At Shire Oak we firmly believe that the welfare of each child is a crucial part of their being able to access their full entitlement to education.
We have in place an anti-bullying policy that can be downloaded here.
Bullying takes many forms:
- Physical. Pushing, kicking, hitting, pinching and other forms of violence or threats.
- Verbal. Name-calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, persistent teasing.
- Emotional. Excluding (sending to Coventry), tormenting, ridicule, humiliation.
- Racist. Racial taunts, graffiti, gestures (more).
- Sexual. Unwanted physical contact or abusive comments.
- Homophobic. Any hostile or offensive action against lesbians, gay males or bisexuals or those perceived to be lesbian, gay or bisexual.
All the above forms of bullying can not only be delivered on a personal, face to face basis, but also by using existing and new technology, becoming known as cyber-bullying.
Emotional bullying, like ridicule and exclusion, seems to be more common than physical violence and, judging by what young people say, it can also be the most difficult type of bullying to cope with or prove.
Persistent bullying can result in:
- Depression
- Low self-esteem
- Shyness
- Poor academic achievement
- Isolation
- Threatened or attempted suicide
We have several strategies in place to address bullying. These were developed in conjunction Year 7 pupils.
Strategies include:
- Two boxes – one located outside resources in South building which was donated by West Midlands Police as part of their Schools Intelligence Programme [SIP]. Another box is located at the bottom of the spiral stairs in North building. Information can be recorded on post cards which are available in both reception offices and the first aid room in South building.
- There is a dedicated e-mail address – ifindoubt@shire-oak.walsall.sch.uk
- All Key Stage 3 pupils are issued with a credit card sized information card giving
details of the e-mail address, and Childline number. Pupils are encouraged to keep this card in their top blazer pocket.
- Posters are displayed in all form rooms.
- Assemblies address the issues of bullying.
- Bullying is also addressed in Safer choices Day for Year 7.
- Bullying is also addressed in Skills For Life lessons.
Our definition of a racist incident is any incident which is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person.
We have in place a racist incident policy that can be made available to parents upon written request.
ChildLine is a website that provides free and confidential advice to children and young people in the UK.
School Council have a page about bullying on their own website.
