Anti-Bullying
Our Aims and Values in Managing Bullying at Braunton Academy
As set out in the Academy’s Aims and Values, we wish to inculcate positive values of Character, Respect and Community which allow both the individual and all within the Academy to flourish. We wish to create a sense of community where all students are valued and respected, and one which prevents bullying from being a serious problem in the first place. Bullying, of any kind, can seriously impact a student’s welfare and all at the school will always take this matter extremely seriously.
Bullying of any kind is unacceptable and will not be tolerated at Braunton Academy. We define bullying as the conscious desire by an individual or group to hurt, threaten or frighten another individual or group, whether on the grounds of race, religion, culture, gender, sexuality, homophobia, disability, having Special Educational or EAL Needs, or any other pretext. It commonly occurs over time and is persistent. It covers any means, including physical, verbal, emotional, psychological or by electronic communication (including social websites, mobile phones, text messages, photographs and email). It includes a variety of situations: principally, perhaps, open “peer on peer” abuse, but also “adult on child” and even “child on adult”. We regard bullying as a very serious offence, with the danger of causing damage of a significant nature, whether physical, emotional or psychological. Our aims are:
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to ensure Braunton Academy is a safe and happy learning environment where all of our young people can enjoy school life and achieve
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to prevent, or stop, the continuation of bullying behaviour
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to react to incidents of bullying in a reasonable, proportionate and consistent way
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to safeguard the child or children experiencing the bullying and provide support for him/her/them
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to give support and guidance to the perpetrator(s) which may involve applying disciplinary sanctions to the perpetrator(s), ensuring lessons are learned which will discontinue bullying behaviour
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For the vast majority of students, Braunton Academy will always provide a positive and fulfilling experience: however, sadly, life is not always quite that perfect and there may be occasions, as there are in all schools, when people can be unkind to each other. Persistent unkindness is bullying and we work hard to understand and know when and where it is happening. Our Year and Student Support teams are well trained in tackling the various forms of bullying, using proven and effective techniques to prevent and stop any bullying.
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The following websites links contain useful guidance about bullying and Cyberbullying
Staying Safe Online
We all enjoy going online, however, we are all potentially at risk when we share information online. Take a look at the ‘Think U Know’ website and take on board the advice there, then you will be safe when you surf the net.
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If you want another source of advice that is really helpful and confidential take a look at Childline anti bullying
Anti-Bullying Policy in Outline
Staying safe by looking out for each other.
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We believe that we have a very strong anti-bullying policy that we apply when bullying situations regrettably arise. This policy is regularly reviewed and updated. All students are advised and encouraged to see a member of staff, ideally their tutor, straight away if they feel that they are being treated unkindly by others. Parents and carers are strongly advised to report any suspicion of bullying to their child's Form Tutor and/or Head of Year, either by telephoning 01271 812221 or emailing admin@braunton.academy. In addition, the Y9 Peer Mentors and Y10/Y11 Prefects are trained to look out for signs of bullying around the Academy.
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In addition to personally speaking to someone, bullying concerns can be reported by posting into the 'drop-boxes' positioned around the school
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When bullying occurs we follow a very clearly defined Anti-bullying procedure that is designed to prevent bullying from recurring. While it clearly involves strong sanctions that are applied to the 'bully' , unfortunately this alone rarely solves the situation completely so it is vital to tackle the root cause of the problem. We apply a range of counselling strategies and restorative approaches to rebuild relationships.
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Restorative Justice Approaches are Applied to Address the Harm Caused by Bullying
We will engage both the 'bully' and the victim in Restorative Approaches that are designed to get the bully to face up to the harm that his/her persistent unkindness has on the victim. Empathising with how it feels to be bullied is a vital part of this restorative approach. In short, we always work with the bully and the victim by applying these mediation techniques to prevent the bullying situation from arising again.
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We Have no Tolerance of Bullying
We have no tolerance of bullying and we will always apply appropriate sanctions when they are reported and fully investigated. If bullying persists, in spite of our interventions, it can lead to a bully being given a fixed-term exclusion and, in extreme cases, a permanent exclusion