Anti-Bullying

At Barnsley Academy

We believe that all students, whatever their race, culture, gender, faith, sexual orientation, physical or intellectual abilities have the right to:

  • a safe and secure environment at school and on the way to and from school
  • concentrate on their educational progress without fearing others

We promote an environment which teaches students respect for others and where all members of the academy are encouraged to contribute to a caring and effective atmosphere.

All students are encouraged to speak to a member of staff if they are being made to feel uncomfortable at school or if they witness this happening to others. Please make sure that you or your child lets us know if there is a problem that is making them unhappy. Bullying cannot be dealt with if the academy is unaware of the problem.

What is Bullying?

"Bullying behaviour abuses an imbalance of power to repeatedly and intentionally cause emotional or physical harm to another person or group of people. Isolated instances of hurtful behaviour, teasing or arguments between individuals would not be seen as bullying" (Torfaen definition 2008)

Bullying generally takes one of four forms:

  • Indirect - being unfriendly, spreading rumours, excluding, tormenting (e.g. hiding bags or books);
  • Physical - pushing, kicking, hitting, punching, slapping or any form of violence;
  • Verbal - name-calling, teasing, threats, sarcasm;
  • Cyber - all areas of internet misuse, such as nasty and/or threatening emails, misuse of blogs, gaming websites, internet chat rooms and instant messaging; Mobile threats by text messaging & calls; Misuse of associated technology, i.e. camera and video facilities.

Although not an exhaustive list, common examples of bullying include:

  • Racial bullying;
  • Homophobic bullying;
  • Bullying based on disability, ability, gender, appearance or circumstance.

For useful information please see the following website:

https://www.bullying.co.uk/

www.kidscape.org.uk

Dealing with incidents

All incidents are treated seriously by staff and referred to the Form Tutor/senior member of staff as soon as possible. This can be by you or by your child. Following on from this, the year team will action the following points:

  • Written statements are taken from all students involved
  • Both the ‘child who has been harmed’ and the ‘child who has caused harm’ are made aware that the school views any instance of bullying very seriously
  • It is imperative that the child who has been harmed is supported and is given help
  • Every effort must be made to resolve the situation immediately. Where appropriate, ‘child who has been harmed’ and ‘child who has caused harm’ should be brought together to discuss the incident
  • Follow up procedures should check that the bullying has not resumed
  • The lead member of staff will judge the seriousness of the incident. In the case of a minor ‘one off’ incident, in which no physical harm is done, a reprimand may be sufficient. More serious or persistent cases will necessitate the involvement of the Principal. In these cases, parents must be informed and invited into school
  • Sanctions must be clear, consistent and appropriate to the seriousness of the incident
  • Where other strategies do not resolve the problem, permanent exclusion may be justified in the most serious and persistent cases, particularly where violence is involved
  • When investigating a fight, it is important to identify whether it has arisen through bullying. If a student has been severely provoked, this must be taken into account when dealing with the incident. If both parties have been provoked by third parties, it is important to identify the provocateur(s) and deal with them appropriately. N.B. We must never give the impression that we condone retaliation, although we should treat incidents of this nature sensitively