the hurtful nature of that behaviour and the necessity to change it.

We try not to label either student as a bully or a victim, since this is to reduce the individual to a behaviour or a state and they are more than this.

We work with the belief in the capacity of each individual to change and adapt behaviour to live a freer and fuller life.

We work on the belief that both the student who has been victimised and the student who has engaged in the bullying behaviour are hurt and have a grievance that needs to be listened to.

We believe that both students require help to move on.

We work to establish a working peace between both parties – to give each the space to lead their separate lives within the school in safety and without fear.

We work to help both parties to improve their self-esteem so that the student engaged in bullying does not need to bully and the student victimised learns to stand up for themselves.

We believe that there must be consequences for behaviour which breaks the behaviour code.

Strategy of Response

We adopt a two-way approach in our response:

(i)                A pastoral approach.

(ii)               A behaviour management approach/ Restorative Justice

The response strategy is determined by the seriousness of the situation and by the stage in the bullying process at which we have become aware of it. If the process of bullying is identified early enough, a resolution may be arrived at quite easily and quickly. However, if the incident is very serious or the pattern is well established by the time it is unearthed or reported, it takes longer to unravel and to move to a resolution.

(i)                 The Pastoral Approach

In general we take the pastoral approach first giving help and understanding to both parties in order to establish peace. Both parties may be seen separately by different members of the Pastoral Care Team or the Year Heads. An account of all offers of help and the progress of such interventions will be held by the school.

Towards Resolution – Resolution will mean different things in different situations : (for some it may be reconciliation between friends, for others, it may be an agreement to go their separate ways and to tolerate each other). We proceed with the understanding that the student who has been victimised must be consulted on the desired outcome in order to redress the imbalance of power. In general, interventions will only be made with the prior knowledge of the student who has been victimised. However an on occasion it may be necessary for the school authority to intervene unilaterally, if it is judged necessary in the best interests of health and safety and the well being of individuals.

Both parties will only be brought together in order to establish an agreement when things have moved on sufficiently and when the student who has been victimised is ready for such a meeting. A follow-up meeting between both parties may be desirable to assess progress. It is important for both to see that the dynamic between them is being monitored.

(ii)               The Behaviour Management Approach

Any consequences to be imposed are generally held over until the situation is moved on significantly in terms of resolution. If it is appropriate, the student involved in bullying should be made aware of how he/she has breached the code of behaviour and what sanctions will be enforced according to the seriousness of the issue. As in the normal course of behaviour management in the school, this a matter for the Year Heads of each year in conjunction with the Deputy Principal/Principal.

On occasion it may be more appropriate to adopt an approach akin to community service where those involved in bullying behaviour undertake a service to the school community – or to individuals – which encourages and promotes a more positive attitude and builds towards greater reconciliation in specific situations. On occasion in the interests of reconciliation a probationary period may be introduced and the sanctions held over in order promote an improvement in behaviour. Such decisions are the remit of the Year Heads, Deputy Principal/ Principal. The student victimised should also be apprised of the action to be taken in relation to those who have bullied.

In each case the student involved in bullying should acknowledge their role and that hurtful nature of the behaviour and apologise to the victim. The format of this apology may change from situation to situation but in each case should be witnessed and noted by at least one of the following the Year Head Deputy Principal and Principal.

Monitoring and Evaluation

Heightened awareness within the school community and the school environment regarding bullying behaviour should be encouraged and promoted.

Continuous consultation with the following school bodies is important:

• Students Council
• Parents Association
• Pastoral Care Meetings
• Year Head Meetings
• Daily Management Meetings
• Staff Meetings
• Mentoring Initiative
• Board of Management

Evaluation

• Questionnaires of students.
• Questionnaires to Parent body
• Consultation with
• Students Council
• Parents Association
• Pastoral Care Team
• Year Head Team
• Daily Management Team
• Staff Meetings
• Mentoring Initiative Team
• Board of Management

