Upton House is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, along with their protection and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.  

1 Aims

A definition of bullying includes racial, religious, cultural, sexual, homophobic, disability and cyber (social websites, mobile phone text messages, photographs and emails).
To prevent bullying through the consistent application of a school policy to which all staff are committed.

2 Objectives

To understand behaviour that is recognised by both teachers and pupils as bullying.

To promote behaviour that gives everyone at Upton House the right to feel safe at all times and to provide an environment which is happy and secure.

To ensure that everyone at Upton House is aware that bullying is a serious offence, which is unacceptable, and that it will not be tolerated by any member of the school community.

To provide teachers and pupils with strategies for dealing with all aspects of bullying and the prevention of bullying, whether they occur in their own class or at any other time.

3 What Is Bullying?

• Bullying is behaviour that deliberately intends to harm others by physical, verbal, emotional or psychological means.
• Any behaviour, which uses the illegitimate use of power over another, is bullying behaviour.
• Bullying may vary depending on who the bully is, who the victim is and the context of the situation.
• Bullying may take place as an isolated incident or may be persistent.
• Bullying may be the act of individuals or members of a group. Bullies in a group can be particularly difficult to deal with, but it is important to remember that groups are made up of individuals.
• Victims of bullying may be vulnerable, but their vulnerability may not be visible to adults. The victim may look like any other child.

4 Recognising Bullies

Bullies are not always easily recognised, however, bullies can be the kind of pupils who are:

• Academically achieving less/achieving as well as – if not better – than their peers.
• Unpopular or insecure/quite secure and happy.

Bullies may also be victims, but this is less common.

• Bullies tend to have assertive, aggressive attitudes over which they have little control
• Bullies tend to lack empathy; they cannot imagine what the victim feels
• Bullies tend to lack guilt; they rationalise that the victim somehow ‘deserves’ the bullying treatment.

Staff must consider what witnesses to bullying perceive if no action is taken and how they will define what is acceptable at school?

5 Silence And Secrecy

Bullying usually takes place in ‘secret’ locations of the school, areas that are lightly supervised. However, bullying is not necessarily kept secret from other pupils. The reaction of witnesses is a vital one. Witnesses must be encouraged to tell what they know or see. Silence and secrecy undermine the power of the school and affirm the power of the bully.

A School Council made up of appointed and elected pupils meet regularly to discuss whole school issues.