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Our Lady of Dolours Catholic Primary School Chatswood is committed
to providing a safe and caring environment which fosters respect
for others and does not tolerate bullying.
OUR DEFINITION OF BULLYING
Bullying is defined as repeatedly hurting another person who is
less powerful – either physically or psychologically.
Bullying can take many forms. We consider the following behaviour
to be bullying –
Physical:
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Hitting, kicking, punching |
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Pushing, shoving, spitting |
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Making rude gestures |
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Taking or damaging something which belongs
to someone else |
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Forcing others to hand over food, money
or something which belongs to them |
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Making someone do something they don’t
want to |
Verbal:
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Name calling |
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Teasing |
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Threatening |
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Making fun of someone because of their appearance,
physical characteristics or cultural background |
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Making fun of someone’s actions |
Indirect:
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Excluding others from the game or group |
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Spreading untrue stories about others |
Use of Technology:
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Cyber bullying - using technology to hurt others, including email, chat rooms, mobile phones, text, cameras & websites |
STRATEGIES WE WILL USE TO DEAL WITH BULLYING
At Our Lady of Dolours Catholic Primary School we will:
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Openly talk about bullying – what
it is, how it affects us and what we can do about it. |
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Teach our children the skills which will
build their self-esteem and empower them to take the responsibility
for themselves – and give them the opportunity to practise
these skills |
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Formulate a policy which clearly states
what actions we will take to deal with bullying behaviour |
Responsibilities of staff:
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To model appropriate behaviours at all times |
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To deal with all reported and observed incidences
of bullying as set out in this policy |
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To ensure that children are supervised at
all times |
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To report incidences of bullying to the
principal if this is warranted |
Responsibilities of children:
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To ‘tell’ if they are being
bullied or if they see someone else being bullied – both
at school and on the way to and from school |
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To help someone who is being bullied |
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To not bully others |
Responsibilities of parents:
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To watch for signs that their child may
be bullied |
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To speak to someone on staff at Our Lady
of Dolours Primary School if their child is being bullied,
or they suspect that this
is happening |
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To instruct their children to ‘tell’ if
they are bullied |
REPORTING OF BULLYING
Incidences of bullying can be reported to any teacher or the Principal
by children and their parents. Any bullying incidences that are
dealt with will be recorded and this record will be kept until
we evaluate the program
RESPONDING TO REPORTED INCIDENCES OF BULLYING
When a bullying incident is reported or observed we will use the
following graded sanctions:
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Send the children involved to peer mediation |
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If mediation is unsuccessful, talk to the
children involved about the incident and remind them that such
behaviour is not acceptable. |
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Comfort the victim and point out how he/she
feels |
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Warn the bully of the consequences of further
incidences |
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Inform other staff of the incident and record
it |
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Monitor the behaviour of the children involved
following this discussion. Try and give the bully some tasks
to do or some responsibilities, or praise him/her for doing
something right. |
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If the aggression is repeated, separate
the offending child from the group for ‘time out’ |
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If the child continues to bully, make an
appointment to speak to the parents/carer. Remind them of the
policy and ask for their co-operation in stopping the child
from bullying other children. |
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If none of the sanctions succeed in stopping
the child from being aggressive, he/she may be excluded – either
from the playground or from school for a short period of time. |
The staff will be responsible for implementing the program
and ensuring that incidences of bullying are dealt with in
a manner
consistent with the policy and as soon as possible after
it is reported or observed.
EVALUATING THE PROGRAM
We will evaluate the program after six months and then after
twelve months. It will be evaluated by:
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Noting if there has been a reduction in
reported or observed incidences of bullying. |
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Noting if there has been a change in the
ethos of our school. |
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Speaking to parents who have reported incidences
to find out if the problem has been resolved |
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Noting if there has been an increase in
enrolments or requests for enrolment |
REVIEW
We will review the program at the second school assembly
each year by:
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Reminding students and teachers of our policy |
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Including a copy of the policy in the newsletter
for parents |
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Revising the classroom activities on bullying. |
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