Behaviour / Anti-Bullying
Principles
As a school community, we all wish the following principles to be promoted within our school:
- active engagement with the school's Christian values
- all members of school community have the right to feel safe
- all members of the school community have a right to give and receive respect
- all members of the school community have the right to learn
Behaviour
At West Ashton CE Primary School it is important that every member of the school community feels valued, respected and understood. Every individual in school should be able to live out our vision so that ‘you will shine among them like stars in the sky’. We value all members of our school community as unique individuals and as a community promote our values of agape, hope, wisdom, koinonia, friendship and thankfulness. Through these we provide an environment where we all aspire, believe and celebrate.
Every day is a new start. The children will be reminded throughout the day that any poor behaviour can be turned around. We consistently encourage and reward good behaviour.
We value each and every individual within our school community and encourage their contribution in shaping a welcoming, safe and fair learning community for all.
Good behaviour in school will enable our children to:
- stay safe
- enjoy their learning
- achieve their potential
- make a positive contribution to the school, and wider community
- access the full range of learning opportunities in a calm, positive environment
- reach high
- behave appropriately in a wide range of social and educational situations
- value the rights of the individual
Rewards
Children are consistently awarded with verbal praise for making positive choices. All children can earn 'DoJo' points from any adult in the school by showing they are living and demonstrating our school Christian values through anything they do at school including through interaction with another child, showing great effort, making a positive choice, being brave and trying something new or through their work.
Rewards for good behaviour include:
- verbal praise or stickers
- receiving class dojo/house points
- being sent to the headteacher to share good behaviour news including excellent learning, superb effort, great answers
- receiving certificates and awards in worship
- public recognition e.g. school newsletter
Anti-Bullying
Principles
- We want a school and community free from all forms of bullying, including cyberbullying.
- We want people in our school community to value difference.
- We think everyone has a right to be safe online.
- We want bullying never to be acceptable online, offline, at home or at school.
- We want to use technology to report bullying if it occurs in or out of school so we feel safe when reporting (e.g. text message / email).
- We want a relevant, useful and practical anti-bullying policy the whole school community reviews regularly so we can change parts that don't work.
Definition of bullying
The Anti-Bullying Alliance defines bullying as:
“the repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power. Bullying can be physical, verbal or psychological. It can happen face-to-face or through cyberspace.”
Our children describe an incident of unpleasant behaviour done by accident as rude; an incident of unpleasant behaviour done on purpose as mean; but unpleasant behaviour done Several Times On Purpose (STOP) as bullying.
We classify any behaviours that hurt another, either physically or emotionally, if they are carried out repeatedly as bullying.
We recognise the severity of the impact of being bullied on an individual, and that these effects can continue long past the actual incidents of bullying have ended. Children who are bullied are more likely to:
- have low self-esteem
- develop anxiety or depression
- become socially withdrawn, isolated and lonely
- have lower academic achievements due to avoiding or becoming disengaged with school
- be unable to form trusting, healthy relationships with friends or partners in the future
We also recognise that there are negative long-term effects on individuals who have been bullies. Children who frequently bully are more likely to:
- drop out of, or be expelled from school
- engage in criminal behaviour
- develop depression or anxiety
- be abusive towards their partners, spouses or children as adults
In addition there are impacts on those who are around bullying behaviour. Children who witness bullying are more likely to:
- feel powerless
- live in fear and guilt
Forms of bullying
- physical violence such as hitting, pushing or spitting at another pupil
- interfering with another pupil’s property, by stealing, hiding or damaging it
- using offensive names when addressing another pupil
- teasing or spreading rumours about another pupil or his/her family
- belittling another pupil’s abilities and achievements.
- writing offensive notes or graffiti about another pupil
- excluding another pupil from a group activity
- ridiculing another pupil’s appearance, way of speaking or personal mannerisms
- misusing technology (internet or mobiles) to hurt or humiliate another person
If you have any concerns about bullying or friendship issues at school we would respectfully ask you to discuss these concerns with your class teacher who will be able to help you. We would ask you to avoid discussing your concerns with any children involved or with their parents in the playground. Thank you.