Bullying Policy

1.1 Statement on Bullying
Each school will ensure that all the school community, particularly the students and staff can work and have recreation in an environment which is free from bullying.

1.2 Definition of Bullying
“Bullying is repeated aggression, verbal, psychological or physical, conducted by an individual or group against others”
(Department of Education, 1993)
“ It is wilful, conscious abuse of an individual or group which is inappropriate and unacceptable.”
(Fitzgerald D. 1999, p2)

1.3 Scope of the Policy
The following procedure applies to bullying between teacher / student and student and student only

1.4 Aims and Objectives of the Policy on Bullying

• To publicly affirm the commitment of County Limerick VEC and each school to a school environment free of bullying and harassment.
• To set out a definition, signs and indicators of bullying and the appropriate reporting criteria which are fundamental to the policy being implemented.
• To ensure that the policy and procedures will be consistently applied and documented thoroughly.
• To promote the principles of partnership involving student, teacher, and parent and the mutual responsibility of all to the process which is reflected in the policy.
• To ensure that the policy is monitored whereby its effectiveness will be reviewed and evaluated annually.

1.5 Principles

• County Limerick VEC and each school is committed to a school environment free of bullying and harassment.
• The school promotes the right of all students and school personnel to be treated with dignity, respect and fairness
• The school is committed to an environment where open communication is enhanced at all levels where students and school personnel are empowered to act on concerns of a bullying nature immediately
• Student and staff development programmes promoting self-esteem and self-worth are an integral part of the school’s response to combating bullying and harassment
• The school, school personnel, parents and students publicly affirm collective commitment to an environment free from bullying and harassment in jointly developing this policy and procedures and making same available to and informing the key partners in the process of what it entails
• The following procedures will be applied consistently, fairly and immediately when a concern of a bullying nature has been identified
• Bullying behaviour is totally unacceptable and the bully will be held accountable at all times.

1.6 Signs and Indicators of Bullying
Bullying behaviour may be suspected if a combination of the following signs occur or a pattern emerges where any sign or indicator is unprovoked, premeditated and persistently repeated over time

The outcomes of bullying and harassment on the victim are often manifest in the following ways:

• Psychological and emotional
• Physical
• Social and interpersonal
• School-related

Psychological

• anger
• anxiety
• distress
• frustration
• depression
• panic
• indifference
• fear
• attempted suicide
• shame and feelings of worthlessness
• loss of trust in friends and their inability to support and protect

Behavioural

• increased irritability and nervousness
• unexplained changes in mood
• increased aggressiveness
• may believe that they deserve to be bullied
• becoming withdrawn
• excessive tearfulness or sensitivity to criticism
• substance abuse
• becoming obsessive
• nightmares

Physical manifestations

• chest pains
• pattern of minor illness
• insomnia
• stomach problems
• eating problems
• fatigue and lethargy
• headaches
• sweats
• inconsistent explanations for cuts and bruises

Social, interpersonal and school related

• anxiety about travelling to and from school
• mitching
• late home from school without any plausible explanation
• fear of using school toilet during breaks
• fear of being out of sight of adults
• becoming isolated in class
• becoming withdrawn
• reluctance to discuss the problem
• unwilling to go to school
• lack of creativity and initiative
• beginning to bully small/younger students
• possessions missing or damaged
• increased and excessive requests for money
• deterioration in school performance and motivation
• loss of interest or concentration in school
• unusual concerns about physical appearance, attributes, mannerisms etc.

1.7 Bully Tactics
Bullying tactics are consciously designed to deliberately undermine, upset, isolate, exclude, intimidate, frighten, physically hurt or emotionally wound the victim.
They include :
Verbal Abuse

• hurtful name calling
• slagging
• gender and racial insults
• sexual features and orientation questioned
• uncomplimentary remarks
• malicious rumours
• shouting obsenities
• continuous sneering and ridicule
• humiliating remarks and ‘put downs’ in the presence of others
• lies, teasing and whispering campaign
• insulting other family members

Physical Abuse

• pushing
• shoving
• kicking
• unprovoked beatings
• ‘mess fights’
• severe physical assaults

Intimidation

• aggressive body language
• invading personal space
• silent gestures, ‘the look’
• threats
• following the victim home from school at an uncomfortable distance
• preventing student from boarding and leaving the bus
• circulating notes around intent on hurting the victim
• forced to allow home work to be copied by the bully
• blackmailing victim which often provokes an angry response from the teacher

Exclusion

• deliberate isolation from peers
• conversation stopping when the victim appears

Extortion

• demands for and forced to hand over money, books, lunches and school items
• Bullying by the use of mobile phones text messages
• Bullying by the use of e mail
• Bullying by writing in diaries

1.8 Bullying; Teacher Behavior
Teachers may unwittingly or otherwise engage in, instigate or reinforce bullying behaviour in a number of ways:
The use of sarcasm and other demeaning forms of language
Making negative comments about a student’s appearance or background
Addressing certain students by their surname only
Humiliating directly or indirectly a student who is academically weak or outstanding or vulnerable in other ways
Using any gesture or expression of a threatening or intimidatory nature or any form of degrading physical contact or exercise
Anti-bullying Initative, 2001, p47

