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1.1         Policy on Bullying

Hereford Cathedral School is committed to fostering a spirit of mutual trust between pupils and staff and to creating and sustaining a friendly, supportive, safe and structured environment in which pupils develop confidence and self-esteem and in which they show consideration for the dignity of others.

The School recognises that it must take bullying seriously and aims to:

·        Demonstrate that bullying will not be tolerated.

·        Take measures to prevent all forms of bullying in the school and on off-site activities.

·        Support everyone in identifying and protecting those who might be bullied.

·        Demonstrate to all that the safety and happiness of pupils is enhanced by dealing positively with bullying.

·        Encourage pupils to tell someone if they or others are being bullied.

To achieve these aims all staff are issued with detailed information about procedures, and pupils informed of the following principles:

·        Bullying is unacceptable.

·        Every member of the school can expect to be treated with respect, dignity and tolerance irrespective of their religious beliefs, ethnic background, aptitude or disability.

·        Pupils are expected to treat others as they would wish to be treated themselves.

·        Members of the school community have both an individual and collective obligation to report any incident of bullying whenever or wherever it might occur, and have a right to expect that appropriate action will be taken to prevent its repetition.

·        Those who bully should be aware that action will always be taken, though this may include help and guidance.

·        Victims will be entitled to appropriate counselling and support.

Primary responsibility for handling alleged cases should lie with the tutor of the victim (though it is essential that any other relevant tutor, subject teachers and Heads of House be informed). A “no-blame” approach is strongly to be preferred over a punitive approach as long as it has any chance of success.  A punitive approach will, however, be adopted if the "no-blame" approach fails to resolve the situation.

The principles of The Bullying Policy outlined above will be issued to all pupils in the School Calendar.  The policy will be discussed formally in all tutor groups in the first half-term of each academic year.  This is in addition to the awareness-raising exercises carried out routinely in the PHSE programme.

1.1.1        What is Bullying Behaviour?

Bullying behaviour can take a variety of forms, but essentially deliberately hurtful behaviour designed to frighten, intimidate, humiliate, embarrass or injure another individual.  Whilst one incident alone would not necessarily constitute bullying, a pattern of such behaviour over a period of time undoubtedly would.  Bullying can be physical, verbal, and psychological.

a)                 physical – kicking, punching, spitting etc.

b)                 verbal – name calling, racist or sexist remarks, insults, repeated teasing

c)                 psychological – ostracism and exclusion, spreading of rumours, threats, practical jokes, coercion of the victim into act which he/she does not want to commit

d)                 bullying may also involve extortion, stealing or misappropriation of another pupil’s belongings.

1.1.2        What are some of the Possible Signs of Bullying?

Bullying is not always obvious and most occurs in breaks and between lessons.  Younger pupils are more prone to bully and to be bullied.  Victims tend to be “different” in some way, e.g. new to the school, race, stature, social background, etc.  Colleagues should be aware that possible clusters of signs or patterns of behaviour may indicate that bullying is occurring.

·        Patterns of absenteeism, from school or from particular lessons

·        Changes in behaviour patterns, e.g. avoiding certain areas of the school, reluctance to work in class with particular pupils, an expressed desire to change Options.

·        Withdrawal from social activities

·        Isolation in class

·        Moodiness, depression, unusual withdrawal

·        Nervous tension

·        Psychosomatic illnesses, e.g. non-specific pains

·        Damaged or missing clothing, books or equipment

·        Unexpected decline in standards of work.

1.1.3        Procedures

a)                 Staff witnessing bullying should intervene but avoid physical confrontation.  It is vital to make the situation safe, control the bully(ies) and support the victim(s).  If the situation warrants it, an immediate verbal reprimand to the bully(ies) is entirely appropriate, (however keep calm) but no other punitive action should be taken without consultation with the Tutor of the victim.  Inform the victim(s), bully(ies) and any bystanders that the incident will be recorded.

b)                 Staff should complete the top half of a “Bullying Incident – Initial Report” form available in the Common Room.  Give the main copy to the Deputy Head (Pastoral) and lodge photocopies in the pigeonholes of the relevant Head of House and Tutor.  It is the responsibility of the victim’s tutor to follow up the report.

