Anti-Bullying

All members of The Garibaldi School community stand together against bullying, in all its forms. Our proactive approach is woven into our curriculum at all levels, but particularly through our assembly provision and personal development lessons. We aim to create a positive learning environment where students take responsibility for their own and each other’s well-being. For example:

  • We use the British Values programme to develop social and emotional skills such as empathy and the management of feelings, thereby providing continuity from primary to secondary education.
  • We aim to provide understanding and tolerance of all our differences.
  • We encourage all students to be an upstander, and not a bystander, in the event of witnessing any behaviours that are, or are suspected to be, bullying.
  • We pride ourselves on establishing positive relationships with students, based on mutual respect and trust. We recognise the importance of these relationships in helping students to feel comfortable to report any concerns.
  • We also encourage students to use our online reporting form.
  • Curriculum opportunities in class are used to raise awareness about bullying and our anti-bullying policy, create an anti-bullying ethos and encourage students to manage their relationships positively with others.

When bullying is witnessed or suspected, and reported, our investigation process is thorough. Wherever possible, we seek to take a restorative approach and will support the student(s) reporting the incident, the victim(s), perpetrator(s) and their families.

We support, promote and celebrate anti-bullying week in November each year. However, it is important for all members of The Garibaldi School community to recognise that our focus on anti-bullying, and the importance we place upon it, extends beyond this single week to the whole year.

We classify bullying according to the Anti-Bullying Alliances definition:

“Bullying is the repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power. It can happen face to face or online.

There are four key elements to this definition:

  • Hurtful
  • Repetition
  • Power imbalance
  • Intentional

Bullying behaviour can be:

  • Physical – pushing, poking, kicking, hitting, biting, pinching etc.
  • Verbal - name calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, threats, teasing, belittling.
  • Emotional – isolating others, tormenting, hiding books, threatening gestures, ridicule, humiliation, intimidating, excluding, manipulation and coercion.
  • Sexual – unwanted physical contact, inappropriate touching, abusive comments, homophobic abuse, exposure to inappropriate films etc.
  • Online /cyber – posting on social media, sharing photos, sending nasty text messages, social exclusion
  • Indirect - Can include the exploitation of individuals.

We are aware that online forms of bullying are increasingly experienced by students nationally. Students understanding of safe and acceptable online behaviour, and how to identify and report online bullying, is addressed both through our personal development and digital literacy curricula.

Bullying can be an attack on a group to which an individual may belong. At NOVA Trust schools, in accordance to the Equal Opportunities Policy, we will pay particular attention to any form of bullying involving:

  • Race
  • Sexual orientation
  • Gender
  • Religion
  • EAL
  • Disability and Special Educational Needs
  • Looked After children

Reporting Incidents

It is important that incidents of alleged bullying are reported immediately so that appropriate action can be taken by the school in supporting all parties involved. If the incident is deemed not to be bullying, it will still be considered serious and therefore dealt with under the Behaviour Policy.

Parents are encouraged to report any concerns relating to bullying to the mentor, in the first instance, via a telephone call or email.

Students who have been bullied or have witnessed others being bullied should ideally report the incident to their mentor, as soon as possible. The staff member will investigate the allegation in order to reach a resolution, whilst keeping the Head of Year informed via our internal recording system. If the mentor is not available, students should report to any other member of staff (teaching or non-teaching) who will take appropriate action to report the matter to the mentor and Head of Year.

We will provide support to students who are bullied by:

  • Assuring them that it was right to report the incident.
  • Encouraging them to talk about how they feel.
  • Ascertaining the extent of the problem by interviewing those involved and taking written statements where necessary.
  • Trying to ensure that they feel safe by discussing strategies to remain so.
  • Asking them to report any further incidents in order that bullying can be stopped.
  • Seek to take a restorative approach by involving friends, peer support, mediation with the bully (with pastoral support staff or other staff) and parents/ carers where appropriate.
  • Considering and applying sanctions under the Behaviour Policy.

We will provide support to students involved in bullying others by:

  • Encouraging them to talk about how they feel
  • Involving parents, carers and staff to ascertain what support they need, e.g. anger management, counselling.
  • Using sanctions under the Behaviour Policy to impress upon the perpetrator that their behaviour is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
  • Monitoring future behaviour and taking appropriate course of action.

All incidents of bullying will be recorded to allow tracking, monitoring and evaluation. This will in all instances include:

  • Incident details
  • Action taken including sanctions applied
  • Resolution
  • Staff involved

This information will be used by the Strategic Leadership Team to:

Share of good practice

Ensure parity in dealing with incidents

Identify where bullying is a factor in non-attendance at school

Review our Anti-Bullying Policy

React to emerging patterns of behaviour, by implementing changes to our curriculum

The Garibaldi School take incidents of bullying very seriously and would urge any student who is experiencing bullying in school to contact one of the key members of staff such as:

  • your mentor
  • a teacher
  • Head of Year

Find someone you trust and someone you feel able to talk to!

Together we can work to resolve any issue.

March 2024

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