Download Don`t suffer in silence

Primary
National Strategy
Bullying: policy and practice
© Crown copyright 2005
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© Crown copyright 2005
Objectives
For participants to:
• develop a clear understanding and working definition of bullying
behaviour
• be able to articulate the rationale underpinning the school’s approach
to preventing and dealing with bullying
• know how to conduct a survey about bullying in their school
• be familiar with a range of proactive measures that reduce bullying
behaviours
• have a working knowledge of common strategies used to support
bullied children and for changing bullying behaviour
• be able to develop an effective anti-bullying school policy linked to
government guidance
• know where to find further information
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Principles
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Children’s behaviour is underpinned by the stage they have reached in social
and emotional development, their skills and emotional well-being
Children’s social, emotional and behavioural skills underpin the choices they
make about bullying behaviour
Bullying behaviours are made more or less likely by environmental factors
An ethos in which diversity is valued and celebrated is important in reducing
the likelihood of bullying behaviours
Positive recognition and reinforcement of appropriate behaviour is likely to
elicit continued positive behaviour
Positive relationships with children are key to positive behaviour and regular
attendance
We need to draw on participants’ experiences and knowledge
It is important to have a solution-focused approach
1.2
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Activity 1
• Read the extract from About a boy and use it
to decide in pairs what makes bullying different
from other forms of aggressive or unkind
behaviour
• Can you find three features that characterise
bullying?
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Characteristics of bullying
Bullying is:
• ongoing
• deliberate
• unequal
It involves:
• target(s)
• the person/people doing the bullying
• witnesses
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Forms of bullying
• Physical – hitting, kicking, taking belongings
• Verbal – name-calling, insulting, making offensive remarks
(also threatening behaviours)
• Indirect – spreading malicious rumours, exclusion, text messaging
and emailing
Which is the most prevalent in your setting? How do you know?
It is often said that people who use bullying behaviour will pick on
someone who is ‘different’. What is defined as ‘different’ in your setting?
(for example, ethnic origin; skin colour; disability; eye colour; presumed
sexual orientation; religion; cultural conventions – food, dress and so on)
1.5
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The national policy framework
• ‘Head teachers must by law have a policy to prevent all forms of bullying
among pupils… Head teachers will need to satisfy themselves that their
policies comply with the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Race Relations
Amendment Act 2000. The latter requires schools to draw up a race
equality policy and ensure that policies do not discriminate against racial
groups’ (Don’t suffer in silence, DfES 0064-2004)
• Charter for action
• Ofsted self-evaluation and inspection frameworks
Further information:
www.dfes.gov.uk/bullying
www.ncb.org.uk/aba
1.6
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Aims of an anti-bullying policy
• To minimise incidents of bullying
• To improve children’s safety and well-being
• To change the behaviour of the person/people
using bullying behaviours
• To change the behaviour of witnesses
• Other?
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Starting from a clear knowledge
base
Don’t suffer in silence suggests these possible measures:
• the Olweus questionnaire (email: [email protected])
• the ‘My life in school’ questionnaire (email: [email protected])
• Bullying behaviour in schools, by Sonia Sharpe (NfER Nelson, telephone
01753-858961). Includes ‘My life in school’ (with pictorial version for KS1),
and other surveys exploring participants’ roles, investigating attitudes and
finding out how pupils define bullying
The in-depth audit in the Primary National Strategy School selfevaluation: behaviour and attendance materials (1732-2005CD0-EN)
also provides a range of tools for schools to explore experiences
and attitudes of pupils, staff, and parents and carers
(www. standards.dfes.gov.uk/primary)
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Issues to consider when using
audits and surveys about bullying
• Responses will not necessarily reflect the objective
truth
• Children’s understanding of what constitutes
bullying can vary
• The smaller the sample size the less robust and
generalisable the data
• The need to consider how to include children with
SEN (e.g. through interviews or using photographs
and symbols)
• Confidentiality
1.9
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Good practice in proactive antibullying planning
• Improving the environmental quality (especially the
playground)
• Playground policy and training for supervisors
• Ensuring opportunities for children to be listened to and to
listen to each other, through circle time, class and school
councils
• Peer mentoring schemes
• Curricular approaches to bullying using different media
that provide experiential and participative learning (video,
theatre groups, interactive software)
• Work to improve relationships between adults and
children, and the role models offered by adults in school
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The importance of proactive
curriculum measures
Effective curriculum initiatives:
• raise awareness about bullying and the school’s antibullying policy
• increase children’s and adults’ understanding of how it
feels to be bullied
• help build an anti-bullying ethos
• teach children how to manage constructively their
relationships with others
Don’t suffer in silence
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Examples of proactive strategies
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Cooperative group work
Circle time
PSHE and citizenship
Structured curriculum input – e.g. Excellence and
Enjoyment: social and emotional aspects of
learning (DfES 0110-2005) or other commercially
available schemes
• Cross-curricular ‘themed’ approaches
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The impact of proactive measures
After using selected materials, up to 60% of primary and
secondary pupils said they were more careful in their
behaviour towards their peers. Bullied pupils said they were
less scared and more likely to tell someone. Others were
more likely to support someone being bullied. Racially
harassed pupils said that through studying ‘Heartstone
Odyssey’, friends had begun to talk about their experiences.
