Anti Bullying Policy

Raheen National School

Anti-Bullying Policy

In accordance with the requirements of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000 and the code of behaviour guidelines issued by the NEWB, the Board of Management of Raheen National School adopted the following anti-bullying policy within the framework of the school’s overall code of behaviour. This policy fully complies with the requirements of the Anti Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools which were published by the Department of Education & Skills in September 2013.

1. Best Practice in the Prevention of Bullying Behaviour

The Board of Management recognises the very serious nature of bullying and the negative impact that it can have on the lives of pupils and is therefore fully committed to the following key principles of best practice in preventing and tackling bullying behaviour:

A positive school culture and climate which
- is welcoming of difference and diversity and is based on inclusivity; o encourages pupils to disclose and discuss incidents of bullying behaviour in a non-threatening environment; and
- promotes respectful relationships across the school community;
Effective leadership;
A school-wide approach;
A shared understanding of what bullying is and its impact;
Implementation of education and prevention strategies (including awareness raising measures) that
- build empathy, respect and resilience in pupils; and
- explicitly address the issues of cyber-bullying and identity-based bullying including in particular, homophobic and transphobic bullying.
Effective supervision and monitoring of pupils;
Supports for staff;
Consistent recording, investigation and follow up of bullying behaviour (including use of established intervention strategies); and
On-going evaluation of the effectiveness of the anti-bullying policy.

2 Definition of Bullying

In accordance with the Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools bullying is defined as follows:

Bullying is unwanted negative behaviour, verbal, psychological or physical conducted, by an individual or group against another person (or persons) and which is repeated over time. The following types of bullying behaviour are included in the definition of bullying:

Deliberate exclusion, malicious gossip and other forms of relational bullying
Cyber-bullying
Identity-based bullying such as homophobic bullying, racist bullying, bullying based on a person’s membership of the Traveller community and bullying of those with disabilities or special educational needs.
Humiliation; including name-calling, reference to academic ability, physical characteristics, accent or distinctive voice, sexual innuendo etc.
Intimidation; including aggressive use of body language / dirty looks/mimicking. ∙ Verbal abuse, showing disrespect anonymous or otherwise.
Physical abuse or threatened abuse. (pushing, punching, kicking, tripping, assaulting) ∙ Being mean
Aggressive or obscene language.
Offensive joke; whether spoken or by email, text messaging etc.
Victimisation; including very personal remarks about appearance, clothing, personal hygiene, school work, family circumstances, ability at games.
Interfering/breaking/hiding/defacing/stealing personal possessions. (property, damage to clothing, school books, learning materials)
Unreasonable assignment to duties that are obviously unfavourable.
Unreasonable deadlines or tasks.
Threats, including demands for money or other belongings.
Writing derogatory comments on books, copies, desks etc.

Isolated or once-off incidents of intentional negative behaviour, including a once-off offensive or hurtful text message or other private messaging, do not fall within the definition of bullying and should be dealt with, as appropriate, in accordance with the school’s code of behaviour.

However, in the context of this policy, placing a once-off offensive or hurtful public message, image or statement on a social network site or other public forum where that message, image or statement can be viewed and/or repeated by other people will be regarded as bullying behaviour.

Negative behaviour that does not meet this definition of bullying will be dealt with in accordance with the school’s code of behaviour.

Types of bullying:

The following are some of the types of bullying behaviour that can occur amongst pupils:

