Aims of the policy:

The aims and objectives of Read Academy in formulating this policy are as follows:

● To reduce and eradicate wherever possible instances in which pupils and adults are subjected to
bullying or racism in any form.

● To establish appropriate means of providing support, should such an incident occur.

● To mirror the Islamic ethos of the school.

● To show that we value the cultural diversity of our community and aim to prevent any form of
persecution by meeting the needs of our diverse society.

The ultimate aim should be to provide a learning environment free of any threat or fear, thus being
conducive to the attainment of individual aspirations

Definition:

Bullying is defined as unwanted behaviours or actions perpetrated by one or more persons against
one or more others over time. These behaviours produce a damaging, or hurtful effect – physically
and/or emotionally and will be dealt with appropriately by the school.

Setting standards:

The values and beliefs underlying this policy are to be considered in the context of the following
statements:

● All bullying is unacceptable, regardless of how it is delivered or what excuses are given to justify it.

● The school recognises the detrimental effect on pupils and adults who may be subjected to
bullying.

● Victims of bullying will be treated in a supportive manner, rather than being regarded as a burden
to staff and peer groups.

● The school is committed to combating all bullying behaviour.

Persons covered by this Policy:

All pupils and adults whether permanently or temporarily on Read Academy school premises will be
expected to adhere to this policy.

Action Read Academy takes to prevent bullying:

● The school is proactive in terms of promoting the ethos that fosters an understanding of the
diversity of cultures which exist in our community and in today’s Britain.

● Circle time is one method amongst many that can be used to develop positive relationships
between children and adults so that all feel valued as members of our school community.
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● By understanding and adhering to the schools wider safeguarding and child protection policies, as
well as the behaviour policy, our staff are well trained to support the needs of our pupils and
support them if any issues arise that may involve bullying.

● By making all staff and pupils aware of the social and moral responsibility they have to each other
by making it clear to all that harassment in any form is unacceptable.

Action to combat bullying:

Among the activities which Read Academy will establish and maintain in an effort to combat bullying
behaviour are:

● Sanctions against children who show signs of bullying behaviour.

● Allocation of specific roles and responsibilities, both at staff and pupil level, in order that incidents
may be detected, behaviour monitored, and appropriate support delivered. For example, Year 6
pupils could be encouraged to take on a “Buddy” role towards younger pupils.

● Communication of the policy and periodic updates in order that staff and pupils are continuously
aware of the policy and also of their individual responsibilities.

● Staff training to ensure that all responsibilities in respect of this policy can be delivered in a
competent, caring and efficient manner.

Individual Responsibilities:

It is important that pupils and parents recognise the difficulties which staff may encounter in
ensuring that the purpose and intent of the Bullying Policy can be effectively introduced and
enforced. In this regard the pupils and parents are expected to:

● Report all incidents of bullying using the procedures in place.

● Act in a respectful and supportive manner to their peers, reporting any suspected incidents which the victim may be afraid to report.

● Adhere to and promote the aims and objectives of these statements.

● Refrain at all times from any behaviour which would constitute bullying of fellow pupils/adults.
Parents too, can play a vital role by:

● Stressing to pupils the importance of sociable behaviour.

● Reporting any misgivings they have concerning either victims or perpetrators of bullying to a
member of the teaching staff.

● Actively endorsing and supporting the Read Academy’s anti-bullying policy.

● Acting as a positive role model for children.

● Encouraging an Islamic response within their children.

Dealing with incidents of bullying:

Any incident of bullying will be recorded and passed to the Head Teacher via the
Incident/safeguarding report form. This will be monitored by the headteacher and senior leadership
team to enable patterns of bullying to be identified and addressed.

All allegations of bullying will be taken seriously. (In accordance with DfES guidelines all racist
incidents will be recorded and parents and the SDL governing body will be made aware of the
incidents and the action taken to deal with it.)

Adults and pupils need to know that reported incidents are taken seriously and dealt with. Incidents
can be reported to any member of staff (preferably the class teacher, in the first instance) or to the
Headteacher and Designated Safeguarding Lead Mr Gulam Abbas Hussain. The adult concerned
should make a dated record of the allegation on the report form. If appropriate, the class form
teacher should be made aware of it.

These records should be kept in case they are needed in the future. Any incidents of racism should
also be reported to the Head Teacher.

There will be a graded series of responses to such reports:

First enquiry

Ascertain whether this behaviour is unusual or not, and if it is out of character, check to see if there
are any underlying circumstances.

● Ask the “bully” if they are aware of the distress that has been caused?

● Ask the “bully” whether they intended to cause distress?

● Ask the “bully” to reflect on how they expect to be treated and how they would feel if they were
the victim?

This will help create an atmosphere in which the “bully” can admit that they have caused offence. At
this stage many people prefer to use a no-blame approach as it focuses on how the bullied pupil can
be helped to feel safe. Staff should also be aware that there may be reasons why children bully and
an effort should be made to ascertain this, if the perpetrator continues to deny responsibility.

Action:

Pupils say what acceptable ways of interacting are and how they can ensure that the victim’s life is
made more bearable in school. These decisions are agreed and reviewed.

If there are further incidents:

● Don’t accept excuses.

● A game is only a game if everyone enjoys it.

● If it was an accident did they report it?

● If it was for a laugh – who was laughing?

A letter should be sent to the parents of the pupils involved, outlining what action has been taken
and what will happen if further incidents occur.

If further incidents occur

● Set clear limits and re-state what the school’s expectations are.

● Explain clearly what sanctions/actions will follow further incidents.

● Wherever possible, the adult dealing with this should remain calm.

● Show the pupil the record of the incident and ask them to sign it as this stresses the seriousness of
it. Define the behaviour clearly (using legal terms such as slander, criminal damage if appropriate).

● A second letter will be sent to the parents of all the pupils involved, outlining what action has been
taken and what will happen if further incidents occur.

● If it is felt appropriate, regular meetings can be set-up between the Head Teacher and the children
involved.

Sanctions if further incidents occur

● Interview with parents.

● Contractual agreement.

● Bully court or other peer response.

● Temporary exclusion or lunchtime exclusion.

● Managed move

● Permanent exclusion.

If the child is a victim of bullying:

1. The child will inform the class teacher first.

2. If the bullying continues, Head Teacher informed through Incident/Safeguarding report form.

3. If the bullying continues, the SDL governing body will be made aware.

Evaluation Procedure

In order to assess the effectiveness of this policy, the following standards will be used as a means of
measuring performance:

● Variations in the number of reported incidents over a given period.

● Individual incident returns.

● Variation in the number of pupil days lost which are suspected to arise as a consequence of
bullying.

● Any marked improvement in academic performance which may be confidently regarded to have
arisen due to the eradication of bullying behavior.

Policy Ownership and Responsibilities

● The policy will be updated and reviewed every two years or sooner if necessary.

The ultimate responsibility for its introduction and implementation will rest with the SDL governing
body and Head Teacher. However, it is important to remember that all staff, pupils and parents have
an active part to play in the maintenance and development of this policy.

Behaviour Policy

This Anti-Bullying policy should be read in conjunction with the school’s Behaviour Policy. It sets out
expectations for pupils to respect each other and the school community. It provides further
explanation about sanctions.