Anti-Bullying Guidelines

At Onslow St Audrey's School we are committed to providing a caring, friendly and safe environment for all our students to learn within. We want to develop reflective, self-disciplined learners who have grit and perseverance, and who can monitor their own behaviour. Our ethos is the core foundation of everything we do: "Achieving Success Together".

Bullying of any kind is unacceptable at our school, whether it is in the school or in off-site activities. We have a zero tolerance for bullying or harassment of any kind and will always take reports of bullying very seriously. 

We want all parents and students to feel that they are able to tell someone and feel confident that their concern will be taken seriously and prompt action taken. 

If you know that bullying or harassment is happening to someone please do not hesitate to contact a member of staff and we advise students to also report it on Tootoot.

Bullying is defined as persistent behaviour by an individual or group with the intention of verbally, physically, or emotionally harming another person or group.  

Bullying is generally characterised by: 

• Repetition: Incidents are not one-offs; they are frequent and happen over a period of time. 

• Intent: The perpetrator(s) mean(s) to cause verbal, physical or emotional harm; it is not accidental. 

• Targeting: Bullying is generally targeted at a specific individual or group. 

• Power imbalance: Whether real or perceived, bullying is generally based on unequal power relations. 

Many different kinds of behaviour can be considered bullying and can be related to almost anything. Teasing another student because of their appearance, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, home life, culture, disability, or special educational needs are some of the types of bullying that can occur. 

Bullying can be acted out through the following  channels: 

• Verbally/Emotionally 

• Physically  

• Online (Cyber)

Types of bullying include: 

• Racist bullying: Bullying another person based on their ethnic background, religion or skin colour

• Homophobic bullying: Bullying another person because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation

• Transphobic bullying: Bullying based on another person’s gender ‘variance’ or for not  conforming to dominant gender roles.  

• Sexist bullying: Bullying based on sexist attitudes expressed in a way to demean, intimidate or harm another person because of their sex or gender. Sexist bullying may sometimes be characterised by inappropriate sexual behaviours. 

• Sexual bullying: Bullying behaviour that has a physical, psychological, verbal or non-verbal sexual dimension/dynamic that subordinates, humiliates or intimidates another person. This is commonly underpinned by sexist attitudes or gender stereotypes. 

Racist bullying is a criminal offence under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and Public Order Act 1986 and can lead to a student acquiring a criminal record. It is also a criminal offence to make any calls which cause annoyance, inconvenience or anxiety as well as sending any form of electronic communication which causes distress or anxiety.

Whatever the form of bullying, the impact on the victim can often be pain and distress. Bullying can seriously damage a young person’s  confidence and sense of self-worth. The victim often feels to blame and is reluctant to talk about or report the bullying. Others who witness the bullying may also be afraid of speaking out for fear, of retaliation.

However, all students are encouraged to report bullying. No-one deserves to be the victim of bullying.

The school aims to adopt a range of strategies to reduce bullying and tackle it effectively when it does occur. This will include: 

• Preventing, de-escalating and stopping any harmful behaviour

• Enabling students to report bullying incidents to staff and on Tootoot

• Reacting to bullying incidents in a reasonable, proportionate and consistent way 

• Safeguarding the student who has experienced bullying and implementing sources of support for the student where necessary 

• Applying disciplinary sanctions to the student causing the bullying and ensuring they learn from the experience, possibly through mediation or multi-agency support 

• Regularly reviewing policies and strategies. Involving staff, parents, and students in any conflicts that may arise 

• Developing and implementing new strategies to tackle bullying 

• Providing follow-up support to both the victim and bully in the months following any incidents, to ensure all bullying has stopped

Parents and carers should work in partnership with the school to support children who bully or who are being bullied. 

Parents should ensure they: 

• Report any incidents of bullying to the school 

• Look for signs of behaviour change which are often linked with bullying  

• Are proactive in monitoring their child’s phone or internet access in particular social networking sites 

• Support their child’s school in any sanctions imposed on their child if they are found responsible for bullying 

• Support their child in attending any follow-up meetings after a bullying incident

Parents can get additional support and help from:

Family Lives

0808 800 2222 or www.familylives.org.uk

Bullying situations usually involve more than the bully and the victim. They also involve bystanders - those who watch bullying  happen or hear about it. Some bystanders  instigate the bullying by encouraging the bully to begin. Other bystanders support the  bullying by laughing, cheering, or making comments that encourage the bully. And  other bystanders join in the bullying once it has begun.  

Most bystanders passively accept bullying by watching and doing nothing. Often without realising it, these bystanders also contribute to the problem. Passive bystanders provide the audience a bully craves and the silent acceptance that allows bullies to continue their hurtful behaviour. 

As a part of the school community you have a responsibility to report incidents of bullying to members of staff.

The school will respond to incidents of bullying behaviour in a proportionate way; the more serious the incident the more serious the response. 

The following options will be considered: 

• Immediate action to stop an incident of bullying in progress 

• Parents informed 

• Lunchtime or after school detentions 

• Behaviour report/Individual behaviour plan removal from class or group 

• Withholding participation from school activities 

• Counselling/instruction on alternative ways of behaving 

• Peer mediation 

• Adult mediation 

• Exclusion 

• Contact with police if there is a possibility that a law might have been broken 

• It is school policy never to share sanctions given to a student with the parents of another student, this is to protect the privacy of individuals

The school follows guidelines given by the DfE and implements the Anti-Bullying Policy in the context of other school documents. 

Anti-bullying practice within Onslow St Audrey's School incorporates the following: 

• Anti-Bullying Policy 

• Anti-Bullying Guidelines in Student Planner 

• School Code 

• Home/School Agreement 

• Rewards and Sanctions Policy 

• Online Safety Policy 

• Personal Development Programme 

• Year and Whole School Assemblies including  Anti-Bullying week 

• Additional curriculum content 

• School Council Anti-bullying Focus Group 

• Student Voice Initiatives 

• Community Links – eg bus companies 

• Student, staff and parent questionnaires

• DfE website