Anti-Bullying

OUR Definition of Bullying

The repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power. Bullying can be physical, verbal or psychological. It can happen face-to-face or online.

There are four key elements to this definition:

• hurtful
• repetition
• power imbalance
• intentional

Bullying behaviour can be:

• Physical – pushing, poking, kicking, hitting, biting, pinching etc.
• Verbal  – name calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, threats, teasing, belittling.
• Emotional – isolating others, tormenting, hiding books, threatening gestures,  ridicule, humiliation, intimidating, excluding, manipulation and coercion.
• Sexual – unwanted physical contact, inappropriate touching, abusive comments, homophobic abuse, exposure to inappropriate films etc.
• Online /cyber – posting on social media, sharing photos, sending nasty text messages, social exclusion
• Indirect – Can include the exploitation of individuals.

What bullying is not:

• Single episodes of social rejection or dislike
• Single episode acts of nastiness or spite
• Random acts of aggression or intimidation
• Mutual arguments, disagreements or fights

Bullying is a Group Behaviour

Research undertaken in Finland by Christina Salmivalli (1996) gave us a greater understanding of the roles involved in bullying. It showed that the traditional view of bullying where there is a ‘victim’ and a ‘bully’ was much more complicated, and in fact bullying rarely takes place between a ‘victim’ and a ‘bully’ alone: it tends to be a group behaviour. Others can have a significant influence on the outcomes of behaviours among children and young people intentionally or otherwise.

In Christina Salmivalli’s groundbreaking work, she identifies a number of roles that children play in a bullying scenario:

• Ringleader – Initiating and leading the bullying but not always the person ‘doing’ the bullying.
• Target – The person at whom the bullying is aimed.
• Assistant – Actively involved in ‘doing’ the bullying but not leading it
• Reinforcer – Supports the bullying, might laugh or encourage other people to ‘collude’
• Defender – Stands up for someone being bullied. Knows that bullying is wrong and feels confident enough to do something about it. This might involve talking to an adult.
• Outsider/Bystander – Ignores any bullying and doesn’t want to get involved.

These roles are constantly shifting depending on who is present and the dynamics in the group.

Reporting Bullying at Ibstock School

If you feel that you are the target of unkind or bullying behaviour, it can be reported in the following ways:

• Direct email to your pastoral manager or CREW Leader
• Speaking to any member of staff
• Emailing Mrs Streeting (Safeguarding Lead) dsl@ibstockschool.co.uk

Parents can also report bullying through the following ways:

• Direct email to your child’s pastoral team or CREW Leader
• Emailing Alison Streeting (Safeguarding Lead) dsl@ibstockschool.co.uk

Students are encouraged to be upstanders and report any incidents of bullying or unkind behaviour.

ANTI-BULLYING PLEDGE

I PLEDGE TO STAND AGAINST BULLYING

_____________________________________

I WILL SPEAK UP FOR MYSELF AND OTHERS.

I WILL TREAT EVERYONE WITH KINDNESS AND RESPECT.

I WILL NOT USE MY WORDS OR ACTIONS TO HURT ANYONE.

I WILL INCLUDE, SUPPORT AND PROTECT THOSE AROUND ME.

I WILL BE BRAVE AND REPORT BULLYING WHEN I SEE IT.

Together, we can create OUR community where everyone feels SAFE, RESPECTED and VALUED.

Resources for parents/carers from the Anti-Bullying Alliance

The Anti-Bullying Alliance has a range of resources, information and tools for parents/carers about bullying – Anti-Bullying Alliance

Anti-Bullying Advice Leaflet

An easy-read leaflet giving information about bullying – what it is and how to stop it – Beyond Bullying