Bullying dropped by about 60% when such materials were
used for 30–60 minutes each week for at least one term.
However, without continued reinforcement it resumed within
two weeks.
Don’t suffer in silence
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Reactive approaches 1: The method
of shared concern
Quick, time-effective approach which research suggests works well.
It involves the following steps.
• Individual interviews with the target, the children doing the bullying and
witnesses, lasting 5 minutes each. The aims are:
– to let the children doing the bullying know that the school is aware
– to gain personal commitment to an action.
No blame is attached, and facts are not discussed. The focus is on the
feelings of the target.
• Follow-up individual interviews, lasting 5 minutes each, with the same
group to see if progress has been made.
• Follow-up interview with the target to check that all is well.
For further information: Sharp, S. and Smith, P. K. (eds.) (1994) Tackling bullying
in your school: a practical handbook for teachers. Routledge, London.
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Reactive approaches 2: The support
group (e.g. ‘No blame’ approach)
‘No blame’ does not mean ‘no responsibility’ – each member
of the group takes responsibility for changing their behaviour.
‘Over a two year period 80% of cases in primary schools
were dealt with successfully without a delay by this method.
In 14% of cases, three to five weekly reviews were needed
before the bullying stopped. The victim continued to
experience bullying only in 6% of cases.’
Don’t suffer in silence
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Reactive approaches 2: the support
group (e.g. ‘No blame’ approach)
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Talk with target. Focus is target’s feelings – they may write/draw something about how
they have experienced the bullying behaviour.
A ‘group’ is formed from those doing the bullying, witnesses and friends of target (6–8).
Meeting with ‘the group’ (not including the target).
Trained facilitator explains the problem. The target’s feelings are recounted (not facts
which can be disputed) and their perspective presented.
The group is reassured that no-one is in trouble and that everyone has a joint
responsibility to help X be safe; the reason for convening the group is to help solve the
problem.
Group members are asked for their ideas to help.
No pressure is put on them – at the end of the meeting the responsibility is placed upon
them to solve the problem.
After a week the facilitator meets with the target, then with each group member one at a
time to find out how things are going, and what they personally have done.
Follow-up sessions are held as appropriate.
Robinson. G. and Maines, B. (1997) Crying for help: the no blame approach to bullying.
Lucky Duck, Bristol
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Frequently asked questions
• Why do children bully?
• What if children’s parents or carers tell them to hit back or
‘stand up for themselves’ when they are bullied? What
about the problem of racist, sexist, homophobic or other
discriminatory attitudes that children may encounter in
their communities or at home?
• Shouldn’t we be ‘skilling up’ targets to be less vulnerable,
by teaching them assertiveness and social skills?
• How do I explain the difference between ‘telling
tales’/‘grassing someone up’/‘dropping someone in it’ and
‘telling’ on bullying?
• Why do targets and witnesses often not tell about
bullying?
© Crown copyright 2005
1.17
Summary
The aim of this session was for participants to:
• develop a clear understanding and working definition of bullying
behaviour
• be able to articulate the rationale underpinning the school’s approach
to preventing and dealing with bullying
• know how to conduct a survey about bullying in their school
• be familiar with a range of proactive measures that reduce bullying
behaviours
• have a working knowledge of common strategies used to support
bullied children and for changing bullying behaviour
• be able to develop an effective anti-bullying school policy linked to
government guidance
• know where to find further information
1.18
© Crown copyright 2005