Definition

Bullying can be described as being 'a deliberate act done to cause distress solely in order to give a feeling of power, status or other gratification to the bully. It can range from ostracising, name-calling, teasing, threats and extortion, through to physical assault on persons and/or their property. It can be an unresolved single frightening incident which casts a shadow over a child's life, or a series of such incidents.'

At CISD, staff, parents and children work together to create a happy, caring, learning environment. Bullying, either verbal, physical or indirect will not be tolerated. It is everyone's responsibility to aim to prevent occurrences of bullying and to deal with any incidents quickly and effectively. Research has shown time and time again that the extent of bullying in schools is greatly underestimated.

Bullying can be brought to the attention of staff either by the victim(s), their friend(s), their parent(s) or other interested people.

Strategy for dealing with bullying

The following is a list of actions available to staff depending on the perceived seriousness of the situation. The emphasis is always on a caring, listening approach as bullies are often victims too - that is why they bully.

Discussions at length with the victim. This will require patience and understanding. Remember - Listen, believe, act

• Identify the bully/bullies. Obtain witnesses if possible. Advise the Head Teacher
• Discussions with the bully. Confront them with the details and ask them to tell the truth about the situation/incident. Make it clear that bullying is not acceptable at CISD
• If they own up then follow the procedure outlined below and in the Discipline Policy
• If they do not own up, investigate further. If it is clear that they are lying, continue with the procedure. Children usually own up if presented with all the facts
• Separate discussions with parents of bully and victim
• Sanctions for the bully may include withdrawal from favoured activities, loss of playtimes, suspension or exclusion from school, depending on the perceived severity of the incident(s)
• Continue monitoring the situation by observing at playtimes/lunchtimes and having discussions with victim to ensure no repetition
• As the behaviour of the bully (hopefully) improves, then favoured activities etc can be reinstated, and the child should be praised for good behaviour. This will rebuild the child's self-esteem, which may have been damaged after being caught bullying, or could have been low anyway, hence the bullying.

In order to identify incidents of bullying and the identities of bullies, at CISD we have agreed to carry out the following strategies:

• All staff watch for early signs of distress in children
• All staff listen, believe, act