Bullying parent leaflet for website

Say ‘No’ to Bullies @ Hertford Infant and Nursery School

Information and support for Parents/Carers Compiled by Tracey Bowers – Assistant Head (Safeguarding and Welfare) Eve Paez Whittaker – Inclusion Mentor

Bullying can be  Physical  Verbal  Exclusion - being left out  Online – via social media  Damage to property or theft

Advice for Parents/Carers  Take an interest in how your child’s day has gone, who they have spent their time with, how lunch time was spent etc. but avoid leading questions like ‘Did anything bad happen today?’  Look for unusual or changed behaviour in your children, they may suddenly not wish to attend school, feel ill regularly, or be generally acting out of character.  If you feel your child may be a victim of bullying behaviour, inform the School IMMEDIATELY.  Encourage your child to be assertive – tell them to shout “Stop it, I don’t like it!” and walk confidently away.  It is important that you do not advise your child to fight back. It can make matters worse! Always encourage them to tell an adult immediately if there are problems.  Encourage them to stay with a group of friends/other children.  Tell your child that there is nothing wrong with him or her. It is not his or her fault that they are being bullied and they do not deserve to be bullied. It is WRONG!

We use the following method to deal with all incidents in school. So that children can take an active role in finding their own solutions to their friendship problems

Restorative Justice (RJ) Script Mending falling outs and solving friendship problems 

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Make sure both children are calm: it’s never a good idea to make up when you are angry.

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Then ask each child the complete script in turn.

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No one can interrupt when someone else is speaking.

What?

Tell me what happened?

How? How did this make you feel?

As a school we will:  Always listen and take your concerns seriously.  Deal with the situation in a way which will bring the bullying to an end and not make things worse.  Use our Restorative Justice (RJ) approach (see over) to resolve minor misunderstandings and accidents etc. If there is a continuous, intentional act RJ will be formally recorded and further action taken.  Ensure all staff are trained on how to use the RJ approach.  Offer appropriate support for both the victim and the bully.  We will liaise closely with you the parents/carers and keep you informed of actions taken.  Report genuine incidents of bullying to the Local Authority.

Now… What do you think should happen now?

Reflection Time: After they have listened to each other a solution can be agreed. Afterwards praise the children for their participation in the RJ process and for making good choices.

Encourage them to follow these good choices at all times in the future.