Anti-Bullying Policy

Policy details

• Date created - 30 August 2024
• Date approved - xx/xx/xxxx
• Next review date - August 2025
• Policy owner - John Cafferky

Contents

1. What is Bullying?
2. Signs and Indicators of Bullying
3. How staff and the academy can support
4. Recording

Co-op Academy Leeds is committed to preventing all forms of bullying. We will work hard to ensure that bullying plays no part in our community by proactively dealing with all students, their families and staff, to eradicate and promptly address all reported incidents.

What is Bullying?

It is the conscious desire to hurt, threaten or frighten someone. It is not just physical intimidation; it can include name calling, making offensive remarks, social exclusion, undermining self-esteem over a prolonged period of time, ruining someone’s work, threatening someone, demanding money, goods or favours, using rude gestures – anything which causes distress or hurt.

Bullying can be:

• Emotional - being unfriendly, excluding, tormenting (e.g. hiding books, threatening gestures)
• Physical - pushing, kicking, hitting, punching or any use of violence c) Racist - racial taunts, graffiti, gestures
• Sexual - unwanted physical contact or sexually abusive comments
• Child on Child and Harmful Sexual Behaviour
• Homophobic/ Bi- Phobic and Transphobic bullying - because of, or focussing on, the issue of sexuality
• Verbal - name-calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, teasing
• Cyber / Online - all areas of the internet, such as email, social media misuse, threats by text message and phone calls, as well as the misuse of associated technology, including camera and video facilities.

We will not tolerate bullying in any form and endeavour to prevent bullying before it starts. All students have a fundamental right to be protected in the academy. All students have the right to be happy and safe and to get on with their work free from intimidation. We have high expectations of everyone within the academy and it is the responsibility of all members of staff, both teaching and associate, to uphold high standards of behaviour among our students. The vast majority of students portray good social behaviour; however, if an incident occurs, it must be reported immediately. Students must feel confident that they can report incidents to any member of staff and that the incident will be dealt with satisfactorily. We also seek the support of parents/carers and the local community who can help by informing us if any incidents are witnessed.

The Equality Act 2010 makes it specifically unlawful when unwanted conduct is related to any of the “protected characteristics” as outlined in the law, which has the same purpose or effect as detailed below. The “protected characteristics” are:

• Age
• Disability
• Gender reassignment
• Marriage and civil partnership status
• Pregnancy and maternity
• Race (including colour, nationality, ethnic and / or national origin)
• Religion or belief
• Sex
• Sexual orientation

Signs and Indicators of Bullying

A child and young person may indicate by signs or behaviour that he or she is being bullied. Adults should be aware of these possible signs and that they should investigate if a child:

• Is frightened of walking to or from the Academy
• Doesn't want to go on the public bus
• Begs to be driven to the academy
• Changes their usual routine
• Is unwilling to go to the academy (academy phobia)
• Begins to truant
• Becomes withdrawn anxious, or lacking in confidence
• Starts stammering, attempts or threatens suicide or runs away
• Cries themselves to sleep at night or has nightmares
• Feels ill in the morning
• Begins to do poorly in the Academy work or comes home with clothes torn or books damaged
• Has possessions which are damaged or “go missing”  
• Asks for money or starts stealing money (to pay bullies)
• Has money or dinner money frequently “lost”
• Has unexplained cuts and bruises
• Comes home hungry
• Becomes aggressive, disruptive or unreasonable for no obvious reason
• Is bullying other children / siblings
• Stops eating
• Is frightened to say what is wrong
• Gives improbable excuses for any of the above
• Is afraid to use the internet / mobile phone
• Is nervous and jumpy when a cyber-message is received

These signs and behaviours could indicate other problems, but bullying should be considered a possibility and should be investigated.

How staff and the academy can support

• Maintain high standards of watchfulness in lessons, around the academy and in social areas
• Be seen to respond to every incident
• Treat every incident as important, even if it seems minor – it may not feel minor to the person on the receiving end
• Report all incidents appropriately. It is useful to monitor incidences of bullying through the behaviour database as patterns do emerge
• If the incident is particularly serious and/or violent, circumvent the usual channels and contact the appropriate senior leader immediately
• Provide areas in the academy where children under threat can feel safe
• Ensure that areas of the academy where antisocial behaviour could take place are patrolled by staff at key times
• Use all staff, parents/carers and students as a resource in countering bullying
• Raise awareness through PSHCE curriculum and pastoral time
• Give help and support to the victims
• Use peer pressure against bullying behaviour
• Make the consequences of bullying clear to bullies and parent/carers
• Help and support bullies to change their behaviour
• Ensure all colleagues are aware of the anti-bullying policy
• Give staff appropriate CPD opportunities
• Seek help from outside agencies where applicable

Recording 

• Arbor will be used to record child-on-child abuse. Where there are multiple incidents or concerns that incidents are bullying, this will be logged on CPOMS. Appropriate sanctions and restorative conversations will be put into place by Pastoral staff.

• A neutral event for those who have experienced child on child abuse is also recorded on Arbor to track frequency and trends, as well as ensuring that we can offer support to students who have experienced bullying or abuse.

• Each time an incident is reported the details are logged and passed to the appropriate Year Team and/or designated member of staff.
• The Year Team and other pastoral staff will liaise with the reporting colleague and teaching staff as appropriate
• The Year Team will ask all parties to record the event in writing
• All parties will be interviewed separately, then together, where appropriate
• We will disapprove of the action, not the student and stress that bullying is not acceptable. The bully will be offered counselling in order to prevent further incidents.
• Contact the parents/carers of all parties and invite into the Academy according to the needs of the situation