c)                 Action by Tutors

i)        Reports received via an Initial Report Form (see above)

The principal responsibility of any further investigation and action lies with you, in conjunction with the Head of House, not with the member of staff who made the initial report.

ii)        Reports received by a Parent

Please treat any such report sympathetically and sensitively and assure the parent that it will be taken seriously and addressed as swiftly as possible.  As in all other cases, it is your responsibility to the tutor to log the report and to take appropriate follow up action.

i)                      Reports by your Tutee

It is essential to treat all complaints sympathetically and sensitively but unemotionally.  It may have taken considerable courage on the part of the pupil concerned to come forward and the child must not be made to feel foolish, weak or inadequate in any way.  If possible, listen to the child immediately.  However, make sure you have time to listen; do not try to sort things out in two minutes before a lesson.  Arrange to see the pupil at a mutually convenient time, preferably within 24 hours, and in a location with which the pupil feels happy, well away from possible pupil “onlookers”.

Please complete an Initial Report form (or if an incident has already been referred to you, complete the form already in your possession) in order to record the precise nature of any complaint.  Record all matters factually and as far as possible in the alleged victim’s own words: do not leap to conclusions or ask leading questions in interviewing the pupil.  Do not use the term “bullying” yourself unless the pupil uses it first, as parents of the alleged bully may later claim in his/her defence that the matter was prejudged.  Ultimately, if punishment regrettably proves to be necessary, there will need to be unemotional evidence used to substantiate the victim’s allegations.

Reassure the victim that his/her decision to report the situation was the right thing to do and that it will not lead to an exacerbation of the difficulties he/she is facing.  Discuss possible strategies with him/her: whatever course of action is decided must have the support and confidence of the pupil concerned.  He/she must feel suitably protected against any possible retribution, and believe that any action taken will be effective.

d)                 Dealing with a possible bully

It may be sufficient to see the alleged bully individually.  The interview should be conducted in a non-confrontational, non-judgmental, non-punitive manner.  He or she may have been provoked and is entitled to present his or her own version of what has occurred.  In addition, explaining to the alleged bully the effects of what he or she has done, whilst giving them the benefit of the doubt over their motive or intention may, in minor cases, be sufficient to ensure that the behaviour is not repeated.  It should be stressed to the child concerned that parents will not be informed, nor will the pupils be punished, if punishment is necessary, if the behaviour concerned stops immediately.

e)                 Further help for the victim

The victim may himself or herself benefit from counselling as to how to avoid similar incidents in future (the Kidscape booklet “You can beat bullying” is useful in this connection), how to develop coping strategies, or how to modify his/her own behaviour so as not to provoke such incidents. They might be advised to undertake some form or assertiveness training and the school should develop a list of agencies able to provide this.  The child might also be provided with the telephone number of Childline or of other confidential counselling agencies.  A face to face meeting between the alleged victim and the alleged bully may bring about reconciliation if conducted calmly.

f)                   Dealing with parents of a persistent bully

The parents of a consistent bully should be notified, informed of attempts to date to encourage him or her to modify the behaviour concerned, and warned of punishment if the behaviour continues.  Ultimately the decision as to the appropriateness of punishment must be determined by the Headmaster, in conjunction with the tutor(s) and the Head(s) of House concerned.

Discussion of bullying with the form might be an appropriate course of action.  Discuss with the Head of House before embarking on this.  The Deputy Head (Pastoral) and Mr Crowhurst will be able to offer a useful source of resources.

This is a time-consuming process but it is important that action is taken as soon as possible and consequently tutors may need to withdraw themselves and the pupil(s) concerned from Chapel in order to provide appropriate advice and guidance.  Tutors may also, if necessary, occasionally use normal tutorial time for this purpose, requesting their Head of House to step in and supervise the remainder of the tutor group when this is feasible depending upon general “cover” requirements on any given day.

When the process has been undertaken the tutor should complete the remainder of the Initial Report form, send a copy to the Deputy Head (Pastoral) and lodge the original with the Office for inclusion in the main pupil files and place a photocopy in the House File.  It will be essential to continue to be vigilant for any signs of reoccurrence.