Introduction
Bullying can be described as being ‘a deliberate act done to cause distress solely in order to give a feeling of power, status or other gratification to the bully. It can range from ostracising, name-calling, teasing, threats and extortion, through to physical assault on persons and/or their property. It can be an unresolved single frightening incident which casts a shadow over a child’s life, or a series of such incidents.’.

Aims
At Alexander Hosea School, staff, parents and children work together to create a happy, caring learning environment. Bullying, either verbal, physical or indirect will not be tolerated. It is everyone’s responsibility to aim to prevent occurrences of bullying and to deal with any incidents quickly and effectively. We are aware that research shows that the extent of bullying in schools is greatly underestimated.

Bullying can be brought to the attention if staff either by the victim(s), their friend(s), their parent(s), or other interested people.

Guidance
The following is a list of actions available to staff depending on the perceived seriousness of the situation. The emphasis is always on a caring, listening approach as bullies are often victims too.

• Discussions at length with the victim offering counselling as necessary. This will require patience and understanding. Remember – Listen, believe, act.
• Identify the bully/bullies. Obtain witnesses if possible. Advise the headteacher.
• Discussions with the bully. Confront them with the details and ask them to tell the truth about the situation/ incident. Make it clear that bullying is not acceptable at Alexander Hosea School.
• Separate discussions with parents of bully and victim.
• In certain circumstances we feel that sanctions are necessary. Sanctions for the bully may include withdrawal from favoured activities, loss of playtimes, exclusion from school during lunchtimes, exclusion from school, depending on the perceived severity of the incident(s).
• Continue monitoring the situation by phone calls home, observing playtimes/ lunchtimes and having discussions with victim and bully to ensure no repetition.
• As the behaviour of the bully improves, then favoured activities etc can be reinstated and the child should be praised for good behaviour. This will rebuild the child’s self esteem, which may have been damaged after being caught bullying.
• All staff watch for early signs of distress in pupils and act accordingly.
• The pupil council can be used as child’s first contact point if they feel they cannot tell an adult.
• Assemblies are held related to these measures and dissuading children from bullying.