1.9 Victim Profile
No student is immune from being bullied. Students portraying the following characteristics are often targeted;
vulnerable
quiet, sensitive, cautious and becomes easily and visibly upset
rule-bound, restrained and or apprehensive
can often be either a high/low achiever academically
exposes incompetence, including standing up for other bullied student
with high moral standards
new to the school/class
different in race, culture, language, gender, and disability/special needs
unusual voice, particularly in males
shy or anxious
difficulty in making friends
poor personal hygiene
overweight or very thin and gaunt looking
mannerisms,facial tics, wearing glasses, awkward and clumsy
not able to take turns in conversation
with low self-esteem and self-confidence
the source of entertaining reactions when bullied
in the wrong place, time and or who reacts badly to ridicule
tendency not to tell anyone

1.10 Bully Profile
Persons who bully others are not easily recognisable, they can be male or female and in the context of the school will include both school personnel, students and parents.
Bullying is essentially a learned behaviour and if allowed to continue will have long term emotional and social problems for the bully.
The following characteristics apply to bullies-

• they may be physically stronger than their classmates and their victims
• they have stronger needs to dominate and subdue other students
• need to use power and threat to get their own way
• are hot- tempered, easily angered, impulsive and have low frustration/tolerance levels
• have difficulty conforming to rules
• are generally oppositional, defiant and aggressive towards others
• believe that bullying pays off
• are seen as being tough, hardened and have little empathy with the victim of bullying
• can have a relatively positive view of themselves
• engage at a relatively early age in anti-social behaviour
• tend to lack guilt and rationalise that the victim deserved the treatment and is to blame
• are sullen secretive and difficult to approach
• they have sports gear, pens etc which cannot be accounted for
• may have difficulty/unable to sustain good relationships with partner/friends/family
• difficulty in having positive attitudes towards others, envious of others
• very angry and has difficulty coping with defeat
• will personalise any criticism or any challenge
• feel unduly threatened by everything around them
• need for power and domination over others
• traumatic events in the home
• bullies may emerge at any age, at any stage of life, from any social background.
• they may often end up in criminal activity later in life
• other students are nervous and silent in the student’s presence
• tells stories which are later seen to be untrue and malicious
• other children will tell lies to protect the bully

1.11 Places which Facilitate Bullying
Most bullying takes place out of sight and earshot of adults
Dark areas away from school traffic
In buses while travelling to and from school
Sheltered from intrusion by school personnel
Area out of view of teachers, eg toilets, shower areas, locker areas, corridors, sports grounds quite laneways
Discreet and subtle bullying can take place in the classroom

1.12 Key Factors in Assessing an Allegation of Bullying
The following factors will need to be assessed by the school designated person when assessing a complaint of a bullying nature:

• The behaviour is pre-meditated, unprovoked, repeated with the intent to cause injury and upset
• A change in the behaviour of the victim relative to the events
• A pattern of bullying behaviour has been previously noted with regard to the bully
• Reaction of the bully to the incident
• Any change generally in school performance with regard to the bully and/or the victim.

1.13 Reporting Procedure when allegation is between students and between a teacher and a student where the student is the alleged bully.
All reports of bullying will be dealt with sensitively, discreetly, consistently and confidentiality will apply on a ‘need to know’ basis

Each incident of a bullying nature will be dealt with on its own merits and sanctions set out in the code of behaviour can be invoked at any time throughout the following procedure if it is in the opinion of the school designated person that the incident in question deemed it so necessary

Informal Procedure:

If a concern is identified by victim or third party

• Inform the school designated person who has responsibility to investigate the allegation
• It is essential that the school designated person establishes with the complainant an agreed plan of action such as, who will approach the bully –the victim alone or the contact person alone or both the contact person with the complainant
• At all times it is important that the complainant is consulted on with regard to action that will be taken
• S/he will keep a note of incidents, noting date, time, place, witness present, context and nature of bullying and feelings it evoked
• It must be remembered that it is the behaviour of the bully not the person that needs to be explored
• In order not to escalate the incident further, it is best to deal with the matter in a non threatening way, inviting the bully to respond to the allegation that has been made and to agree a mutual plan of action.
• If appropriate, approach to bully and/or together with the school designated person if desired, requesting the bullying to stop
• Make a note of approach made, noting time, place, witnesses present, response to request
• If bullying continues pursue formal procedure

Formal Procedure : Phase A

• The victim, together with the school designated person put a request in writing to the alleged bully to cease bullying behaviour
• A copy of request will be retained on the school record and a copy given to the victim of the incidents
• Inform perpetrator that the matter will be raised with the school Principal if the bullying continues
• If the alleged behaviour continues, proceed to Phase B

Formal Procedure : Phase B

• Inform school Principal of bullying incident and action taken to date
• Principal will inform parents when the following apply

-bully re-offends
-does not understand the gravity of the situation
-bully needs support from parents and/or professional support
-victim is fearful and anxious
-victim needs support and/or professional help

• Principal, parents, victim, bully and the school designated person will meet and review all action taken to date and will negotiate a plan of action to bring the bullying behaviour to a halt identifying;

