Bullying occurs in every school and in every country. It is all too often part of the way young people interact in our society. No parent can be confident that their child will never bully or be bullied.

• Bullying should not be regarded as a normal part of growing up or just a bit of harmless fun. It is not something that children should have to put up with or learn to sort out for themselves. 

• Research shows that most pupils (80%) are not actively involved in bullying. They neither bully nor are victims. They see it happening to others and know it’s wrong, but unless they are asked for help, or are made to feel they have a responsibility or duty to act they will silently collude with the abuse. 

• An effective anti-bullying programme involves building a genuine community within the school. Children, teachers, and parents accept that children have the right to be free from harassment and that they all have the responsibility to support their weaker and more vulnerable peers. This is the basis of our No-Bully Programme.
  

The bullying continuum 

Some researchers express a concern that many anti-bullying interventions address all incidents of bullying behaviour as if they were equally severe. They suggest instead, bullying behaviours sit along a continuum from mild to high severity. It is important that schools define what they consider to be mild, moderate or severe incidents. How serious the bullying depends on things such as, how often it happens and for how long, how much the bullied child was hurt, how much threat was used, and how many were involved. 

Many mild bullying episodes can be addressed by approaches such as informal teacher intervention or through training bystanders to intervene. 

Moderate cases may need a more formal method, such as restorative justice conferences, Collaborative Action Plans (CAPs) and other interventions or strategies. Severe cases of bullying or other behaviours, such as assault may require the police to be involved.

Why do children bully?

Understanding why people bully can be useful in exploring ways to build a safer and more caring climate. Research shows the role of the wider social environment in shaping and influencing behaviour. There are a number of reasons why children bully including unhappiness, lack of confidence, jealousy, gaining attention and bringing their group closer by picking on an outsider.

Common explanations for bullying include:

• Bullying as a developmental process as young children start to assert themselves and establish their social dominance, physical bullying can be more common at this age level. As they get older, verbal and relational forms of bullying become more frequent.

• Bullying as a personal trait in children with low empathy or a predisposition towards aggressive behaviour. Some studies also show that children who have certain types of personality traits may be more likely to be bullied or engage in bullying behaviours.
  

• Bullying as learned family behaviour in children from families with particular characteristics and ways of dealing with things.

• Bullying as a social phenomenon that reflects patterns of dominance of some groups over others. Prior to the 1980s, bullying was mostly understood as an interpersonal interaction between a perpetrator and a victim. Since then, research has increasingly viewed bullying as a social phenomenon operating within a peer group. A key change in bullying occurred when researchers found that bullying behaviours often occur in the presence of peers or bystanders who either participate directly or indirectly. They found that when peers intervene, bullying stops faster. These studies have resulted in more focus on ways to support peers to intervene, as well as ways in which teachers can create pro-social norms in classrooms. Types of bystanders can include: 

1. Assistants, who join and assist 

2. Reinforcers, who laugh or encourage without engaging in the behaviours

3. Outsiders/onlookers, who are not involved but see bullying happen

4. Defenders who try to stop the bullying and assist those being bullied
   

Bullying as a socio-ecological phenomenon that draws on systems thinking and considers the 'ecology' of the system within which behaviours occur. Variables in the wider environment known to influence the cause and expression of bullying behaviours include individual, peer, family, school, community and societal factors. The socio-ecological perspective combines and builds on the earlier perspective and includes a wider consideration of the types of factors that might influence bullying behaviour; for example, societal norms or aggression on television.

Why do children sometimes get bullied?

Anyone can be bullied, and many children are bullied for no particular reason. Children are more likely to be bullied. However, if they are seen as:

• Vulnerable, they may look like they won’t stick up for themselves and may be seen as an easy target 

• Difference e.g. colour, religion, height, weight, the way they talk or look, disability, nationality, manner, name, etc. 

• Misinterpreted actions towards others. They may not be competent at reading social cues or may act in a way that unintentionally or repeatedly upset others. 

• On their own - A child’s chance of being bullied is greater if they spend a lot of time alone.
  

What can I do if I think my child is being bullied?

While young children are usually able to tell their parents that no one likes them or that someone is picking on them, older children find it hard to tell their parents or teachers about bullying. Some reasons for this are:

• Fear of the bullies getting back at them 

• Not wanting to be a 'tell-tale' or lack of confidence to seek help

• Feeling ashamed at not being able to stick up for themselves 

• Blame themselves and believe that it is their fault
  

Some possible warning signs that your child may be being bullied are:

• Repeatedly saying that 'No one likes me', 'No one will play with me' 

• Excuses to get out of school, feeling sick, tummy aches 

• Signs of fear, e.g. bed wetting, nightmares 

• Having unexplained bruises 

• Starting to bully brothers or sisters 

• Coming home with books, clothes or belongings damaged

Remember that one or more of these possible warning signs does not necessarily indicate bullying. It is important not to reach hasty conclusions. We encourage you to observe, talk to and listen to your child.

What should you do?

• Don’t overreact! Hear your child out. 

• Support, comfort, listen. 

• Stay calm and think things through before you do anything. It is important that your child feels you are in control. Approach it as a problem to be solved.

• Ask what your child has tried to do to stop the bullying. 

• Explain that bullies are people who don’t like themselves and bully to make themselves feel better. 

• Teach your child to walk away from a bully. 

• Tell your child not to react, fight back or cry, if possible. Try to get them to ignore the bully by not looking at the bully or saying anything back. 

• Discuss the situation with the child’s teacher or Team Leader to develop a consistent home and school approach to the problem.
  

What does the school do to limit bullying?

Our goal is to develop a culture where children are empowered and resilient regarding bullying. They know what to do and whom to tell. We do this by always following up on an allegation, and specifically teaching children about WITS (Walk away, Ignore, Talk it out, Seek help) via assemblies, daily notices, class conferences and frequently talking about bullying stays top of mind.

We also do a school-wide survey regularly to determine:

• Whether children feel safe at school and whether they can identify any bullies or victims

• What to do if they are bullied or see bullying

Parents and whānau are also consulted at different times in ways to determine whether they feel their child is safe at school and encouraged to talk to the teacher if they have a concern.

The data from surveys and feedback is collated and analysed. This is done alongside school behaviour data to identify trends or patterns, such as incidents occurring for particular children or in a particular area of the school.

Any students who indicate a problem with bullying are followed up by a Teacher on the first instance. If the situation continues, a Team Leader, the Deputy Principal or the Principal may become involved, depending on the circumstances.

What will the school do in response to bullying behaviour?

Staff will:

• Thoroughly investigate the situation to identify what has been occurring. This information will support a decision on whether the behaviour classifies as bullying, according to the school policy and definition. The Principles of Natural Justice occur when investigating any presenting situation.

• Contact and discuss findings with parents and whānau and share any actions being taken.

• If appropriate, support students to meet for repair and rebuilding purposes, using the school's Restorative Practice process.

• Continue to meet with students and implement structured approaches to monitor the situation carefully. This will promote student self-regulation and reflection to prevent further incidents from occurring and will provide students with confidential methods of communication. Key staff will keep parents and whānau informed throughout this process.

• Develop a Collaborative Action Plan (CAP) if the behaviour persists. This will be done in partnership with parents and whānau to formalise the actions taken for the students involved. External agencies may be sought to support this process if appropriate.

• A formal Stand-down may occur if the situation does not improve and the behaviour continues to be significant. Following the stand down, a transition to school plan may be developed to accompany the CAP. This may include a high degree of intervention to prevent any further incident from occurring, e.g. class changes, modified break periods etc.

• If further incidents occur to a degree that causes significant harm, suspension or exclusion may occur.

• Record all incidents and interactions on the school's Student Management System (SMS) to ensure records are maintained throughout the student's time at Marshland School.