The Leigh Academy Anti-Bullying Policy

Definition of Bullying

Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behaviour that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behaviour is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying can include actions such as making threats, spreading rumours, attacking someone physically or verbally, causing embarrassment or discomfort and excluding someone from a group on purpose. Bullying can include:

• physical assault

• persistent teasing

• making threats

• persistent name calling

• cyberbullying - bullying via mobile phone or online (eg email, social networks)

• Repeated behaviours of unkindness or aggression.

• intention to hurt someone either physically or emotionally

• often aimed at certain groups, eg because of race, religion, gender or sexual orientation

The Leigh Academy - ANTI-BULLYING STATEMENT

• Bullying and unkindness whether physical or emotional are entirely unacceptable at The Leigh Academy. It conflicts sharply with the academy’s principles and ethos we will always treat it seriously.

• Bullying is behaviour by an individual or group, repeated over time, that intentionally hurts another individual or group either physically or emotionally.

• Bullying can take many forms (for instance, cyber-bullying via text messages or the internet), and is often motivated by prejudice against particular groups, for example on grounds of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or because a child is adopted or has caring responsibilities. It might be motivated by actual differences between students, or perceived differences.

• Stopping violence and ensuring immediate physical safety is obviously the academy’s first priority but emotional bullying can be more damaging than physical; the academy has to make its own judgements about each specific case.

• In particular it is noted that peer-on peer abuse can be a form of bullying and, in line with the academy’s Safeguarding Policy, any peer-on-peer abuse will be treated as a safeguarding matter and passed to the Designated Safeguarding Lead. Please refer to the safeguarding Policy for further information on peer-on-peer abuse.

• Many experts say that bullying involves an imbalance of power between the perpetrator and the victim. This could involve perpetrators of bullying having control over the relationship which makes it difficult for those they bully to defend themselves. The imbalance of power can manifest itself in several ways, it may be physical, psychological (knowing what upsets someone), derive from an intellectual imbalance, or by having access to the support of a group, or the capacity to socially isolate. It can result in the intimidation of a person or persons through the threat of violence or by isolating them either physically or online.

• Bullying can involve manipulating a third party to tease or torment someone.

• It can involve complicity that falls short of direct participation. However, it is also considered to be bullying when careless or reckless behaviour unintentionally causes the same effects as intentional actions.

• Bullying is often hidden and subtle. It can also be overt and intimidatory. Bullying can happen anywhere and at any time and can involve everyone - students, other young people, staff and parents.

• All members of The Leigh Academy community have the right to enjoy their lives free of bullying and harassment.

• Anyone who feels bullied or intimidated has the right to expect the academy to listen and to act promptly and sensitively to deal with the problem. The academy will investigate any incidents, including those which occur outside normal school hours or off the premises.

• If you feel that you are being bullied, talk to someone: your Student Services Manager, your Tutor, your Head of College, Assistant Head of College or one of the Leigh Academy Anti Bullying Ambassadors.

• It is also right for you to talk to your parents/carers about it, and for them to discuss it with the academy. If you find it difficult to talk to anyone at the academy or at home then you can phone the 24 hour Childline service on 0800 1111. All calls are free and confidential and trained counsellors will help any young person with a problem.

• You should treat others as you would hope to be treated yourself in an atmosphere of mutual respect. If an incident occurs you should do what you can to show your disapproval of bullying. Bullying will never stop if it is kept secret and no one faces up to it. If you think someone else is being bullied, talk to a member of staff or a monitor about it. We guarantee that whistle-blowers who act in good faith will not be penalised and will be supported.

• It is important to recognise that there is culpability if you see or are aware of bullying but do nothing about it. Neglecting to act makes the bystander complicit in the bullying. If you are aware of bullying happening in the academy it should immediately be reported to a member of staff.

ANTI-BULLYING POLICY & GUIDELINES FOR STAFF

Your attention is drawn to the DfE guidance 2014 ‘Preventing and Tackling Bullying’ DfE website www.education.gov.uk

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

At The Leigh Academy, our community is based upon respect for others, good manners and a sense of decency. We are committed to providing a safe and caring environment that is free from disruption, violence and any form of harassment so that every one of our students can develop their full potential. We expect our students to treat members of staff with courtesy and co-operation so that they can learn in a relaxed but orderly atmosphere. All students should care for and support each other. The anti Bullying Policy has a clear link to The Leigh Academy 5 R’s with students taking responsibility for their actions, building relationships with one another and ensuring there is reflection at times when mistakes are made.

