Advice for Parents / Carers if you think your child is being affected by bullying behaviour
It is important that we all understand the difference between bullying behaviour and other types of behaviour. In the day to day run of school life children do fall out with one another; they do call names and sometimes push or hit one another. These isolated incidents are dealt with as they arise, through the school’s normal disciplinary procedures. Pupils must inform staff if something is concerning them. This will allow staff to address situations as they arise. Misdemeanours will be recorded. If a pattern of problem behaviour emerges, the Head Teacher or Depute Head Teacher will invite parents / carers to discuss ways of working in partnership to change their child’s behaviour before more serious sanctions are applied.
We believe that Parents /carers have a vital role in supporting the school in our aim to create a safe, secure and nurturing environment for all our pupils.
We therefore expect parents/carers to:
- Stress to their children the importance of sociable behaviour
- Support the school’s policy by encouraging children to deal with bullying by reporting it and not by becoming aggressive themselves
- Remember that there is often more than one side to a story, and it is our duty to gather the full facts before reacting
- Try to retain the spirit of partnership in any dealings between home and school, even if you are upset or disagree with action taken. We are ultimately on the same side, working for the benefit of the children
- Always let the school deal with any incident and do not confront other parents or children yourself. This can often lead to an escalation of the situation and could cause serious problems.
Advice for Pupils
Through Health and Wellbeing lessons in class and school assemblies it will be made clear to pupils that:
Bullying is unacceptable in Thornwood Primary
No pupil should endure bullying
Bullying should be reported to any trusted adult in the school
There is no such thing as an innocent bystander – pupils should stand up for each other
Pupils should ignore name calling, but tell an adult later
Pupils should make use of Bubble Time and Caring-Sharing boxes in class if they are worried about anything
All bullying incidents will be reported to the Head Teacher
To read our anti-bullying policy, click here