STATEMENT

It is the basic entitlement of all children that they receive their education free from humiliation, oppression and abuse. It is the responsibility of all adults, teachers and parents, to ensure that this take place in an atmosphere which is caring and protective.

At Killicomaine our aims are to

make every pupil feel an important part of the school
ensure equality of treatment to all pupils in all areas of school life
create a pleasant, stimulating and well-ordered environment
promote caring, tolerant and responsible attitudes towards others in the community and in the wider world

All schools have a responsibility to create a secure and safe environment for pupils who are in their care, so that parents may send their children to school in the confident knowledge that they will be protected from bullies.

It is therefore important that we create an atmosphere in which the potential for bullying is minimised; we see to do this by:

having a clearly defined code of conduct
having a disciplined atmosphere including obvious staff presence
developing a trusting relationship between staff and pupils enhanced in
the classroom and through extra-curricular activities
developing a caring attitude through assembly, charity work

The issues involved are also developed and explained in detail through our Personal and Social Education Programme.

What is bullying?
Bullying is the wilful, conscious desire to hurt, threaten or frighten someone. It does not consist of a single incident but rather a progression or continuation of incidents. It is not a spontaneous reaction, it involves a degree of deliberation. Bullying occurs in one of two forms:
Physical Abuse— this commonly takes the form of fighting, pushing and obstructing the victim’s movements.
Mental Abuse— this commonly takes the form of name calling, threatening physical attack, pressurising the victims to break the rules, spreading rumours and excluding the victims from their own peer groups.
Both types of abuse exert mental anguish on the victims.

What are the signs?
If your son or daughter is being bullied you may see changes in their behaviour pattern. They may:

become nervous or depressed
have difficulty sleeping
have loss of appetite
be reluctant to come to school
be easily upset, moody or miserable
become withdrawn
spend a lot of time in their bedroom

Look out for:

items of clothing, property, school work lost or damaged more than you would expect.
sudden or consistent under-performance in school
requests to be accompanied to, or collected from, school
money in the house going missing
child coming home hungry—this may be due to a bully demanding ‘dinner money’

In some cases the victims may deliberately inflict harm on themselves.

Parents’ Action

Killicomaine Junior High School is a listening school

Encourage your child to talk to you about their school and social life
Feel free to discuss any concerns with members of staff—even minor problems can be distressing to a child
Watch your child for any signs of distress
Listen to your child and take seriously any reports of bullying

If your child is the victim of bullying:

Do contact the school
Make sure of the facts
Work with the school to develop strategies to support your child

If your child is responsible for bullying:

Do not ignore it
Make it clear that such behaviour is unacceptable
Work with the school to develop strategies to change behaviour

The Anti-bullying Policy is available to all parents on request.