How to tackle identity-based bullying

scameron — Thu, 19 May 2011 15:00:57 +0100

What is identity-based bullying?

Racial tension and bullying: the duty to aid integration

scameron — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 17:14:44 +0100

We have previously discussed the supervision of pupils indoors and outdoors on school premises (issues 97 - Feb 2010, 102 - July/Aug 2010).

Revised Working Together guidance and your school (2)

scameron — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:22:15 +0100

This is part 2 of our feature on the revised Working Together guidance. This guidance sets out how individuals and organisations should work together to safeguard young people. The revised version, published in March, has significant implications for the role schools play in child protection and combatting bullying.

Learning from home with ICT

scameron — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:32:54 +0100

Despite all she’s been through, Catherine Jones remains surprisingly upbeat. A 47-year-old single mother of two sons, she has faced the usual obstacles while raising her family. But in Catherine’s case there was always an added difficulty: Michael, her elder son, aged 15, is autistic and hates school so much that four years ago he came close to killing himself. Today, however, he is in Year 11, preparing to take his GCSEs and talking enthusiastically about his plans for post-16 study.

Dealing effectively with cyberbullying

scameron — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:48:23 +0000

Bullying is always an emotive subject. It is getting worse according to the latest research conducted by Ofsted, as published in its report, Children on Bullying. One may argue whether this is a question of fact or whether greater publicity means it is talked about more. Regardless, school bullying already claims the lives of about 20 teenagers a year, while thousands more suffer physical and psychological torment. What is clear is that the emergence of cyberbullying means there is no longer any safe haven from its effects.

CPD to combat cyberbullying

scameron — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:18:56 +0000

The increasing popularity of social networking sites such as Bebo, Myspace and Facebook, use of mobile technologies for making and sharing images and the potential to share and disseminate personal information online are an increasingly integral part of the everyday social lives and relationships of young people. At the same time, the potential for young people to use these technologies to actively engage in, or to be the victims of, online harassment or cyberbullying has emerged as an issue that requires a multifaceted response involving a variety of key stakeholders.

'Virtual' schooling: education outside school

scameron — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:34:33 +0100

Billie Murram is gathering an impressive set of qualifications and has set her sights on becoming an IT tutor. Things could have turned out very differently for this 17-year-old from Kingston upon Thames. She opted out of school because bullying made her life a misery and she found it increasingly difficult to study in the classroom. ‘I just made excuses for not attending. I had a home tutor for a while, but this didn’t enable me to sit any exams.’

A whole-school anti-bullying policy

scameron — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:10:06 +0100

In November 2004, Manhood Community College in Selsey, West Sussex, was placed in special measures following an Ofsted inspection which stated that bullying was commonplace throughout the school. The report concluded that action had to be taken immediately to tackle the problem and improve behaviour.

Tackling cyberbullying against teachers

sara — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:21:39 +0100

What is cyberbullying?
Given the historical child-centric approach to bullying, the most-used definitions are those provided by children's organisations. Childnet International defines cyberbullying as a type of aggression relating to the "sending or posting of harmful or cruel text or images using the internet or other digital communication devices".

What is cyberbullying?

sara — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:21:36 +0100

What is cyberbullying?
It is a type of aggression defined by Childnet International as the 'sending or posting of harmful or cruel text or images using the internet or other digital communication devices'. Police experts and children's charities are concerned at the increase of cyberbullying and charities are voicing concern that this new phenomenon is increasing at an alarming rate. School bullying already claims the lives of around 20 teenagers a year while thousands more suffer physical and psychological torment.

Identify and prevent bullying in the classroom

sara — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:21:33 +0100

What do you perceive as bullying? It is interesting that if you were to write down your perception then ask someone else to do the same, chances are the answers would be different. On the news and in the papers, bullying is on the rise. What about in your own school?

Initiatives like National Anti-Bullying Week are ideal times to promote an anti-bullying friendly environment within your school.

Tackling bullying in schools

cassandrafaria — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:21:31 +0100

Assessment for learning, behaviour management and information technology are just some of the areas that affect all teachers - regardless of who and what they teach. But arguably, the area which could impact pupils' well-being the most is the way in which bullying is tackled as a whole school.

Bullying is on the increase, say young people

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:58 +0100

According to new research from the children’s rights director for England, Roger Morgan, bullying is on the increase and bullies are using a variety of methods, including the use of new technologies, to torment their victims.

Boxing in schools: an anti-bullying scheme

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:44 +0100

Boxing in schools hit the headlines in 2007 with its reintroduction to a group of schools in the London borough of Bromley. Once again the subject has raised much debate, with the qualities of self discipline and fitness weighed against the image of an inherently violent sport with the potential to cause harm to another student.

