Bullying
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Headteachers have a legal duty to draw up procedures to prevent bullying among pupils and to bring these procedures to the attention of staff, parents and pupils. Effective anti-bullying strategies should form part of a schools discipline and behaviour policy. Procedures for staff, parents and pupils to follow if bullying occurs should be clear and well publicised throughout the school.
The Department for Education and Skills' has published an information pack: Bullying: Don't Suffer in Silence, which is available from the Department's bullying site. This pack provides ideas and practical techniques for all those involved in combating bullying.
Bullying can be defined as deliberately hurtful behaviour, repeated over a period of time, where it is difficult for those being bullied to defend themselves. The three main types of bullying are:
- physical (e.g. hitting, kicking, theft)
- verbal (e.g. name calling, racist remarks)
- indirect (e.g. spreading rumours, excluding somebody from social groups)
The emotional distress caused by bullying in any form can prejudice school achievement, lead to lateness or unauthorised absence and, in extreme cases, end with attempted suicide. To provide some perspective, a third of all girls and a quarter of all boys are at some time afraid of going to school because of bullying.
A school's teaching and ancillary staff should be alert to signs of bullying, and should be seen to act promptly and firmly against it in accordance with school policy.
Schools may wish to ensure that their policies comply with the Human Rights Act 1998.
Main text
Legislation
Key documents
Further information
Model policy
