Aiming to reduce bullying

Children do best when their personal, social and emotional needs are met. Children need to learn to consider the views and feelings, needs and rights, of others and the impact that their behaviour has on people, places and objects. This is a developmental process that requires support, encouragement, teaching and setting the correct example.

A school should:
- welcome diversity so student and member of staff has a right to study and work in a happy environment with positive relationships.
- promote a studying and working environment in which bullying cannot flourish. They should take immediate action if bullying is suspected or identified, whether or not a complaint had been made. Allegations of bullying received either formally or informally should be taken seriously and dealt with promptly and sensitively
- ensure bullying on the grounds of someone's race, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, age, pregnancy or maternity, marital or civil partnership status or harassment on any other grounds, does not take place at work, as this is discrimination.

In addition, there is a duty of care towards its staff under the Health and Safety Act 1974.
All allegations of bullying are serious, but any such allegations proven to be malicious will also be treated very seriously and these are also likely to be the subject of disciplinary action.

As a group we devised an all-class activity to teach teachers the importance of spotting the signs of bullying:

SPOTTING THE SIGNS OF BULLYING IN ONES-SELF
Aim - to teach the importance of confidentiality in “spotting the signs of bullying”

Outcome - recognising that bulling is an issue that you may be facing personally, and being able to idenitfy the signs. Also knowing where to turn in such a case.

Starter - explain the need for regulating bullying

Activity - ask teachers to fill in a graduated questionnaire (0 to 10) to rate a sense of bullying with general questions about how they feel in the work place. No direct questions about
bullying

Plenary - follow up any problems flagged up by the questionnaire with confidential interviews - and offering of numbers to call/support groups

S Ward