The power to search: a gift to schools?

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:44 +0100

The power to search by force for offensive weapons has been presented by much of the media as one more ‘get tough with school thugs!’ initiative. It was a gift to them that the power was granted, not in an Education Act, but in the Violent Crime Reduction Act. It came about in response to a series of stories relating to school pupils carrying knives, along with the report of a murder in a school using a knife.

Cyberbullying with new technologies: how teachers should respond

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:43 +0100

2007 saw an alarming rise in the reports of cyberbullying among children and young people both inside and outside of the school environment. The broadest definition of cyberbullying is that it is characterised by the use of new information and communication devices and services to bully, harass or intimidate an individual or group.

Cyber-bullying of teachers

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:31 +0100

Imagine logging onto MySpace to see a video of a pupil smashing up your car. How would you feel if you were receiving a series of silent phone calls or anonymous text messages warning you to ‘watch your back’? Or if you found pornographic material sent to your phone with your own face superimposed onto that of the actors?

Perhaps this has already happened to you? It is certainly the reality facing many teachers targeted by the new phenomenon of cyber-bullying.

Playground fights: duty to contact parents

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:24 +0100

If a school does not tell parents about a school fight, it will not necessarily be held liable for negligence.

In S v London Borough of Redbridge [2005] ELR 320 the claimant, S, sued the local authority for negligence after an incident in 1995, when she was 13, causing psychological damage. She did not begin proceedings until 2003, which made it difficult for the court to establish what had happened.

Challenging homophobia

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:17 +0100

Homophobia is a real problem in many schools for pupils who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). Homophobic bullying destroys lives and shying away from discussion about homosexuality can help fuel a culture of non-acceptance that sets precedents for behaviour in adulthood. One way of tackling homophobia is to talk about homosexuality. Yet for many teachers, gay and straight, talking about same sex relationships with pupils, parents and colleagues, may seem like the hardest thing to do.

When can a bullied child stay off school?

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:16 +0100

QUESTION

Sometimes a child suffers so badly from bullying that parents keep her at home. But is this legally justified?

ANSWER

Bullying and the bystander

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:15 +0100

The third Anti-Bullying Week, run by the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA) took place from 20-24 November 2006, with the theme of the ‘bystander’. The ABA chose to focus on this topic to try and empower young people to seek help when they witness bullying.

Changing culture

Effective treatment for children who sexually abuse others

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:15 +0100

Introduction

Cyberbullying: protect your pupils and the school

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:11 +0100

Schools and bullies and have a long and intertwined, if unfortunate, history. Society may have become more violent and aggressive over the decades — but at the same time it is ever less tolerant of such behaviour and its consequences. The myth that bullying is ‘character-forming’, ‘part of life’ and ‘a rite of passage’ are no longer acceptable.

Stamping out homophobic bullying

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:06 +0100

Homophobic bullying is a growing cause of concern for children and young people. The NSPCC’s child protection helpline, ChildLine, reported that in April 2006 27% of their calls related to sexual orientation issues. In fact homophobic bullying was the most common single problem. Sadly, as ChildLine suggests, it may be an especially effective or powerful form of bullying because victims are particularly unwilling to seek help.

Internet and mobile technology security

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:04 +0100

The internet can be enormously beneficial for children. Its huge richness and diversity is part of the attraction. But as the mass media have sadly reminded us, all too often there are hazards associated with internet use. A failure to take reasonable steps to make oneself aware of these hazards, or a failure to take reasonable steps to minimise or avoid them, could put children at risk and therefore expose an individual teacher and the school to potential legal liabilities.

Discussion and democracy

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:55 +0100

In this column I have looked at topics that are relevant for both PSHE and citizenship. If there is one topic that might seem to belong just to citizenship it is democracy. After all, the Crick Report of 1998, which had so much influence on the decision to incorporate citizenship into the National Curriculum, was called ‘Education for Citizenship and the Teaching of Democracy in Schools’.

Racist bullying: preventing and dealing with incidents

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:55 +0100

Preventing and dealing with racism is not an optional extra, something to address if and when more fundamental things are in place, but is itself absolutely central to the educational enterprise.

DfES advice

Transition: are we going anywhere with it?

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:52 +0100

Transition has always been a ‘big issue’ in school, particularly from the primary phase to secondary. This is where it is anticipated that children will receive a culture shock when they move from the womb-like state of the primary classroom to the cold reality of secondary school. It can be equated to tadpoles breaking out of the spawn and running the gauntlet of the larger and more aggressive fauna of the pond.

