Anti-Bullying Policy

As a Lasallian school we recognise our pastoral responsibilities to the students in our care. Our aim is to safeguard and promote the welfare and safety of all our pupils, keeping them safe from harm and providing a secure and caring learning environment for them in the classroom and the school premises generally (corridors, toilets, yard, playing fields and school bus).

“Bullying is a wilful, conscious desire to hurt another and put him or her under stress’ (Tattum D.P 1993 Understanding and Managing Bullying, Heineman). It is deliberately hurtful behaviour, repeated over a period of time where it is difficult for the victim to defend him/herself.

Forms of Bullying

Bullying may be school based, home based or community based. It may be perpetrated by an individual or by a group and my be racially or sexually motivated. It is a form of abuse. It may take the form of

a) physical assault (hitting, kicking, theft).

b) psychological abuse (rumours, violation of individual)

c) verbal (threats, name calling, slagging)

Effects of Bullying

We recognise that children cannot learn or develop effectively unless they feel secure. Bullying, when unchecked can be profoundly damaging to the victim in both the short and long term, emotionally, physically or both and can seriously impair the capacity to learn: Symptoms may include behaviour change such as withdrawal, lack of concentration, marked deterioration in schoolwork or absenteeism. There are also symptomatic of various other conditions e.g. puberty, adolescence, bereavement, family breakdown or drug and solvent abuse.

Hence careful analysis of each case is essential before a diagnosis of bullying is confirmed and preventative action attempted.

Preventative Measures
The school recognises that incidents of bullying are inevitable but take every measure to minimise the amount of bullying which might occur and the effects of such bullying on the individual. Our aim is to provide a safe and caring environment in which our students can learn effectively and where consideration, respect and care of others is the norm.

Supervision Arrangements
Our students are supervised from 8.45 am daily until they leave the premises. Teachers are on supervision duty in the school yard and corridors prior to the beginning of class each day. At break time pupils are also supervised by their teachers. During lunch break Yard Supervisors are employed to ensure the safety of our students.

Curriculum

The school curriculum addresses the issue of bullying in various ways. Both Personal Social and Health Education and Drama address the issue directly and attempt to make students aware of the issue and its implication for all concerned. Both also attempt to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to deal with the various forms of bullying, which may occur. Annual Retreats also provide the opportunity directly.

In Religious Education the emphasis is on care and respect for one another and an acceptance and acknowledgement of the different qualities each student brings to the school. In English opportunities which arise from the study of literature are used to examine bullying and its consequences. Science, Art, Music and Physical Education directly encourage teamwork and sharing, as do most other subjects on the curriculum.

Teacher Awareness

All staff in the school are made aware of bullying as an issue during initial teacher training and on staff development days organised by the school or under the auspices of B.E.L.B. Teachersare required to be vigilant both in class and while on the school premises. They are also alert to the risk of emotional abuse caused by persistent sarcasm, verbal bullying or severe and persistent negative comments or actions on the part of teachers. They strive to build quality and mutually supportive relationships with one another, with our students and with their parents, which generate openness, confidence and trust. They aspire to encourage and build the self-esteem of all students and to nurture in them a positive self image through the quality of our relationships, teaching methods, assembly experiences and the general implementations of our School Policies e.g. Pastoral Care, Assessment and Homework and Discipline.

Strategy for dealing with Bullying

We always encourage an atmosphere of openness, educating our students to tell someone, be that a friend, a parent, or a teacher. We want students and parents to bring any form of bullying to the attention of staff and we want them to feel confident that allegations of bullying will be carefully investigated and if substantiated taken seriously and acted upon.

Students
If a student feels he is being bullied he should tell someone. This could be a friend, a parent or a teacher. The Form Teacher or Year Head of the student must then be informed immediately. If any student is aware or suspects that another student in the school is subject to bullying they should immediately inform their Form Teacher or Year Head.

Parents
If any parent is aware or suspects that his/her son is subject to bullying they should immediately contact the school and relay their information or suspicions to the Form Teacher or Year Head.

Teachers

All disclosures of bullying will be treated in a confidential manner and all allegations will be investigated carefully. The school will act promptly to combat bullying whenever and wherever it occurs.

Bullying will be dealt with using a variety of techniques. The nature, extent and effect of the bullying and the personality, character and maturity of the victim and the bully (ies) will be taken into consideration.

In most cases any student involved in physical violence will be suspended, as stated in the School Discipline Policy. At a follow up meeting with the parents of any student found guilty of physical bullying general welfare of the student will be spelt out clearly. It may be the case that of the school has concernsfor the student that the student is himself the subject of bullying at home. A referral to Social Services will result if this is the case. It may be that the student has psychological and emotional problems of his own. In this case the Special Educational Needs coordinator in the school will be consulted. Counselling will be offered initially by the school counsellor or in more serious cases by the Schools Psychological Services or through referral to the School Health Service, the Students’ Family Doctor and in extreme cases to the Children’s’ Psychiatric Unit, R.V.H.

The schools action will always be guided by the individual needs of the students involved and the general safety needs of the entire student population of the school. Referral to external agencies may in turn lead to placement outside of mainstream schooling in a Educational Support Unit on a daily or residential basis for a set period of time prior to attempting to reintegrate the student into the school set-up.

In the most serious cases, when all factors have been considered, the Board of Governors may expel a student.

In the case of psychological and verbal abuse, all those involved will be brought together to ‘talk out’ the problem in an open and non-judgemental manner. Various exercises from the Personal Social and HealthEducation Programme and Role Play in Drama will be used to help students empathise with one another and understand the effects of their behaviour on each other. If this fails to resolve the problem the Discipline Policy of the school will be implemented. In some cases where it is deemed appropriate the perpetuators and/or victims of bullying will be offered counselling to help them . Assertiveness training may also be offered in some cases.

Risk Factors

No one merits being bullied. Teachers through their training and vigilance are aware of areas of the school where bullying might occur and also some of the characteristics of likely victims. These include students who lack close friends, shy students, those from over protected families, students from minority racial or ethnic groups, students with special educational needs and students who behave or create a nuisance of themselves. Every effort is made to help students who fall into any of these categories.