Parents and carers have an important role in supporting The Leigh Academy in maintaining high standards of behaviour. It is essential that the academy and our students' parents/carers have consistent expectations of behaviour and that they cooperate closely together. Acceptance of this policy forms part of our student code of conduct and should be adhered to all times. This policy is available to parents of students and prospective students on our website and on request.

At The Leigh Academy, we always treat bullying, including allegations of bullying very seriously, regardless of whether it is physical or emotional. Bullying can be so serious that it causes psychological damage, eating disorders, self-harm and even contemplate suicide, and, whilst bullying is not a specific criminal offence, there are criminal laws which apply to harassment and threatening behaviour. It is also noted that in the case of peer-on-peer abuse, bullying can also have safeguarding implications.

The Leigh Academy Senior Leadership Team reserves the right to investigate incidents that take place outside academy hours, on a school visit and trips and that occur offsitel, involving our students.

GUIDANCE FOR STAFF

All new members of staff will be given guidance on the Academy’s anti-bullying policy and how to deal with allegations of bullying during their induction. They will be required to read the school’s policy as part of their induction. Further training will occur on staff INSET days.

Flagrant cases of bullying are fortunately not normal features of life at The Leigh Academy, but we should be aware that it can happen at any time, and that patterns of bullying, once established, can easily repeat themselves, even to the extent that those who have suffered themselves may in their turn cause others to suffer.

Discreet but constant vigilance is therefore essential and is an important part of our role in the school. Teachers should arrive on time for lessons and be alert to signs of unkindness: the student who waits alone outside the classroom (or who hangs about after the lesson) may well be a victim. Similar considerations apply to games, and other activities. The less structured times of the day, Break, Lunch and travelling to and from The Academy are moments when bullying and unkindness can occur.

There may also be places where students are more at risk, such as changing rooms or the academy toilets. All staff should be alert to any inappropriate language or behaviour that may lead to unkindness or intimidation.

Staff should always be aware of and reflect on our own behaviour in case it might unintentionally trigger bullying. Peer-group bullying is most likely to occur among the younger students - as the pecking order develops. We should also be aware that some students could be more vulnerable than others; those who are shy, come from an overprotective background, are different in some way, behave inappropriately with others or even show off expensive possessions.

They may well need our guidance about how to adapt their behaviour to avoid or deal with bullying and unkindness. It is important that as an academy we act with consistency about bullying. Discussions between the Heads of College, Assistant Heads of Colleges and Student Services Managers as well as other members of the pastoral team should ensure that reaction is immediate before matters have a chance to escalate, and that minor incidents are dealt with; this should reduce the occurrence of more serious bullying.

1. ACTIONS TO PREVENT BULLYING

Students need to be aware that both staff and students disapprove of bullying behaviour and will act if bullying is brought to their notice. An anti-bullying ethos should be in place, reinforced by all adults; something that takes time and a drip feed approach - repeated plugging of the theme with students. The majority of children who are not involved are the most effective preventative and protective force in countering the problem. A clear understanding is therefore essential.

The Leigh Academy have recently (September 2019) launched the ‘Anti Bullying Ambassador’ scheme. This has allowed a number of students to be trained to support any student who has encountered an incident linked to bullying. This can be to offer advice, guidance or strategies on how to avoid any upset in the future. The scheme has been introduced via the ‘Diana Award’ and has ensured anti-bullying strategies are regularly discussed and used on a regular basis.

The issue is an important part of the PSHE syllabus. The Healthy Minds PSHE programme is structured to enforce the message about community involvement and taking care of each other. Elsewhere in the curriculum in subjects such as Ethics, English and Drama opportunities should be taken to explore issues of diversity and difference - discussing what academies and society can do to end discrimination. There will also be an opportunity to ‘post’ any concerns without ‘bullying box’ being available for students to use.