Physical aggression: This behaviour includes pushing, shoving, punching, kicking, poking and tripping people. It may also take the form of severe physical assault. While pupils often engage in ‘mess fights’, they can sometimes be used as a disguise for physical harassment or inflicting pain.
Intimidation: Some bullying behaviour takes the form of intimidation: it may be based on the use of very aggressive body language with the voice being used as a weapon. Particularly upsetting can be a facial expression which conveys aggression and/or dislike.
Isolation/exclusion and other relational bullying: This occurs where a certain person is deliberately isolated, excluded or ignored by some or all of the class group. This practice is usually initiated by the person engaged in bullying behaviour and can be difficult to detect. It may be accompanied by writing insulting remarks about the pupil in public places, by passing around notes about or drawings of the pupil or by whispering insults about them loud enough to be heard. Relational bullying occurs when a person’s attempts to socialise and form relationships with peers are repeatedly rejected or undermined. One of the most common forms includes control: “Do this or I won’t be your friend anymore”(implied or stated); a group ganging up against one person (girl or boy); non verbal gesturing; malicious gossip; spreading rumours about a person or giving them the “silent treatment”.
Cyber-bullying: This type of bullying is increasingly common and is continuously evolving. It is bullying carried out through the use of information and communication
technologies such as text, social network sites, e-mail, instant messaging (IM), apps, gaming sites, chat-rooms and other online technologies. Being the target of inappropriate or hurtful messages is the most common form of online bullying. As cyber-bullying uses technology to perpetrate bullying behaviour and does not require face to face contact, cyber-bullying can occur at any time (day or night). Many forms of bullying can be facilitated through cyber-bullying. For example, a target may be sent homophobic text messages or pictures may be posted with negative comments about a person’s sexuality, appearance etc.
Name calling: Persistent name-calling directed at the same individual(s) which hurts, insults or humiliates should be regarded as a form of bullying behaviour. Often name calling of this type refers to physical appearance, e.g., size or clothes worn. Accent or distinctive voice characteristics may attract negative attention. Academic ability can also provoke name calling. This tends to operate at two extremes. There are those who are singled out for attention because they are perceived to be weak academically. At the other extreme there are those who, because they are perceived as high achievers, are also targeted.
Damage to property: Personal property can be the focus of attention for bullying behaviour. This may result in damage to clothing, mobile phone or other devices, school books and other learning material or interference with a pupil’s locker or bicycle. The contents of school bags and pencil cases may be scattered on the floor. Items of personal property may be defaced, broken, stolen or hidden.
Extortion: Demands for money may be made, often accompanied by threats (sometimes carried out in the event of the targeted pupil not delivering on the demand). A pupil may also be forced into theft of property for delivery to another who is engaged in bullying behaviour.

3. School Contact Personnel

The relevant teacher(s) for investigating and dealing with bullying are

Mrs. Joan Mullane (Principal)
Ms. Ann Kelliher
Learning Support/ Resource Teachers

Any incidents witnessed by other staff members will be relayed to the above mentioned teachers.

4. Education & Prevention Strategies

The education and prevention strategies (including strategies specifically aimed at cyber-bullying and identity-based bullying including in particular, homophobic and transphobic bullying) used in Raheen National School are as follows:

The SPHE curriculum including, RSE, Walk Tall, Stay Safe programmes, Anti Bullying Week and Friendship activities including a Friends for Life Programme are used throughout the school to support the anti bullying policy.
Positive self-esteem is fostered among the pupils by celebrating individual differences, by acknowledging good behaviour and by providing opportunities for success.
Pupils are helped to develop empathy by discussing feelings and by trying to put themselves in the place of others.
Teachers respond sensitively to pupils who disclose incidents of bullying. ∙ The school's anti-bullying policy is discussed regularly with the pupils.
Staff are particularly vigilant in monitoring pupils who are considered at risk of bullying/ being bullied.
All disclosed incidents of bullying are investigated.
Members of the BOM are familiar with the school’s policy on bullying and actively promote it on a repeated basis among staff, parents and pupils.
Parents contribute to and support the school’s policy on bullying by encouraging positive behaviour both at home and at school, by being vigilant for signs and symptoms that their child is being bullied or is bullying others, by communicating concerns to the school.
Using school assemblies to remind pupils of the school’s anti bullying policy ∙ Using both the formal and informal curriculum to emphasise that bullying is unacceptable... visual arts activities, posters, drama, role play, SPHE, cooperative games, circle time...
Model respectful behaviour to all members of the school community at all times. ∙ Explicitly teach pupils what respectful language and respectful behaviour looks like, acts like, sounds like and feels like in class and around the school.
Display key respect messages in classrooms, in assembly areas and around the school. Involve pupils in the development of these messages.
Catch them being good – notice and acknowledge desired respectful behaviour by providing positive attention – Caught Being Good Reward system, Unsung Hero Award
Consistently tackle the use of discriminatory and derogatory language in the school – this includes homophobic and racist language and language that is belittling of pupils with a disability or SEN.
Give constructive feedback to pupils when respectful behaviour and respectful language are absent.
Have a system of encouragement and rewards to promote desired behaviour and compliance with the school rules and routines.
Positively encourage pupils to comply with the school rules on mobile phone and internet use.
Follow up and follow through with pupils who ignore the rules.
Actively involve parents and/or the Parents’ Association in awareness raising campaigns around social media.
Actively promote the right of every member of the school community to be safe and secure in school.
Highlight and explicitly teach school rules in pupil friendly language in the classroom and in common areas.
All staff can actively watch out for signs of bullying behaviour.
Ensure there is adequate playground/school yard/outdoor supervision.
School staff can get pupils to help to identify bullying ‘hot spots’ and ‘hot times’ for bullying in the school.
- Hot spots tend to be in the playground/school yard/outdoor areas, changing rooms, corridors and other areas of unstructured supervision.
- Hot times again tend to be times where there is less structured supervision such as when pupils are in the playground/school yard or moving classrooms.

Types of cyber-bullying – SEE APPENDIX 2

The school’s procedures for investigation, follow-up and recording of bullying behaviour and the established intervention strategies used by the school for dealing with cases of bullying behaviour are as follows:

C.F. Appendix 7 – Anti-Bullying Campaign for Primary Schools – HANDBOOK 2 RECORDS

A standardised record system will be used to track an individual pupil’s behaviour. Such records will contain;

Incidents of misbehaviour,
Interventions used to improve behaviour, including contact with parent(s)/guardian(s) or referral to other agencies
Evidence of improved behaviour
Any sanctions imposed, and the reasons they were imposed

Both parents/guardians and pupils will be told when a record is being made about a child’s behaviour, and the reasons for keeping a record will be explained.

All records will be kept in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1988 and the Data Protection (Amendment) Act 2003.

5. Parent/Guardian Reporting of Bullying

Protocol for the incidence where the Parent/Guardian suspects their child may be the subject of bullying behaviour while in attendance at school. (See Appendix 8)

6. Investigation & Follow-Up Procedures

The primary aim for the class teacher in investigating and dealing with bullying is to resolve any issues and to restore, as far as is practicable, the relationships of the parties involved (rather than to apportion blame);

(1) In investigating and dealing with bullying, the teacher will exercise his/her professional judgement to determine whether bullying has occurred and how best the situation might be resolved;

(2) All reports, including anonymous reports of bullying must be investigated and dealt with by the relevant teacher. In that way pupils will gain confidence in ‘telling’. This confidence factor is of vital importance. It should be made clear to all pupils that when they report incidents of bullying they are not considered to be telling tales but are behaving responsibly;

(3) Non-teaching staff such as secretaries, special needs assistants (SNAs), caretakers, cleaners will be encouraged to report any incidents of bullying behaviour witnessed by them, or mentioned to them, to the relevant class teacher;

(4) Parents and pupils are required to co-operate with any investigation and assist the school in resolving any issues and restoring, as far as is practicable, the relationships of the parties involved as quickly as possible;

(5) Teachers will take a calm, unemotional problem-solving approach when dealing with incidents of alleged bullying behaviour reported by pupils, staff or parents;

(6) Incidents will generally be investigated outside the classroom situation to ensure the privacy of all involved;

(7) All interviews will be conducted with sensitivity and with due regard to the rights of all pupils concerned. Pupils who are not directly involved may also provide very useful information.

