Anti-Bullying and Raising a Concern
Goldington Academy is committed to providing a caring, friendly, and safe environment for all our pupils so that they can learn in a relaxed and secure atmosphere. The school takes both proactive and reactive approaches in tackling bullying within the school community and beyond.
What is Bullying?
The DfE defines bullying as: “behaviour by an individual or a group, repeated over time, that intentionally hurts another individual either physically or emotionally” (DfE, Preventing and Tackling Bullying, July 2017). Bullying is recognised as a form of peer-on-peer abuse and can cause severe and adverse effects on children’s emotional wellbeing.
Types of Bullying
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Physical: Pushing, kicking, hitting, pinching, and other forms of violence or threats
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Verbal: Hurtful remarks regarding appearance, intelligence, or interests
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Social/Emotional: Tormenting, ridicule, humiliation, exclusion, gestures, notes, name calling, graffiti, sarcasm, spreading rumours, persistent teasing
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Racist: Offensive comments based on religion or culture
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Cyber: Inappropriate texts, messages, social media posts, or offensive images
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Sexual: Unwanted physical contact or abusive comments
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Homophobic: Remarks directed towards a person’s sexual orientation
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Prejudicial: Related to race, religion, faith, gender, or protected characteristics, including teenage parents
Actions to Prevent Bullying
Goldington Academy promotes anti-bullying through a range of strategies:
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Link Governor assigned to oversee Anti-Bullying strategy and provision
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Reporting incidents to governors termly
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Annual behaviour audits by external validators
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Outlining Rewards and Sanctions Ladder and Anti-Bullying ethos in Home/School Agreement
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Using curriculum, assemblies, and Collective Worship to educate pupils
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Celebrating Anti-Bullying Week annually
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Staff vigilance for signs of bullying
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CCTV coverage in key areas of the school
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Reporting incidents to Heads of Year/Senior Leadership Team
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Displays promoting a tolerant ethos and reporting channels
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Pupil ‘Buddies’ and ‘Anti-Bullying Ambassadors’
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Restorative Justice strategies and ambassadors
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Anti-Bullying boxes and anonymous reporting channels
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Website links to report concerns and access external support
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Pupil Mentors supporting at-risk students
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Kidscape courses for students at risk of bullying
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Parental involvement and consultation through forums
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Engagement with the school’s PCSO/Police Liaison officer
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Use of Bedford Borough’s Early Help Assessment protocol
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School Council representing student views on bullying and behaviour
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Half-termly pupil discussions by Heads of Year
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Newsletter communication on bullying for parents and stakeholders
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Trained Lunchtime Supervisors monitoring behaviour
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Clubs and structured activities during unstructured time
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Organised duty teams for supervision
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Email contact for parents to report concerns
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Staff training to identify, report, and respond to bullying
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Consultation with parents and pupils through school council and forums
Further Information and Support
Kidscape
Cyberbullying
CEOP
National Bullying Helpline (0300 323 0169)