Anti-bullying and discrimination

If your child is being bullied, don’t panic. Your key role is listening, calming and providing reassurance that the situation can get better when action is taken.

• Listen and reassure them that coming to you was the right thing to do. Try and establish the facts. It can be helpful to keep a diary of events to share with the school.
• Assure them that the bullying is not their fault and that they have family that will support them. Reassure them that you will not take any action without discussing it with them first.
• Don’t encourage retaliation to bullying – such as violent actions. It’s important for children to avoid hitting or punching an abusive peer. Reacting that way has negative and unpredictable results- they may be hurt even further, and find that they are labelled as the problem. Rather suggest that they walk away and seek help.
• Find out what your child wants to happen next. Help to identify the choices open to them; the potential next steps to take; and the skills they may have to help solve the problems.
• Encourage your child to get involved in activities that build their confidence and esteem, and help them to form friendships outside of school (or wherever the bullying is taking place).
• Inform your child’s Head of Year by either phoning 01904 411341 or emailing antibullying@ahs.pmat.academy and explain what has happened

Interactive Toolkit

We would recommend that parents also complete the Anti-Bullying Alliances ‘Interactive Toolkit’.  It covers the following topics:

This course includes lessons on the below:

• Part 1: What is bullying?
• Part 2: The roles involved in bullying
• Part 3: What to do if you think your child is being bullied​
• Part 4: What to do if you know your child is being bullied
• Part 5: What to do if you think your child might be bullying others
• Part 6: What should the school be doing?
• Part 7: How to make a complaint about bullying at school
• Part 8: Cyberbullying (Online bullying)

To access the toolkit: www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/course/147/information-tool-parents-and-carers

Social media and online bullying

Social media and mobile phones are a part of your child’s life. This does not mean they are mature enough to manage them without support.

• Have open communication about their online activity
• Reassure them they can come to you if they are worried about anything they see online
• Check your child’s phone every day.
• Do not allow mobile phones to go to bed with your child. They need to have a break.  If they say they need an alarm, buy them an alarm clock.
• Ask your child if they know how to block someone who they don’t want to talk to anymore.  If they don’t, help them learn how to use the blocking feature
• If you discover misconduct between your child and someone online stay calm, investigate the facts and seek expert help. If someone has acted inappropriately towards your child, or someone they know (such as sexual chat, or asking them to meet up) contact the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP)

For more information visit: www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/tools-information/advice-parents/im-worried-about-cyberbullying

Find help and support

If you need help or advice about bullying there are helplines and websites that can provide you with information and support:

• Anti-bullying alliance – A really useful website (includes the Interactive toolkit), that provides useful advice and guidance.
• Family Lives (previously Parentline Plus) 0808 800 2222 – gives support and advice for parents on any aspect of parenting and family life, including bullying.
• Contact has a helpline for families with disabled children – they can give advice on bullying issues. You can contact them on 0808 808 3555 and visit their website for more information
• The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) Provides help and advice on cyberbullying, the Centre maintains a website called Think U Know for children and young people, and parents and carers about staying safe online.
• Internet Matters Provides regularly refreshed content to support parents and carers with all aspects of e-safety. Includes lots of advice on technology that can help you to protect your child online and helpful content relating to cyberbullying.
• Kidscape Provide workshops for children that need support with bullying issues as well as a helpline for parents and carers
• NSPCC and O2 have a free online safety helpline for parents and carers – 0808 8005002
• Ofsted Parent View website This website has an online questionnaire that allows parents and carers to give their views on their child’s school at any time of the year. The questionnaire asks for parents for their opinion on 12 aspects of their child’s school, from the quality of teaching, to dealing with bullying and poor behaviour, with a final question as to whether or not they would recommend the school to other parents.
• Red Balloon Learner Centres Red Balloon provide intensive, full-time education for children aged between 9 and 18 who feel unable to return to school because they have been severely bullied. There are Red Balloon Centres all over England, and they also have a programme of online support.
• Welldoing is an independent, UK-wide directory of therapists and counsellors who are all members of reputable professional organisations. There is a seperate search function for children and adolescents in need of therapists and counsellors. It also supplies information and advice in the areas of mental health, wellbeing and development.
• Counselling Directory provides a huge support network of counsellors, enabling visitors to find a counsellor close to them and appropriate for their needs.

As a school we are committed to the following principles to prevent and respond to bullying and discrimination.