(8) When analysing incidents of bullying behaviour, the relevant teacher will seek answers to questions of what, where, when, who and why. This will be done in a calm manner, setting an example in dealing effectively with a conflict in a non-aggressive manner;

(9) If a group is involved, each member will be interviewed individually at first. Thereafter, all those involved will be met as a group. At the group meeting, each member will be asked for his/her account of what happened to ensure that everyone in the group is clear about each other’s statements;

(10) Each member of a group will be supported through the possible pressures that they may face from the other members of the group after interview by the teacher;

(11) It may also be appropriate or helpful to ask those involved to write down their account of the incident(s);

(12) In cases where it has been determined by the relevant teacher that bullying behaviour has occurred, the parents of the parties involved will be contacted at an early stage to inform them of the matter and explain the actions being taken (by reference to the school policy). The school will give parents an opportunity of discussing ways in which they can reinforce or support the actions being taken by the school and the supports for their pupils;

(13) Where the relevant teacher has determined that a pupil has been engaged in bullying behaviour, it will be made clear to him/her how he/she is in breach of the school’s anti bullying policy and efforts will be made to try to get him/her to see the situation from the perspective of the pupil being bullied;

(14) It will also be made clear to all involved (each set of pupils and parents) that in any situation where disciplinary sanctions are required, this is a private matter between the pupil being disciplined, his or her parents and the school;

(15) Follow-up meetings with the relevant parties involved will be arranged separately with a view to possibly bringing them together at a later date if the pupil who has been bullied is ready and agreeable. This can have a therapeutic effect;

(16) In cases where the class teacher considers that the bullying behaviour has not been adequately and appropriately addressed within 20 school days after he/she has determined that bullying behaviour has occurred, it will be recorded by the relevant teacher in the recording template at Appendix 3.

(17) In determining whether a bullying case has been adequately and appropriately addressed the relevant teacher will, as part of his/her professional judgement, take the following factors into account:

Whether the bullying behaviour has ceased;
Whether any issues between the parties have been resolved as far as is practicable;
Whether the relationships between the parties have been restored as far as is practicable; and any feedback received from the parties involved, their parents or the school Principal or Deputy Principal;

(18) Where a parent is not satisfied that the school has dealt with a bullying case in accordance with these procedures, the parents will be referred, as appropriate, to the school’s complaints procedures;

(19) In the event that a parent has exhausted the school's complaints procedures and is still not satisfied, the school must advise the parents of their right to make a complaint to the Ombudsman for Children.

Procedures for recording bullying behaviour

All records must be maintained in accordance with relevant data protection legislation. The school’s procedures for noting and reporting bullying behaviour will adhere to the following:

(i) While all reports, including anonymous reports of bullying will be investigated and dealt with by the relevant teacher, the relevant teacher will use his/her professional judgement in relation to the records to be kept of these reports, the actions taken and any discussions with those involved regarding same

(ii) If it is established by the relevant teacher that bullying has occurred, the class teacher will keep appropriate written records which will assist his/her efforts to resolve the issues and restore, as far as is practicable, the relationships of the parties involved.

(iii) The class teacher will use the recording template at Appendix 3 to record the bullying behaviour in the following circumstances:

⮚In cases where he/she considers that the bullying behaviour has not been adequately and appropriately addressed within 20 school days after he/she has determined that bullying behaviour occurred; and

The recording template at Appendix 3 will be retained by the teacher in question and a copy provided to the Principal. It should also be noted that the timeline for recording bullying behaviour in the recording template at Appendix 3 does not in any way preclude the relevant teacher from consulting the Principal at an earlier stage in relation to a case.

