School Policies

Bullying Policy

Bullying – A Policy Statement

  1. Physical and verbal abuse of other pupils is not acceptable at Ribblesdale High School and it is everyone’s responsibility to prevent if from happening and to report it.
  2. Bullying is taken seriously and all incidents are recorded and appropriate action taken.
  3. Advice and guidance is made available to both victims and bullies.
  4. The school’s aim is to raise the self-esteem of all Ribblesdale pupils and to create an atmosphere of mutual respect.  The school’s success in encouraging better relationships between its pupils will be evaluated by monitoring recorded incidents, by using questionnaires and by interviews with pupils and with parents.

Action Undertaken by the School

  1. Accurate records kept of all incidents of bullying.  Incident reports when made are logged in an ‘Incident/Bullying File’
  2. All staff (including non-teaching staff – e.g. Lunchtime supervisors) should report any concerns about possible bullying to Pastoral Staff – where possible these should be in writing.
  3. For all serious incidents statements should be taken from pupils involved and witnessed, parents contacted, and details kept in pupils’ Record Cards.
  4. After ascertaining the facts of any bullying incident, the school will use a range of sanctions available.
  5. The school makes expected standards clear to pupils and involves them in making decisions about rules and appropriate ways of behaving.
  6. Counselling will be used to support the victims and to attempt to change the behaviour of the bully.
  7. Peer-group pressure can be used to discourage bullying and pupils can be helped to develop positive strategies and to become assertive without using threats and violence.

Involvement of Parents

  1. Parents are made fully aware of the school’s policy concerning bullying and they are encouraged to work in partnership with the school to achieve better relationships between pupils.
  2. Parents are urged to contact Pastoral Staff if they are at all concerned about their child being unsettled at school or if they suspect that they may be involved in bullying.  (The school’s response to approaches from parents will clearly be vital to the success of any policy on bullying.)
  3. In all serious cases of bullying parents will be asked to take part in discussions about what strategies should be used and to support the action of the school.