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Anti-Bullying Policy
Policy Statement
Randwick Boys’ High School is a dynamic and diverse learning community which encourages all school members to respect and accept individual differences and promote fairness for all.
Randwick Boys’ High School has a zero tolerance for bullying.
We acknowledge that bullying exists in our society. It is the responsibility of the whole school community to work together to address bullying. Our school plan will help the school community to recognise and challenge bullying behaviour and increase proactive responses from bystanders.
Definition of bullying behaviour
- Bullying is a deliberate attempt to make someone feel uncomfortable, unhappy or devalued.
- The bully deliberately tries to harm, harass, humiliate or distress a victim in order to gain power. Bullying can be planned and organised or it may be unintentional. Individuals or groups may be involved.
Forms of bullying
Bullying can involve all forms of harassment based on sex, race, religion, disability or sexual orientation. It can be expressed in different forms including:
- Verbal: eg. Name calling, teasing, abuse, putdowns, sarcasm, insults, threats, harassment, insults against a student and/or his family, etc.
- Physical: e.g. Spitting, mucking around that goes too far, hitting, punching, kicking, scratching, tripping, pushing, biting, pulling hair, throwing objects at another person, invading personal space to intimidate, etc.
- Social/Psychological: e.g. Ostracising (group consents to deliberately exclude or ignore), alienating (one or more people excluded), making inappropriate gestures to humiliate, mocking others, spreading stories and rumours, hiding, damaging or stealing possessions, malicious SMS or email messages, inappropriate use of camera phones, note passing with inappropriate comments or stand-over tactics, eg. demanding money, etc.
A Statement of Purpose
Randwick Boys’ High seeks to promote quality education that will help students to become self directed learners and good citizens. These outcomes cannot be achieved when students are bullied.
Students, teachers, parents, caregivers and members of the wider school community have a shared responsibility to create a safe and happy environment, free from all forms of bullying. Specifically, they have a responsibility to:
- Promote positive relationships that respect and accept individual differences and diversity within the whole school community
- Support and promote the development of the Anti-bullying Plan
- Actively work together to resolve incidents of bullying behaviour when they occur.
Each group within the school community has a specific role in preventing and dealing with bullying.
Students can expect to:
- Be treated with dignity and respect
- Know that their concerns will be taken seriously and handled in a sensitive manner
- Be provided with appropriate support (for both the victim and the bully, including counselling)
- See severe cases of bullying result in suspension.
Students have a responsibility to:
- Treat students and teachers with dignity and respect
- Behave appropriately and respect individual differences
- Refuse to bully and challenge inappropriate behaviour
- Refuse to watch, laugh or join in when someone is being bullied
- Report any bullying incident directed at self or others according to the school Anti bullying Plan
- Help break down the code of secrecy.
Staff have a responsibility to:
- Model appropriate behaviour in word and action
- Closely supervise students in all areas of the school and playground
- Identify signs of bullying and try to prevent repeat offences
- Respond quickly and sensitively to bullying reports and follow up all reported bullying incidents
- Assign consequences for bullying following the school Anti bullying Plan.
Parents and caregivers have a responsibility to:
- Be aware of the school Anti-bullying Plan
- Explore their children’s concerns
- Be aware of the signs and symptoms of bullying for example, school avoidance, persistent headaches, stomach aches, damaged clothes, bruises, sleep disturbance, etc
- Contact the school promptly if bullying behaviour is suspected
- Be willing to attend interviews at the school, where appropriate.
The school has a responsibility to:
- Take seriously parent concerns about bullying
- Inform students, parents, caregivers and the community about Randwick Boys’ High School’s Welfare & Discipline Policy and Anti-bullying Plan
- Provide students with strategies to respond positively to incidents of bullying behaviour, including responsibilities as bystanders or observers
- Provide parents, caregivers and students with strategies that promote appropriate behaviour, and information on the consequences of bullying
- Communicate to parents and caregivers that they have an important role to play in resolving incidents of bullying behaviour involving their children
- Follow up appropriate action and document complaints of bullying, harassment and intimidation.
Managing Bullying
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