7. Working with Pupils Affected by Bullying

The school’s programme of support for working with pupils affected by bullying is as follows:

Supports for pupils affected by bullying

A programme of support for pupils who have been bullied is in place. Such pupils may need counselling and/or opportunities to participate in activities designed to raise their self-esteem, to develop their friendship and social skills and thereby build resilience whenever this is needed – “Friends for Life”, Walk Tall, RSE “Stay Safe”, “Webwise”, “Anti-Bullying Week”, Kerry Life Education.
A programme of support for those pupils involved in bullying behaviour will also be part of the school’s intervention process. Pupils involved in bullying behaviour need assistance on an ongoing basis. For those with low self-esteem, opportunities will be developed to increase feelings of self-worth. It is, therefore, important that the learning strategies applied within the school allow for the enhancement of the pupil’s self-worth. Pupils who engage in bullying behaviour may need counselling to help them learn other ways of meeting their needs without violating the rights of others - “Friends for Life”, Walk Tall, RSE, “Stay Safe”, “Webwise”, “Anti-Bullying Week”, Kerry Life Education.
Pupils who observe incidents of bullying behaviour will be encouraged to discuss them with teachers.

8. Supervision & Monitoring

The Board of Management confirms that appropriate supervision and monitoring policies and practices are in place to both prevent and deal with bullying behaviour and to facilitate early intervention where possible.

9. Prevention of Harassment

The Board of Management confirms that the school will, in accordance with its obligations under equality legislation, take all such steps that are reasonably practicable to prevent the sexual harassment of pupils or staff or the harassment of pupils or staff on any of the nine grounds specified i.e. gender including transgender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race and membership of the Traveller community.

10. Policy Adoption

This policy was adopted by the Board of Management on ________________.

11. Communication

This policy has been made available to school personnel, published on the school website and provided to the Parents’ Association. A copy of this policy will be made available to the Department and the patron if requested.

12. Implementation Review

This policy and its implementation will be reviewed by the Board of Management once in every school year. Written notification that the review has been completed will be made available to school personnel, published on the school website and provided to the Parents’ Association. A record of the review and its outcome will be made available, if requested, to the patron and the Department.

POLICY RATIFICATION

The policy was ratified by the Board of Management of Raheen National School at its meeting held on

Signed: Michael O'Keefe Chairperson, Board of Management

Date of next review:

APPENDIX 1

Indications of Bullying:

The following signs/symptoms may suggest that a pupil is being bullied:

anxiety about travelling to and from school - requesting parents to drive or collect them, changing route of travel, avoiding regular times for travelling to and from school;
unwillingness to go to school, refusal to attend, ‘mitching’, ‘ditching’;
deterioration in educational performance, loss of concentration and loss of enthusiasm and interest in school;
pattern of physical illnesses (e.g. headaches, stomach aches);
unexplained changes either in mood or behaviour; it may be particularly noticeable before returning to school after weekends or more especially after longer school holidays;
visible signs of anxiety or distress - stammering, withdrawing, nightmares, difficulty in sleeping, crying, not eating, vomiting, bedwetting;
spontaneous out-of-character comments about either pupils or teachers;
possessions missing or damaged;
increased requests for money or stealing money;
unexplained bruising or cuts or damaged clothing;
reluctance and/or refusal to say what is troubling him/her.

Those signs do not necessarily mean that a pupil is being bullied. If repeated or occurring in combination these signs do warrant investigation in order to establish what is affecting the pupil.

Disclosure:

Children will be encouraged to disclose and discuss incidents of bullying behaviour. They will be helped to differentiate between incidents of a minor nature and those that constitute bullying. They will also be taught the difference between ‘telling tales’ and asking for help.

APPENDIX 2

Types of cyber-bullying

Flaming: Online fights, usually through emails, instant messaging or chat rooms where angry and rude comments are exchanged.
Denigration: Putting mean online messages through email, instant messaging, chat rooms or websites set up to make fun someone.
Exclusion: Intentionally leaving someone out of a group such as instant messaging, friend sites or other online group activities.
Outing: Sharing secrets about someone online including private information, pictures and videos.
Trickery: Tricking someone into revealing personal information then sharing it with others.
Impersonation/Masquerading: Pretending to be someone else when posting mean or false messages online using fake email address or instant messaging name.
Harassment: Repeatedly sending malicious messages to someone online, sometimes at odd times of the day and night.
Cyberstalking: Continuously harassing and denigration including threats of physical harm. Messages are normally sent through personal communication such as email or text messages.

