Ongoing strategies to prevent bullying behaviour
- Inform students about the anti-bullying plan through Year Assemblies, Roll Groups and school diaries.
- Inform parents and caregivers about the anti-bullying plan through P&C meetings, school newsletter and parent meetings.
- Ensure that all staff are aware of the anti-bullying plan.
- Provide students with strategies to respond positively to incidents of bullying behaviour, including responsibilities as bystanders or observers. These strategies to be taught as part of the personal development/health course. Bullying themes will also be explored in literature and drama.
- Run specific anti-bullying programs which are reinforced through the welfare programs.
- Display signs in each classroom and around the school that bullying is unacceptable and should be reported.
Strategies to deal with bullying incidents
Parents and students should contact the Year Adviser or Deputy Principal if bullying behaviour is occurring.
Serious incidents of bullying should be referred directly to the Deputy Principal.
Step one: teacher level (teacher observes that a student is being bullied)
The teacher will:
- challenge the inappropriate behaviour and speak to all students involved, collect data and investigate incident
- issue a caution
- if the situation is resolved, no further action is required
- if the situation is serious, potentially ongoing or if bullying behaviour persists, refer the student/s to the Year Adviser or Deputy Principal.
Step two: Year Adviser level
When the Year Adviser is informed by a parent teacher or student of a bullying incident, the Year Adviser will:
- interview the students involved, investigate the incident and collect data
- ensure students involved complete a Bullying Incident Report
- refer serious or ongoing incidents to the Deputy Principal
- conduct a mediation session
- record incident in a Bullying Registration Book
- issue the bully with a caution
- send a letter to parents / caregivers informing them that their son has been bullying other student/s
- refer victim and/ bully to the counsellor, where appropriate
- contact the parents/ caregivers of the victim.
Step three: Deputy Principal level
If the bullying behaviour persists or mediation process breaks down, the student will be referred to the Deputy Principal.
The Deputy Principal will:
- interview students, investigate incident and collect data
- record incident in the Bullying Registration Book
- take action against the bully. This will include school detention(s) or suspension.
- issue the bully with a caution
- phone parents/ caregivers of the victim and bully and arrange interview as required
- refer bully and / or victim to the counsellor
Step four: suspension (Principal discretion)
If the bullying behaviour persists the student will be suspended by the Principal.
Monitoring, evaluation and reporting:
- a record of bullying incidents and resolutions will be kept centrally in the Bullying Registration Book.
- Bullying Incident Reports will be filed by Year Advisor and/or Deputy Principal.
- Annual surveys of students, teachers and parents/caregivers will be used to evaluate the extent to which the Anti-bullying Plan has been effective.
- The Anti-bullying Plan will be reviewed annually by the Student Welfare Committee.
- Monitoring information will be used to identify emerging patterns and trends and to modify the Anti-bullying Plan accordingly.