1. listens – all pupils and parents and carers are listened to and influence strategies and approaches to prevent, report and respond to incidents of bullying.
2. includes us all – all pupils, including those with SEND, are included, valued and participate fully in all aspects of school life.
3. respects – all school staff are role models to others within the school in how they treat others.
4. challenges – all forms of discriminatory language – including disablist language – is challenged taken seriously
5. celebrates difference – difference is actively and visibly celebrated and welcome across the whole school.
6. understands – all school staff, pupils and parents and carers understand what bullying is and what it isn’t.
7. believes – all pupils, including disabled children and those with SEN, and their parents and carers are acknowledged, believed and taken seriously when reporting incidents of bullying.
8. reports bullying – all pupils within the school and their parents and carers understand how to report incidents of bullying.
9. takes action – we respond quickly to all incidents of bullying. Pupils, including disabled pupils and those with SEN, participate fully in decisions made about them and help to formulate appropriate action to respond to incidents of bullying.
10. has clear policies – our school’s anti-bullying policy reflects these principles and is embedded within other school policies. They are widely and actively promoted to school staff, pupils and their parents and carers.

If you have any concerns regarding bullying and discrimination, please talk your child’s Head of Year by phoning 01904 411341 or reporting via our online form.

This year we have decided to complete the ‘All together – United against bullying’ programme run by the Anti-Bullying Alliance.  All Together is innovative anti-bullying whole school programme. It helps schools understand their anti-bullying practice and breaks it down into manageable chunks. It gives schools the tools to make long-lasting change. Schools that evidence their activity to reduce bullying and improve wellbeing will receive All Together status.

There is a three step progress to All Together status that we are currently completing.

If you wish to find out more: www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/aba-our-work/our-programmes/all-together-whole-school-anti-bullying-programme

What we will be doing as part of the All Together programme?

Anti-bullying initiatives

• Each room in the school will have an Anti-bullying and discrimination poster that will make it clear what students should do if they feel they are being bullied and why bullying is wrong.
• Each half term we will be completing an Anti-bullying initiative, that will highlight to everyone the importance of working together to combat bullying and discrimination.
• Each half term the school will include an article in the newsletter about the work that is being completed to promote Anti-Bullying and Discrimination
• Encouraging our students to ‘choose respect’

Our Anti-bullying policy

• We will develop our Anti-bullying policy (CLICK HERE to view our current policy), including asking our students and parents to contribute to ensure it is fit for the prevention of bullying and supporting the victims of bullying.
• We will share our policy across the school community so that everyone is easily accessible and understood by all.

Student Voice

• We will survey our students to measure levels of wellbeing and bullying in the last 12 months and then use this data to inform whole school developments.
• We will introduce a variety of methods for students and parents to report bullying and discrimination. Students and parents will be able to report bullying and discrimination:
• By talking to any member of staff, who will follow the schools 10 key principles.
• Phoning and speaking to the students Head of Year. On 01904 411341
• Emailing the school at antibullying@ahs.pmat.academy
• Completing a form that can be posted anonymously.

Recording and monitoring bullying and discrimination

• We will record all incidents of bullying and discrimination. This will be analysed and used to direct future whole school developments.
• The summary of the data will be shared with the school’s governors.

Celebrating differences

• We will use Form Time to celebrate diversity and inclusivity
• We will use our Acts of Collective worship to celebrate diversity and inclusivity
• We will use our PSHCE and Cultural Capital lessons to celebrate diversity and inclusivity
• Throughout the school curriculum diversity and inclusivity is celebrated e.g. in RE, Geography and Art

Peer support scheme

• We will develop a student ‘Anti-Bullying and Discrimination’ working party to lead the schools response and ensure it is always reviewing its own practices and developing.
• We will train ‘Defenders’

Responding to incidents of bullying

• We will use a range of intervention strategies to respond to bullying.
• All reported incidents will be taken seriously and acted upon quickly.
• Responses will not over emphasis changing the behaviour of the students who has experienced the bullying.
• Responses to bullying will have SMART (specific, measureable, achievable, realistic, time bonded) outcomes.
• The school will seek to learn from each incident and where necessary improve its practice.
• The victim will be supported at all stages, with the responses being regularly reviewed and re-written and parents/carers involved at all stages.
• The school will seek support from outside agencies where necessary/available (e.g. local support groups, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, police, children’s services)
• We will carefully consider if ‘Restorative practise’ is correct and use accordingly.

Staff training

• All staff have access to online training and regular anti-bullying training.
• All new school staff undergo anti-bullying training as part of their induction
• All school staff have access to resources and new developments in anti-bullying practice
• All school staff have an understanding of the law relating to bullying, know when it is a safeguarding issue and know how to escalate a concern