APPENDIX 3 – Template for recording bullying behaviour

1. Name of pupil being bullied and class group

Name ______________________________________ Class _______________________

2. Name(s) and class(es) of pupil(s) engaged in bullying behaviour.

3. Source of bullying concern/report (tick relevant)*

Pupil concerned

Other Pupil

Parent

Teacher

Other

4. Location of incident (tick relevant)*

Playground

Classroom

Corridor

Toilets

School Bus

Other

5. Name of person(s) who reported the bullying concern:

6. Type of Bullying Behaviour (tick relevant)*

Physical Aggression

Cyber-bullying

Damage to Property

Intimidation

Isoaltion/Exclusion

Malicious Gossip

Name Calling

Other (specify)

7. Where behaviour is regarded as identity-based bullying – Indicate the relevant category:

Homophobic

Disability/SEN

Racist

Membership of Traveller Community

Other (Specify)

8. Brief description of bullying behaviour and its impact:

9. Details of actions taken

Signed: ___________________________________ (Relevant Teacher)

Date: ____________

Date submitted to Principal/Deputy Principal: __________________________________________

*Note: The categories listed in the tables 3, 4 & 6 are suggested and schools may add to or amend these to suit their own circumstances.

APPENDIX 4

Checklist for annual review of the anti-bullying policy and its implementation.

The Board of Management (the Board) must undertake an annual review of the schools’ anti-bullying policy and its implementation. The following checklist must be used for this purpose. The checklist is an aid to conducting this review and is not intended as an exhaustive list. In order to complete the checklist, an examination and review involving both quantitative and qualitative analysis, as appropriate across the various elements of the implementation of the school’s anti-bullying policy will be required.

Yes/No:

Has to Board formally adopted an anti-bullying policy that fully complies with the requirements of the Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools?

Has the Board published the policy on the school website and provided a copy to the parents’ association?

Has the Board ensured that the policy has been made available to school staff (including new staff)?

Is the Board satisfied that the school staff is sufficiently familiar with the policy and procedures to enable them to effectively and consistently apply the policy and procedures in their day to day work?

Has the Board ensured that the policy has been adequately communicated to all pupils?

Has to policy documented the prevention and education strategies that the school applies?

Have all of the prevention and education strategies been implemented?

Has the effectiveness of the prevention and education strategies that have been implemented been examined?

Is the Board satisfied that all teachers are recording and dealing with incidents in accordance with the policy?

Has the Board received and minuted the periodic summary reports of the Principal?

Has the Board discussed how well the school is handling all reports of bullying including those address at an early stage and not therefore included in the Principal’s periodic report to the Board?

Has the Board received any complaints from parents regarding the school’s handling of bullying incidents?

Have any parents withdrawn their child from the school citing dissatisfaction with the school’s handling of a bullying situation?

Have any Ombudsman for Children investigations into the school’s handling of a bullying case been initiated or completed?

Has the data available from cases reported to the Principal (by the bullying recording template) been analysed to identify any issues, trends or patterns in bullying behaviour?

Has the Board identified any aspects of the school’s policy and/or its implementation that require further improvement?

Has the Board put in place an action plan to address any areas for improvement?

Signed; Michael O' Keefe Date: 23/01/2023 Chairperson, Board of Management

Signed: Joan Mullane Date: 23/01/2023 Principal

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Notification regarding the Board of Management’s annual review of the anti-bullying policy.

The Board of Management of Raheen NS wishes to inform you that:

The Board of Management’s annual review of the school’s anti-bullying policy and its implementation was completed at the Board meeting of 23/01/2023.
This review was conducted in accordance with the checklist set out in APPENDIX 4 of the Department’s Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools.

Signed; Michael O' Keefe Date: 23/01/2023 Chairperson, Board of Management

Signed: Joan Mullane Date: 23/01/2023 Principal

APPENDIX 5 – INTERNET ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY

INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT

Raheen NS wishes to give its students limited access to the Internet, which has potential benefits as a learning tool.

AIM

The aim of this policy is to ensure that pupils will benefit from learning opportunities offered by the school’s Internet resources in a safe and effective manner. Internet use and access is considered a school resource and privilege. Therefore if this policy is not adhered to this privilege will be withdrawn and the appropriate sanctions will be imposed.

PROCEDURES

1. Internet sessions will always be supervised by a teacher.

2. Filtering software – Cyber Patrol will be used in order to minimise the risk of exposure to inappropriate material.

3. Pupils Internet usage will be monitored.

4. Students and teacher will be made aware of Internet safety guidelines as outlined by PDST Technology in Education (formerly known as NCTE)Uploading or downloading of non-approved material will not be permitted.

5. Virus protection software will be used.

6. The use of personal USB’s CD-ROM’s in school is forbidden.

7. Students will observe good “netiquette” (i.e. etiquette on the Internet) at all times and will not undertake any actions that may bring the school into disrepute.

8. Students will use the Internet for educational purposes only.

9. The Webwise Programme will be taught on an annual basis.

10. No personal e-mail accounts to be used by the pupils. If the need occurs students will use approved e-mail accounts under supervision by the class teacher.

11. Students will not reveal their own or other people’s personal details e.g. telephone numbers.

12. No chat rooms will be accessed.

13. The school reserves the right to discipline students for actions taken out of school if they are intended to have an effect on a student or they adversely affect the safety and well-being of a student while in school.

SANCTIONS

Misuse of the Internet will result in disciplinary action as outlined in the school Code of Behaviour

SUPPORT STRUCTURES

The school will inform students and parents of key support structures and organisations that deal with illegal material or harmful use of the Internet. Parents will be provided with the addresses of the relevant websites.

CONCLUSION

It is envisaged that school and parent representatives will revise the AUP annually. Before signing, the AUP should be read carefully to indicate that the conditions of use are accepted and understood.

APPENDIX 6 – ANTI-BULLYING CAMPAIGN FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS – HANDBOOK 1

APPENDIX 7 – ANTI-BULLYING CAMPAIGN FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS – HANDBOOK 2

APPENDIX 8

1. Parent(s)/Guardian(s) will contact the school to inform management of the suspected case of bullying. The reported incident must be recorded in the school incident report book.

2. On receipt of a report of a suspected case of bullying, a meeting will be scheduled by the School within 2 working days between the Class Teacher, School Principal and Parent(s)/Guardian(s). Purpose of this meeting is to;

a. Provide the Parent(s)/Guardian(s) the opportunity to present supporting evidence of the suspected bullying behaviour. Examples include but not limited to; behavioural changes, text messages, social media, graffiti, damaged property etc.

b. Allow the Class Teacher/School Principal to assess the evidence presented and request details/clarifications of the suspected incident(s).

3. Minutes of this meeting must be documented and included in the school incident book. A copy of the Incident Report book entry, together with the meeting minutes must be provided to the Parent(s)/Guardian(s) with agreed next steps for the investigation.

4. Parent(s)/Guardian(s) will be notified of the outcome of the Class Teacher, School Principal investigation within an agreed timeframe.

5. Where bullying behaviour has been confirmed by the Class Teacher/School Principal investigation, the procedures for investigating and dealing with Bullying as outlined in the school Anti-Bullying Policy will be followed.

6. During the course of the bullying investigation and subsequent corrective action phase, the Parent(s)/Guardian(s) can provide further evidence and/or feedback where applicable.

7. A Close Out meeting will be scheduled by the School, between the Class Teacher, School Principal and Parent(s)/Guardian(s) when the school is satisfied that the incident has been successfully addressed. The purpose of this meeting is to review the well being of the child and to reach consensus that the incident has been dealt with to the satisfaction of all parties involved.

Anti Bullying Policy

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