Bullying in schools

Bullying behaviours can affect a person physically and mentally. Bullying may be a one-time incident, or happen regularly.

Bullying behaviours may happen face to face or online and can include:

• teasing or name calling
• put downs or threats
• physical mistreatment like hitting, pushing, tripping
• theft or damage to belongings
• ignoring or leaving people out
• rumour spreading
• sharing abusive messages, pictures, or videos
• targeting because of who you are, or who you are thought to be
• behaviours that make a person feel like they're not in control of themself or their life

If your child is being bullied, you and your child should report the incident. Report to your child's teacher, or another member of school staff. In line with policy the school log, investigate, report to you, and take appropriate action. They will do all they can to find a lasting solution.

Our anti-bullying policy aims to prevent and deal with bullying by improving resilience and skills in:

• children and young people
• the people who play a role in young lives

It uses nurture and restorative practices to respond to those who are:

• bullied
• doing the bullying

We will make it difficult for bullying behaviours to emerge, or be tolerated, by promoting a culture that:

• values opinions
• celebrates difference
• promotes positive relationships

We will do this by:

• raising awareness of bullying behaviour
• creating and supporting a culture of respect, care, and consideration of others
• ensuring staff, pupils, parents, and carers are aware of how to deal with bullying
• monitoring and evaluating procedures

The following websites offer advice on coping with and reporting bullying:

• Respect me
• Childline
• Parentline Scotland
• Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP)