BULLYING, AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR AND HARASSMENT AMONGST YOUNG PEOPLE IN SCHOOLS: WHAT SCHOOL MANAGEMENT STAFF NEED TO KNOW

1
BULLYING, AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR AND HARASSMENT
AMONGST YOUNG PEOPLE IN SCHOOLS WHAT SCHOOL
MANAGEMENT STAFF NEED TO KNOW
2
Topics of Discussion

• 1 - What is School Bullying?
• 2 - Types of Bullying
• 3A - Formulating Effective Anti-Bullying Policy
  in Schools (1) Issues to be Aware of
• 3B - Formulating Effective Anti-Bullying Policy
  in Schools (2) Consultation and Collaboration
  with the School Community
• 3C Formulating Effective Anti-Bullying Policy
  in Schools (3) Establishing Measures for
  Dissemination, Promotion and Evaluation
• 4A Formulating Effective Anti-Bullying
  Strategies in Schools Countering Strategies (1)
  Specifying how incidents of alleged bullying
  behaviour are to be reported, investigated and
  recorded (1)
• 4B - Formulating Effective Anti-Bullying
  Strategies in Schools Countering Strategies (2)
  Specifying how incidents of alleged bullying
  behaviour are to be reported, investigated and
  recorded (2)
• 4C - Formulating Effective Anti-Bullying
  Strategies in Schools (3) Countering Strategies
  (3) Specifying how incidents of alleged bullying
  behaviour are to be reported, investigated and
  recorded (3)
• 4D - Formulating Effective Anti-Bullying
  Strategies in Schools (4) Preventative
  Strategies
• 5 Questions and Answers

3
1 - What is School Bullying?

•   . the systematic abuse of power (Smith and
  Sharp, 1994).
• Bullying is long-standing violence, mental or
  physical, conducted by an individual or a group
  against an individual who is not able to defend
  himself or herself in that actual situation
  (Roland, 1989, in Mellor, 1999).

4
2 - Types of Bullying

• Direct Bullying
• Verbal Bullying
• Physical Bullying
• Gesture Bullying
• Extortion
• E-Bullying
• Indirect Bullying
• Girls and boys tend to be involved to differing
  extents in the various types of bullying
  behaviour.
• Labelling someone as a bully is not helpful.
  Instead of using the blame / punishment
  approach, we advocate the no blame approach
  challenging and changing the inappropriate
  behaviour.
• Young people who are involved in bullying,
  aggressive behaviour and harassment as either
  victims or perpetrators (or in some cases, both),
  need the help and intervention of both parents
  and school personnel.
• Bullying is best viewed as a community issue
  dont focu exclusively on the student-student
  dyad, but consider also teacher-on-student,
  student-on-teacher, and parent-on-teacher (etc).

5
3A Formulating Effective Anti-Bullying Policy
in Schools (1)

• Issues to be aware of
• Who will take the responsibility for the
  formation and implementation of anti-bullying
  policy and strategies?
• What are the overall goals for the anti-bullying
  policy?
• Should we focus exclusively on bullying, or cover
  related issues such as aggressive behaviour,
  harassment, or indiscipline?
• Who should this policy serve? Students? Teachers?
  Everyone?
• How can we find practical ways of involving
  classroom staff, parents and students in the
  policy formation process?
• What are the relevant legal, curricular and
  policy issues to be aware of?

6
3B Formulating Effective Anti-Bullying Policy
in Schools (2)

• Consultation and Collaboration with the School
  Community
• In order for people to feel ownership over a
  policy directive, they need to have been
  consulted
• To be arranged
• classroom staff in-service training
• evening talks / open days with parents /
  community members
• classroom work with students
• All groups need input on
• what bullying is, and the forms it takes
• the no blame philosophy and approach
• conceptualising bullying behaviour as a community
  issue
• ideas around investigating, recording, countering
  and preventing bullying behaviour
• Note these groups will have different levels of
  knowledge, beliefs, feelings and concerns about
  bullying behaviour

7
3C Formulating Effective Anti-Bullying Policy
in Schools (3)

• Establishing Measures for Dissemination,
  Promotion and Evaluation
• A school should be proud of its pro-active stance
  against bullying
• The written anti-bullying statement should be
• Construed as a matter of public record
• Displayed on school notice boards as a permanent
  poster
• Available to all school students in a language
  they can understand
• Given to all members of staff, especially new and
  non-permanent members
• Given to all parents, especially those new to
  the school
• Distributed to all relevant groups in the school
  community
• Evaluation and review measures should be built
  in reviews must be made at least annually

8
4A Formulating Effective Anti-Bullying
Strategies in Schools (1)

• Countering Strategies (1)
• Specifying how incidents of alleged bullying
  behaviour are to be reported, investigated and
  recorded (1)
• Can be enormous social pressure against reporting
• Co-ordination of anti-bullying countering
  strategies
• Talks to the whole student body
• The essentials of reporting procedures
• Attend to the persons safety needs the victim
  needs to be safeguarded from future incidents of
  bullying behaviour, esp. acts of retribution
• Communicate acceptance of what the person says
• Listen actively, dont interpret, record specific
  grievances (esp. re concrete events)
• Consider use of standardised reporting forms

9
4B Formulating Effective Anti-Bullying
Strategies in Schools (2)

• Countering Strategies (2)
• Specifying how incidents of alleged bullying
  behaviour are to be reported, investigated and
  recorded (2)
• Talks / interviews with those involved in
  bullying
• Alleged perpetrators and victims to be
  interviewed separately
• Where a gang is involved, interview members
  separately in the first instance
• It is advisable to investigate as soon as is
  possible
• It is extremely helpful to talk to witnesses to
  the event
• An accusatory tone is not helpful assure alleged
  perpetrator that his or her side will be heard
  before a decision is made
• It is not necessary to tell the alleged
  perpetrator who has reported the incident only
  that the incident has come to the attention of
  the school authorities, and that bullying
  behaviour is not tolerated in the school

10
4C Formulating Effective Anti-Bullying
Strategies in Schools (3)

• Countering Strategies (3)
• Specifying how incidents of alleged bullying
  behaviour are to be reported, investigated and
  recorded (3)
• After investigation, perpetrators of bullying
  should be informed (in good faith)
• That his or her behaviour constituted an
  unambiguous incident of bullying behaviour, and
  that this contravenes school policy
• He or she must refrain from bullying, and the
  particular forms of bullying behaviour
  experienced by the victim, in future
• That specified sanction, in line with the
  anti-bullying policy, will be implemented if
  future instances occur
• That acts of retribution against the victim will
  be dealt with by the severest possible
  applications of these sanctions
• The Role of Parents
• Specifying Sanctions for those Involved as
  Perpetrators
• Consider use of standardised written behavioural
  contracts

11
4D Formulating Effective Anti-Bullying
Strategies in Schools (4)

• Preventative Strategies
• Specifying Support Systems for those Involved
• Consider use of mediation, mentorship schemes,
  social skills training, counselling services and
• Classroom Awareness Work with Students
• Can be promoted to teachers through classroom
  staff in-service training
• May include creative work (art, drama, sculpture,
  etc.), analysis of books and poetry, structured
  discussion, circle time, and (esp.) the use of
  class charters
• Important to put students work on public display
• Important to students input apropos all aspects
  of school anti-bullying policy and strategy
• Peer Mediation and Peer Mentorship and their Role

12
THANKS FOR LISTENING!ANY QUESTIONS?