Circulating and Publicising the Anti-Bullying Policy

• Posters
• SPHE Classes
• RE Classes
• Year Heads
• Prospectus
• Subject Teachers.
• Theme weeks.
• School diary.
• School Assemblies /Year Assemblies
• Parents Association
• Kerry Life Education
• Students’ Council
• School Retreats

Sanctions

• When bullying is established sanctions must be invoked in line with the Code of Behaviour.
• The bully should be made aware of how she/he has breached the Code of Behaviour and what sanctions are to be enforced.
• In accordance with the Code of Behaviour, sanctions will be enforced according to the seriousness of the issue.
• Possible sanctions include: (i) Loss of privileges, (ii)Detention,  (iii)Suspension.
• The victim(s) should be made aware of the action to be taken against the bully/bullies.

7.   The school’s programme of support for working with pupils affected by bullying is as follows: (see Section 6.8 of the Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools) :

Care for the Students Concerned

Helping a student who is a victim

It is part of the Pastoral Care Programme in the school to provide a support service to those students who may be suffering from bullying.

Initial care

• It is very important in the initial stages of the intervention that the student who has been victimised is given the support necessary to weather the initial changes in dynamics. They require validation of the hurt and powerlessness they have suffered and encouragement and support to face those who have bullied them.
• This calls for a supportive pastoral role in the school. The student who is victimised will be consulted on whom they would feel comfortable talking with and if possible this will be facilitated.
• It is important that those involved in this role are not involved in the investigation or resolution process. Their independence is necessary for the success of their role. Recommendations from these staff members regarding the strategies adopted in resolution are listened to.

Continuing Care – towards resolution

• In this context it is important to distinguish the type of victim involved since the type of intervention required will be different depending on the pattern e.g. the passive victim (who tends to have poor self-esteem) or the victim who is easily provoked and rises to the bait. The strategies required enabling each individual to manage the challenges of the rough and tumble of social interaction better are different in each case.
• The initial work done by the Pastoral Care Team will allow determination of whether a more involved and professional intervention is required to restore self-esteem and learn new behaviours. Such referral will be made through the student’s parents.

Helping a student involved in the action

• It is important to realise that the student who bullies, though engaged in destructive and hurtful behaviour is herself/himself acting out of hurt and therefore needs support to find more socially acceptable ways to fulfil her/his needs.

• There are three different categories of bully:

1. Those who have learned an aggressive behaviour pattern outside school and possibly have poor social skills – Work here needs to be on developing self-esteem by developing interests, hobbies and talents. Work also needs to be done on developing empathy for the feelings of others so that the student in question realises the pain they are causing.
2. The former victim who has started to bully – Work can be done on reminding the former victim of the feelings they themselves experienced while being bullied. The development of empathy is vital in deterring further episodes. Work needs to be done on uncovering the reasons for having started to bully now, so that root causes can be addressed.
3. The student who has started to bully as a result of some traumatic event. –  Work here needs to be centre on identifying the underlying cause and helping the student to handle the pain in a more mature way.

Follow-up

We recognise that the final resolution of addressing a problem under the Anti-Bullying Policy for students should not necessarily end with the punishment of the guilty party. Both sides may be in need of healing, rehabilitation and reconciliation. Both parties may need counselling and opportunities to participate in activities designed to raise self esteem and to develop their friendship and social skills. The school will endeavour to assist in any follow-up.

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 December 9^th, 2013.

Appendix 2

Recording bullying behavior   20 Day Form

1. Name of pupil being bullied and class group

Name                                                                                  

Class                

2. Name(s) and class(es) of pupil(s) engaged in bullying behaviour

3. Source of bullying concern/report

(tick relevant box(es))*

4. Location of incidents (tick relevant box(es))*

5. Name of person(s) who reported the bullying concern

6. Type of Bullying Behaviour (tick relevant box(es)) *

7. Where behaviour is regarded as identity-based bullying, indicate the relevant category:

8. Brief Description of bullying behaviour and its impact

9.    Details of actions taken

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 3  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

Signed

Chairperson, Board of Management

Signed                                                                     Principal

Date                              Date            

Appendix 4

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.