-defined expectations of the bully and the victim
-responsibilities of all parties stated
-agreed timeframe set for review
-contact person to monitor and coordinate further meetings
-counselling will be made available to both the victim and bully in recognition of the fact that -bullying behaviour has consequences for both parties and the school generally
-additional anti-bullying workshops may be appropriate within the school to raise awareness of the school policy and procedure on bullying

• In the event that the bullying behaviour continues and/or if the incident is viewed by a counselor to have affected the health or wellbeing of the victim the procedures set out in the Code of Behaviour will be invoked which will at all times promote the principles of natural justice where all parties will have

-a right to reply
-a right of appeal
-a right to an independent assessment
-a right to be informed of the details of the complaint and the procedural implications such as the option -of suspension and expulsion
-a right to be accompanied by a nominated support person

• If the victim remains dissatified after four weeks of the aforementioned process, the victim may appeal to the CEO of County Limerick VEC to investigate the matter further
• The CEO will conduct his/her own investigation and respond in writing within ten working days
• A further leave to appeal the response made by the CEO may be made to the County Limerick VEC pending the outcome of an investigation
• A formal review and appraisal will take place subsequently between the key parties to determine if any further action necessary

1.14 Reporting Procedure when allegation is between a student and a teacher where the teacher is the alleged bully.
All reports of bullying will be dealt with seriously, promptly, sensitively, discreetly, consistently and confidentiality will apply on a ‘need to know’ basis

Informal Procedure :

If a concern is identified by victim or third party

• Inform the school designated person who has responsibility to investigate the allegation and who will then
• Inform school Principal of bullying incident
• If the alleged perpetrator is the school Principal the matter must then be taken up with the CEO of the VEC directly
• S/he will keep a note of incidents, noting date, time, place, witness present, context and nature of bullying and feelings it evoked
• Principal/CEO will inform parents that a complaint has been made
• The Principal will review the outcome of the investigation and if appropriate, approach to person alleged to have bullied and/or together with the school designated person if desired, requesting the bullying to stop
• Make a note of approach made, noting time, place, witnesses present, response to request
• If bullying continues pursue formal procedure

Formal Procedure :

• Principal will review all action taken to date and will negotiate a plan of action to bring the bullying behaviour to a halt identifying;

-defined expectations of the bully and the victim
-responsibilities of all parties stated
-agreed timeframe set for review
-Principal to monitor and coordinate further meetings

In the event that the bullying behaviour continues and/or if the incident is viewed by the Principal to have affected the health or wellbeing of the victim the matter will be referred on to the CEO of County Limerick VEC for further investigation and the procedures set out in the Code of Practice and conditions of employment will be invoked which will at all times promote the principles of natural justice where all parties will have
-a right to reply
-a right of appeal
-a right to an independent assessment
-a right to be informed of the details of the complaint and the procedural implications of any course of action

• The CEO will conduct his/her own investigation and respond in writing within ten working days

A further leave to appeal the response made by the CEO may be made to the County Limerick VEC pending the outcome of an investigation
A formal review and appraisal will take place subsequently between the key parties to determine if any further action necessary.

1.15 Implentation of the Policy and Procedure

• School management will endeavour to create a proactive anti-bullying ethos within the school which includes:
• Promote the SPHE programme in particular material on identifying and responding to bullying behaviour and bullies and material on student self-esteem in a cross curricular way highlighting the following aspects:

-identifying and expressing feelings and emotions
-being sensitive to and respecting the rights, needs and wishes of others
-developing skills of sharing, negotiation, co-operation, listening and dealing with conflict within the context of peer relationships
-enhancing self-esteem and self-confidence
-identifying a range of trusted adults/colleagues to share concerns with
-providing time and space for students to identify their own needs and to explore a range of social issues that may have an impact in their lives now and in the future.

• Promote an atmosphere of openness, honesty and respect in which students, teachers and parents are encouraged to talk openly about their concerns
• Promote staff training on harassment and bullying as an integral part of the annual inservice calendar.
• Audit school for signs and indicators of bullying including the circulation of questionnaires to determine the extent of the problem
• Develop a committee with representatives of students, school personnel and parents to oversee policy development and implementation
• Formal school policy and procedure in place and available publicly
• To promote the policy within the school by hosting an annual bullying awareness week
• To ensure monitoring systems are in place by the provision of incident bins throughout the school
• Informal collective vigilance by school personnel, students, parents and the community including supervision of key areas in the school grounds where bullying likely to occur
• A designated contact person within the school to receive and process complaints
• An independent third party available if appropriate

1.16 Evaluation of the Policy and Procedure.
Evaluation and review of the policy is an essential pre-requisite in realising key quality standards in service delivery. An annual evaluation will assess the extent to which the needs at an individual, school and agency level are being met. The evaluation process will entail the following:

• Clarify, review and where necessary update the aims and objectives
• Identify the level of progress towards the achievement of the objectives.
• Assess the effectiveness of methods and approaches used in implementation
• Encourage participation, partnership and empowerment of all parties, which will include needs analysis, participation at focus group, questionnaires and evaluation etc.
• In the light of the evaluation to update the policy and implementation process accordingly.