Anti-bullying
At Lingham Primary School, we take bullying seriously. Pupils and parents should be assured that they will be supported when bullying is reported to a member of staff.
What is bullying?
“repeated, negative behaviour that is intended to make others feel upset, uncomfortable or unsafe.”
Types of bullying behaviour:
Verbal bullying is the repeated, negative use of speech, sign language, or verbal gestures to intentionally hurt others, e.g. using hurtful words, discriminatory or offensive language, or swear words.
Indirect bullying is the repeated, negative use of actions, which are neither physical nor verbal, to intentionally hurt others e.g. spreading rumours, purposefully excluding another person, damaging or stealing someone’s property, or cyberbullying.
Physical bullying is the repeated, negative use of body contact to intentionally hurt others, e.g. kicking, punching, slapping, inappropriate touching, or spitting.
Cyberbullying is the repeated, negative use of technology to intentionally hurt others e.g. posting unwanted pictures or messages, accessing another person’s account without permission, creating fake accounts to impersonate or harass someone, and sharing other people’s private information online.
How do we educate our children about bullying?
Lingham Primary School is a No Outsiders school. This means nobody is excluded or forgotten, we include everybody in our school. We are all different and we know that this is something that should be celebrated! Our ‘No Outsiders’ programme educates our children about diversity within our communities and addresses issues such as sexism, ageism, race and different types of families.
Our anti-bullying teaching is embedded across our curriculum. It is woven throughout our PSHE and My Happy Mind units with many aspects being covered under the themes of ‘Health and Wellbeing’, ‘Citizenship’, ‘Family and Relationships’ and ‘Safety and the Changing Body’. It is taught and explored in the Computing program of every year group under their work on E-Safety.
Each year, we also take part in Anti-Bullying Week (held in the month of November). Anti-Bullying Week shines a spotlight on bullying and encourages all children, teachers and parents to take action against bullying. Over the course of Anti-Bullying Week, we hold a number of school assemblies and each class completes a number of activities designed at educating the children about what bullying is and how to deal with its different forms effectively.
Ways children can report bullying:
If a child witnesses bullying, or feel they are being bullied, they can tell any member of staff who will pass the information on to the children who are involved and their class teachers, this will then be reported to parents.
We also have Happiness Hero’s at Lingham who are responsible for ensuring pupils are happy at break times and lunchtimes. Our Happiness Hero’s will also report any concerns to a member of staff.
What will staff do?
If a member of staff witnesses or is told of any bullying behaviours, they will notify the class teacher, who will then record this onto our online reporting system, which will notify our Designated Safeguarding Leads (Mrs Smith, Mrs Doyle and Miss Sullivan). Parents will be informed of any bullying incidents/concerns and actions taken.
What can parents do?
Parents can report bullying by speaking to their child’s class teacher or a member of our Senior Leadership Team. You can also phone the school by calling 01516775381 or email schooloffice@lingham.wirral.sch.uk.
Useful Links:
