Abbeyfield School’s Anti-bullying Charter
Supported by The Diana Award Anti-bullying Ambassador scheme.
Bullying is something which every school has to deal with at times and it is something which is extremely difficult to get rid of completely. Therefore we, as the Anti-bullying Ambassadors, have put together a bullying charter as a student body, with no input from the teachers. We hope that it becomes clear that bullying is unacceptable, unpleasant and is disrespectful.
We hope to end it, prevent it and support those who are victims.
We would like our school to be friendly, safe and enjoyable. Not only does it affect the victim but also the school community.
What is bullying?
Bullying is behaviour which is upsetting or intimidating to another person. There are four main elements to bullying:
- It involves a power imbalance.
- It is hurtful.
- It is repetitive.
- It is intentional
REMEMBER: Several Times On Purpose
The 3 main groups of bullying are:
- Verbal Bullying – hurtful words, offensive language, swearing, discriminatory language etc.
- Indirect Bullying – isolating someone, rumours, sharing someone’s secrets, cyber-bullying, damaging/taking someone’s property and physical intimidation.
- Physical Bullying – hurting someone intentionally, kicking, punching, pinching, spitting, slapping etc.
Types of bullying:
- Homophobic bullying (dislike of or prejudice against homosexual people.)
- Racist bullying (prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior.)
- Cyber bullying (any form of bullying which takes place onlineor through social media.)
- Ableist bullying (discrimination in favour of able-bodied people.)
- Religious Discrimination (treating a person or group differently because of the particular beliefs which they hold about a religion.)
- Classist bullying (prejudice against people belonging to a particular social class.)
- Xenophobia (dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries.)
Steps to Prevent Bullying at Abbeyfield:
- Anti-bullying Ambassadors aim to raise awareness amongst students, teachers and parents. This includes:
- Assemblies
- Bulletin entries
- Fundraising events
- Feel Good Fridays.
- Anti-bullying notice board for key messages about dealing with bullying.
- All staff knowing the signs of bullying, and where to direct students for support.
Where can you access support if you’re being bullied?
• Talk to someone you trust: this could be at home or at school, it could be an adult or a peer (such as an Anti-Bullying Ambassador)