Students should be listened to carefully and opportunities be provided for them to express their views and opinions whether it be in lessons, in Tutor time or informally. The Leigh Academy ‘Student Voice Team’ have been created to ensure students have an opinion and topics such as ‘Bullying’ can be regularly discussed.

Use is made of student surveys to find out the extent of any bullying problems, so we can work to reduce them. Our Student Services Manager care is an important part of our pastoral support service, providing specialist skills of assessment and mentoring support. They’re available to give confidential advice and counselling support to students who can refer themselves to them when they have social, emotional or behavioural concerns. Student Voice can also be used by students who would like to share any information or thoughts on combating negative behaviour like bullying.

2. PEER-ON PEER ABUSE

Peer-on-peer abuse is abuse by one or more students against another student. It can manifest itself in many ways and can include bullying (including cyber bullying), physical abuse, initiation violence and rituals, sexting, sexual assault, gender-based issues and harmful sexual behaviours including sexual violence and sexual harassment. The Leigh Academy believes that all bullying and peer-on-peer abuse is unacceptable and must be dealt with in this context. Abusive comments and interactions should never be passed off or dismissed as “banter” or “part of growing up”. Nor will harmful sexual behaviours be dismissed as the same or “just having a laugh” or “boys being boys”. Please refer to the Safeguarding Policy for further details on peer-on-peer abuse and the management of allegations.

3. DETECTING BULLYING

Changes in behaviour that may indicate that a pupil is being bullied include:

• unwillingness to return to school

• displays of excessive anxiety, becoming withdrawn or unusually quiet

• failure to produce work, or producing unusually bad work, or work that appears to have been copied, interfered with or spoilt by others

• books, bags and other belongings suddenly go missing, or are damaged Change to established habits (e.g. giving up music lessons, change to accent or vocabulary)

• diminished levels of self confidence

• frequent visits to the toilets with symptoms such as stomach pains, headaches

• unexplained cuts and bruises

• frequent absence, erratic attendance, late arrival to class

• choosing the company of adults

• displaying repressed body language and poor eye contact

• difficulty in sleeping, experiences nightmares

• talking of suicide or running away

Although there may be other causes for some of the above symptoms, a repetition of, or a combination of these possible signs of bullying should be investigated by parents and teachers.

Racism

Examples of racism that we need to be alert to include:

• verbal abuse by name-calling, racist jokes and offensive mimicry

• physical threats or attacks

• wearing of provocative badges or insignia

• bringing racist leaflets, comics or magazines into school Inciting others to behave in a racist way

• racist graffiti or other written insults, even against food, music, dress or customs

• refusing to cooperate in work or in play

Sexual bullying

Sexual bullying can have the following characteristics:

• sexual innuendos and propositions

• abusive name-calling

• looks and comments about appearance, attractiveness (e.g. emerging puberty)

• pornographic material, graffiti with sexual content

• in its most extreme form, sexual assault or rape

Homophobia

The Leigh Academy staff should be alert to sexual bullying based around sexual orientation, whether or not the person being bullied is gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. Generally Homophobic bullying looks like other sorts of bullying, but in particular it can include:

• verbal abuse - including spreading rumours that someone is gay, suggesting that something or someone is inferior and so they are ‘gay’- e.g. ‘those trainers are so gay!’

• physical abuse – including hitting, punching, kicking, sexual assault, and threatening behaviour.

• cyberbullying – using on-line spaces to spread rumours about someone or exclude them. Can also include text messaging, including video and picture messaging.

Special educational needs and disability

The Leigh Academy should be alert to the fact that students with special educational needs or disabilities are often at greater risk of being bullied than other students on the basis of their educational difficulties or disability. The ‘Milestone at The Leigh Academy’ students are an additional set of students who often interact and are in the company of our students but students must be monitored to ensure their actions and comments are appropriate at all times.

Cyberbullying

With constantly advancing technology we must be alert to this unpleasant and particularly intrusive form of bullying. Cyberbullying can involve Social Networking Sites, like Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, emails and mobile phones, used for SMS messages and as cameras.

Banter

It should be noted that abusive comments and interactions may not be passed off as mere ‘banter’. Such comments referring to a person’s race, religion, ethnicity, sexuality, culture, special educational needs or because a child is a carer are not acceptable and will be treated as a bullying matter.

