Behaviour and Inclusion
Reporting and managing bullying incidents.Bullying is behaviour that hurts someone else’s such as name calling, hitting, pushing, spreading rumours, threatening or undermining someone. It can happen anywhere – at school, at home or online. It’s usually repeated over a long period of time and can hurt a child both physically and emotionally.
Reporting and managing bullying incidents
Bullying that happens online, using social networks, games and mobile phones, is often called cyberbullying. A child can feel like there’s no escape because it can happen wherever they are, at any time of day or night.
It can be hard for adults, including parents, to know whether or not a child is being bullied. A child might not tell anyone because they're scared the bullying will get worse. They might think that they deserve to be bullied, or that it's their fault.
Signs of Bulling
You can’t always see the signs of bullying. And no one sign indicates for certain that a child’s being bullied. But you should look out for:
- belongings getting “lost” or damaged
- physical injuries such as unexplained bruises
- being afraid to go to school, being mysteriously 'ill' each morning, or skipping school
- not doing as well at school
- asking for, or stealing, money (to give to a bully)
- being nervous, losing confidence, or becoming distressed and withdrawn
- problems with eating or sleeping
- bullying others.
Children don’t think of people they’ve met online through social networking and online games as strangers, they’re just online friends. This can make them vulnerable to bullying, inappropriate friendships and grooming.
Unfortunately bullying can happen anywhere-even online, and it can take many different forms. Children could receive unpleasant emails or text messages, and people may say or mean offensive things to them or post cruel comments or pictures on social networks. Bullying can also involve being purposefully blocked, ignored, and excluded from games or social media sites. Often children won’t know who the comments are from, as users can post things anonymously. The online bully may be someone who they know, or they could be a stranger.
Anonymous websites, texting sharing services and apps are on the increase. These services can appeal to young people as it lets them explore issues anonymously and ask difficult questions. However, anonymity can make the risk of being bullied or contacted by strangers worse.
Signs of Cyberbullying
- sending threatening or abusive text messages
- creating and sharing embarrassing images or videos
- 'trolling' - the sending of menacing or upsetting messages on social networks, chat rooms or online games
- excluding children from online games, activities or friendship groups
- setting up hate sites or groups about a particular child
- encouraging young people to self-harm
- voting for or against someone in an abusive poll
- creating fake accounts, hijacking or stealing online identities to embarrass a young person or cause trouble using their name.
- any other inappropriate images or messages
What if my child is bullying someone?
Find out whether other children were involved and what part your child played. They may not have realised that what happened was bullying. Tell them explicitly that this behaviour isn’t acceptable and if the behaviour happened online, explain that this doesn’t mean it’s not upsetting. Help them understand how what they’ve done feels. You could ask them how they think the other child felt, or how they feel when someone says unkind things to them. Explain that leaving someone out of an online discussion or group can be just as bad as attacking them directly. Encourage them to apologise to the person involved and, if online, help them to remove the content.
What can I do as a parent/carer?
Arrange a meeting with the school, you can bring another person along with you for support if you wish. We will then support you and your child in line with the academies behaviour policy. If you have any evidence of the bullying such as text messages, record of incidents, screenshots it would be helpful if you could bring these along to the meeting. We may have to inform the police if the bullying involves ongoing harassment and intimidation or a hate crime (such as racism or homophobia).
If the bullying is taking place online, we would encourage that you Block and Report any further contact between your child and the other child. Explain to your child what bullying and cyberbullying is.
Let your child know you’re always there for them, remember children can feel embarrassed, scared to talk or worried they will get into trouble. You can suggest they talk to a teacher or call child line on 08001111.
If you are concerned about your child or other children, please contact:
Nahid Arshad the academy’s Behaviour Mentor
Email: office@beaumont.spacademies.org
Telephone: 01484 503111
Beaumont Primary Anti-Bullying Policy
Here are some useful websites that can provide you with information on bullying and how to deal with this as a parent or carer.
YoungMinds How To Deal With Bullying and Getting Help