Transition: a personal view

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:51 +0100

How was it for you? I was young, inexperienced and I just fumbled around. My brother said it was often like that the very first time. My sister said the same. So did my mum and dad. Except it wasn’t my first time. I remember moving from the infants to the juniors, or ‘big school’ as it was called then, as it still is by some parents in my own establishment.

Combating mobile phone bullying

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:50 +0100

Text bullying involves a number of behaviours including:

Pupil discussion at CDEC – bullying, fair trade and global citizenship

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:48 +0100

Kath: I'm Kath. I'm the anti bullying co-ordinator for the county. There's only me and I only work part time, so you won't see very much of me at all. I've just finished doing the research on bullying in schools, and if you're really interested in it it's on the website. Have a look at it.

The other thing that I'm going to be doing shortly is an anti-bullying website which will be interactive, and you should be getting details of that. So feel free to use it if you want or need to.

So do you know what you're here for today?

Restorative justice: behaviour and relationship management in schools

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:44 +0100

Restorative Justice (RJ) is an alternative approach to behaviour and relationship management in schools. The idea is based on ancient tribal practices as a form of repairing harm caused by inappropriate behaviours that damage the communities that we live in, by bringing together those involved to discuss and talk through the issues that lead to their conflict.

Stamping out bullying

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:36 +0100

Bullying and the problems that lead to it seem to be everywhere. Recent American research suggests that up to 10% of pre-school children are suffering from problems of anxiety and aggression. It’s a major problem among adults, too. In November 2005, The TUC Health and Safety Executive: National Workplace Bullying Survey reported that two million people had been bullied at work in the past six months and 47% of British employees had witnessed bullying at work.

Storytelling week

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:35 +0100

The storyteller and teacher Rose Owens once wrote an article describing how she felt the walls going up when she attempted to tackle a difficult issue with emotionally disturbed youngsters. However, when she told them stories, they relaxed and settled into the narrative. There was no stress, no sense of expectation. They were not expected to learn ‘a point’ or to notice and talk about ‘an issue’. Each listener could find the piece of wisdom they needed, or just listen to a story and enjoy it.

The importance of emotional safety

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:35 +0100

Staying safe’ is one of the outcomes defined by Every Child Matters as something that every child should be entitled to expect at school. It is seen as the teachers’ responsibility to care ‘for the emotional and physical wellbeing’ of their pupils, so that they can realise their full potential in the classroom.

Using peer support to tackle bullying

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:32 +0100

Research shows that often the first person a child turns to for support is a friend. Le Surf and Lynch (1999) speculate that adults may be perceived as a poor source of assistance because age and status gaps can act as barriers to communication. Peer supporters conversely are easily accessible and have the potential to support outside formal interventions. In addition, they can offer unique solutions in order to support their peers and provide a catalyst for peer rejection of anti-social and negative behaviour.

What does peer support involve?

Web review - creating an anti-bullying school culture

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:30 +0100

(www.ngfl.gov.uk/features).

More focused attention has been given to this important issue at a national level, in an attempt to eradicate bullying in the nation’s schools. But it is how this is translated at a school level that really counts.

This website offers management advice, tools and support resources that you can use to help you improve the approach taken to tackling bullying in your school.

Bullying

jlee — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 15:46:01 +0000

Bullying

Using the evidence to address bullying

How to tackle identity-based bullying

Racial tension and bullying: the duty to aid integration

Revised Working Together guidance and your school (2)

Learning from home with ICT

Dealing effectively with cyberbullying

CPD to combat cyberbullying

'Virtual' schooling: education outside school

A whole-school anti-bullying policy

Tackling cyberbullying against teachers

What is cyberbullying?

Identify and prevent bullying in the classroom

Tackling bullying in schools

Bullying is on the increase, say young people

Boxing in schools: an anti-bullying scheme

The power to search: a gift to schools?

Cyberbullying with new technologies: how teachers should respond

Cyber-bullying of teachers

Playground fights: duty to contact parents

Challenging homophobia

When can a bullied child stay off school?

Bullying and the bystander

Effective treatment for children who sexually abuse others

Cyberbullying: protect your pupils and the school

Stamping out homophobic bullying

Internet and mobile technology security

Discussion and democracy

Racist bullying: preventing and dealing with incidents

Transition: are we going anywhere with it?

Transition: a personal view

Combating mobile phone bullying

Pupil discussion at CDEC – bullying, fair trade and global citizenship

Restorative justice: behaviour and relationship management in schools

Stamping out bullying

Storytelling week

The importance of emotional safety

Using peer support to tackle bullying

Web review - creating an anti-bullying school culture

Bullying