4. SHARING ANY CONCERNS

Students should be encouraged to "tell" when bullying occurs, if not the the Students Services Manager or one of the Colleges Senior Leaders then a member of the Anti Bullying Ambassador Team. Friends of victims should be encouraged to do the telling, if necessary: this is difficult and students often baulk at it, but the more it occurs the more acceptable it becomes. We should guarantee that whistle-blowers who act in good faith will not be penalised and will be supported. Others in a year group should be reminded how important it is to let someone know if a problem recurs.

Any staff or students who witness any form of bullying, however minor or who are at all concerned about any behaviour should report it to the Student Services Managers. These incidents may be part of a bigger picture of which the College Leadership teams may be already aware.

Members of the community (students, staff and parents) need to be mindful that the Academy expects any knowledge of bullying to be reported. A bystander who does not report bullying is complicit in the act. When a new student starts at the academy they’re told about the importance of keeping lines of communication with the Student Services Manager.

5. PROCEDURES FOR DEALING WITH REPORTED BULLYING

If an incident of bullying is reported, the following procedures are adopted:

• The member of staff or anti-bullying ambassador to whom it was reported or who first discovers the situation, will control the situation, reassure and support the students involved.

• He/she will inform the relevant Student Services Manager or another appropriate member of the College Leadership team as soon as possible.

• The member of the College Leadership Team who is leading the investigation should inform the parents of any other students involved in the incident as soon as possible so that they may be involved in the interview process. In very serious incidents, the Principal should be informed at this stage.

• The victim will be interviewed on their own and asked to write an account of events.

• The alleged bully, together with all others who were involved, will be interviewed individually and asked to write an immediate account of events.

• The incident should be recorded on an Academy Incident form and signed and dated before forwarding to the Head of College/Assistant Head of College. The Student Services Manager is responsible for keeping all records of bullying and other serious disciplinary offences, securely in a secure place in their office.

• The victim will be interviewed by a member of the pastoral team, separately from the alleged perpetrator. It will be made clear to them why revenge is inappropriate. They will be offered support to develop a strategy to help them.

• The alleged bully will be interviewed by a member of the pastoral team, separately from the victim, and it will be made clear why their behaviour was inappropriate and caused distress. They will be offered guidance on modifying their behavior. If appropriate a disciplinary consequence will be given as set out in The Leigh Academy’s ‘Behaviour Policy’. In particularly serious and/or persistent cases, the bully should expect a fixed or possible permanent exclusion.

• The parents/guardians of all parties should be informed and invited into school to discuss the matter. Their support should be sought.

• A way forward, including disciplinary sanctions and counselling, should be agreed. This should recognise that suitable support is needed both for children who are being bullied and for pupils who bully others.

• A meeting involving all the parties, with close staff supervision, could be helpful in developing a strategy for all concerned to close the episode.

• A monitoring and review strategy will be put in place.

• Students will face a period of isolation in the Curriculum Support Centre (CSC) or extreme cases could even be permanently excluded. In these cases a place at an alternative school would be sought via the Dartford Inclusion Forum.

• In very serious cases, and only after the Principal has been involved, it may be necessary to make a report to the Police or to the Social Services.

• In line with Keeping Children Safe in Education 2018 a bullying incident should be addressed as a Safeguarding concern where a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm.

• In line with KCSIE 2018 all peer-on-peer abuse will also be treated as a Safeguarding matter

It is the policy of The Leigh Academy to attempt to resolve such issues internally under the academy’s own disciplinary procedures, unless the matter is of such gravity that a criminal prosecution is likely. The Leigh Academy may place a students in internal isolation, exclude a student, either temporarily or permanently, or seek an alternative via the Dartford Inclusion Forum in cases of severe and persistent bullying and in the event that the support put in place for the bully does not result in the modification of behaviour to an acceptable level.

6. RECORDING AND MONITORING INCIDENTS OF BULLYING

All bullying incidents and our response to them should be recorded by the relevant Student Services Manager on an Academy Incident form which should be forwarded to the Assistant HEad of College or Head of College. The College Leadership Team will keep a central record of all incidents so that patterns of behaviour can be identified and monitored. The incident record will note the name of the student who was bullied and also the perpetrators. These incidents may be part of a bigger picture of which the College Leadership Team will need to make other staff aware.

