Anti-Bullying
Bullying can be defined as the repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power. Bullying can be physical, verbal or psychological. It can happen face-to-face or online. - Anti-Bullying Alliance
Bullying can be:
- Physical - hitting, kicking, tripping, blocking someone’s path, damaging belongings, etc
- Verbal - name calling, threatening, insulting, nasty teasing, etc
- Psychological - spreading rumours, social exclusion, gaslighting, intimidating, etc
- Cyberbullying - carried out on electronic devices, such as pcs, laptops, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles or smartwatches, via apps, AI, gaming and/or social media etc
- Child on child abuse - bullying (including cyberbullying, prejudice-based and discriminatory bullying) and physical abuse such as hitting, kicking, shaking, biting, hair pulling, or otherwise causing physical harm (this may include an online element which facilitates, threatens and/or encourages physical abuse)
Behaviour that is not bullying can include:
- Disagreement – having a different opinion from someone.
- Conflict – a disagreement or argument between two or more people.
- One-off unkind behaviour – making an unkind comment on a single occasion.
- Accidental behaviour – unintentionally upsetting or offending someone.
- Playful teasing – joking between people when everyone is comfortable with it.
- Setting boundaries – saying no, expressing feelings or standing up for yourself.
- Giving constructive criticism – providing feedback respectfully.
- Being assertive – expressing your views or needs without intending to hurt others.
- Exclusion without intent to harm – for example, choosing to spend time with different friends.
- Misunderstandings – when someone's words or actions are interpreted differently from how they were intended.
Bullying is one of the biggest concerns for parents, if you find out or suspect your child is being bullied, there are things you can do to resolve the problem. Please approach your child's class teacher directly.
We have worked with our pupils to develop an Anti-Bullying Charter for all age groups:
Anti-bullying child friendly GF
There is more information for parents here:
Advice for parents - The Anti-bullying Alliance