7. MEASURES TO HELP VICTIMS OF BULLYING

It can be helpful to try to identify those likely to be bullied and try if possible to minimise the characteristics that might make them susceptible. This can be either preemptive action or part of the way victims can be helped not to attract bullying in future. The Healthy Minds PSHE curriculum identifies "passive" (unassertive in their peer groups) and "provocative" (hyperactive) victims.

Discussion might help them to:

• being resilient and using support techniques learned within the Healthy Minds curriculum

• realise that they need to help themselves

• be positive and assertive

• be less selfish

• be less aggressive

• maintain friendships

• understand non-victim body language

Regular meetings with an adult to discuss progress can help. Reference to the Kidscape booklets such as ‘You can beat bullying’ and ‘Stop bullying’ may be useful.

Remind the students that if they find that they are bullied again then they should:

• try to remain calm and look as positive as they can

• be firm and clear – look the bully in the eye and tell them to stop

• get away from the situation as quickly as possible

• tell an adult or monitor what has happened straight away.

The best thing that can be said is that The Leigh Academy has a multicultural, inclusive environment where there is a general understanding clearly exemplified by the community that bullying is unacceptable.

8. CYBERBULLYING POLICY

Students must agree to adhere to appropriate use of the internet and mobile phone and handheld device policy. If breeches of this agreement are found it may result in students being temporarily banned from using the internet.

Definition

“Cyberbullying is the use of Information Communications Technology (ICT), particularly mobile phones and the internet, deliberately to upset someone else.” Department for Children Schools and Families

Cyberbullying can have a serious impact because of a number of factors including:

• invasion of personal space

• the anonymity (at least initially) of the bully

• the ability to broadcast upsetting messages and images rapidly to a potentially huge audience and to continue to do so repeatedly over a long period of time

Forms of Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying may take different forms:

• threats and intimidation via electronic means

• harassment or ‘cyberstalking’

• sexting

• vilification/defamation

• setting up website pages to invite others to post derogatory comment about a student

• the sending of insulting and vicious text messages

• exclusion or peer rejection

• impersonation

• unauthorised publication of private information or images (including ‘happy slapping’)

• the posting of fake and/or obscene photographs of the victim on a social networking site

• hacking into social networking sites and removing and circulating material which may be embarrassing or personal

• manipulation • “Chatting” online e.g. through Social Network/Gaming Sites etc.

Whilst some cyberbullying is clearly deliberate and aggressive, it must be recognised that some incidents of cyberbullying may be unintentional and the result of simply not thinking about the consequences. Students may need reminding that under the Malicious Communications Act 1988, it is an offence for a person to send an electronic communication which conveys a message which is indecent or grossly offensive, a threat, or information which is false and known or believed to be false by the sender.

Preventing Cyberbullying

Members of The Leigh Academy community will understand and discuss cyberbullying through the anti bullying ambassador scheme. The students will support those who have been targeted by:

• the sharing of the definition of cyberbullying

• the discussion of cyberbullying and its forms

• Agreed rules will be followed when using ICT

Education:

Education and discussion around the responsible use of technologies and e-safety are key to preventing cyberbullying and helping children and young people deal confidently with any problems that might arise, whether in or out of the academy. The academy will publicise progress and cyberbullying prevention activities to the whole-school community. Members of the academy community will be encouraged to follow the following advice which is displayed throughout the academy. Information including the following will be discussed:

1) Always respect others - be careful what you say on line and what images you send.

2) Think before you send - whatever you send can be made public very quickly and could stay online forever.

3) Think before you post.

4) Treat your password like your toothbrush - keep it to yourself. Only give your mobile number or personal website address to trusted friends.

5) Block the bully - learn how to block or report someone who is behaving badly.

6) Don’t retaliate or reply!

7) Save the evidence - learn how to keep records of offending messages, pictures or online conversations.

8) Make sure you tell:

a) An adult you trust, or call a helpline like Childline on 0800 1111 in confidence

b) The provider of the service; check the service provider’s website to see where to report incidents

c) Your Student Services Manager- they will be able to help.

Responding to Cyberbullying Investigating incidents - the aggrieved

The person being bullied should keep examples of texts or emails received to aid an investigation. To contain the spread of cyberbullying consideration must be given to -

• contact the service provider or host (e.g. the social networking site)

• confiscate phones

• contact the police (in relation to illegal content)

Members of the school community will be advised on steps they can take to avoid recurrence. This will include-

• not to retaliate or reply

• being provided with appropriate contact details of service providers

• an awareness of changing contact details, blocking contacts, or leaving a chat room.

All allegations of bullying will be taken seriously.

Working with the perpetrator and sanctions

Steps should be taken to change their attitude and behaviour as well as ensuring access to any support that is required. The following factors should be considered when determining the appropriate sanctions:

• the impact on the victim: was the bully acting anonymously?

• was the material widely circulated and humiliating?

• how difficult was controlling the spread of the material?

• the motivation of the bully: was the incident unintentional or retaliation to bullying behaviour from others?

Technology-specific sanctions for students engaged in cyberbullying behaviour could include limiting internet access for a period of time or removing the right to bring a mobile phone into the academy. Professional judgment will be used in choosing from a range of strategies to remind individuals and groups of their responsibility to prevent bullying and help deal with it if it happens. Parents/carers of both the aggrieved and the perpetrator (where known) will be informed so that the process of restorative justice can be implemented at an early stage. External agencies will be involved when this is deemed appropriate especially where there has been a breach of criminal law.

Recording incidents

All incidents of cyberbullying will be recorded by the ‘Student Services Manager’ on an incident form. Incidents will be monitored by all members of the College Leadership Team. Any racist or homophobic language will be logged and forwarded onto the relevant authorities.

8. COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

Parents and students are encouraged to use our complaints procedure (which is published on our website) if they feel that their concerns about bullying (or anything else) are not being addressed properly.

9. BULLYING INFORMATION, SUPPORT & HELP-LINES

Additional sources of guidance and information:

Outside agencies who can offer support are:

Childline: 0800 1111

NSPCC: 0800 800 5000

Samaritans: 08457 90 90 90

Connexions: 080 8001 3219

Map safe routes to school (software available from MAP IT Ltd 01487 813745)

Advisory Centre for Education (ACE)

ACE Education, 72 Durnsford Road, London, N11 2EJ

Tel helpline: 0300 0115 142 (Mon-Wed 10am-1pm).

Advice line for parents on all matters concerning schools

CEOP (Child protection and Online Protection Centre)

Citadel PA, Lambeth, London SE11 5AN

Tel Helpline: 0870 000 3344

Advice or support line for anybody who has been in contact suspicious online

Stonewall

192 St John St, Clerkenwell, London EC1V 4JY

Tel Helpline: 020 7593 1850

Campaigning for equality for lesbian, gay, bi and trans people.

Children's Legal Centre

Tel: 01206 714650

Publications and free advice line on legal issues.

Kidscape 2 Grosvenor Gardens, London, SW1W ODH.

Tel: 0207 730 3300

Fax: 0207 730 7081

Has a wide range of publications for young people, parents and teachers. Bullying counsellor available Monday to Friday, 10-4.

Stand up to Bullying

www.standuptobullying.co.uk

Advice for parents and children about dealing with bullying.

Bullying UK

www.bullying.co.uk

Telephone: 0808 800 2222

Advice and help for parents and children

Useful reading:

`Bullying; Wise Guide' by Michele Elliott

`Don't Pick on Me: How to Handle Bullying' by Rosemary Stone

`Your child bullying' by J Alexander

`101 Ways to deal with bullying' - a guide for parents, by M Elliott

`Keeping Safe: A practical guide to talking with children, by Kidscape

`Helping children cope with bullying' by S Lawson

`Confident children: a parents' guide to helping children feel good', G Lindenfield `Bullying and how to fight it: A Guide for families', by A Mellor

`Fighting, teasing and bullying: Simple and effective ways to help your child', by J Pearce

`The bullying problem: How to deal with difficult children, by A Train