Anti-Bullying
As parents and carers, you all want your child to be happy and safe, and it is natural to worry about bullying – particularly if you have experienced bullying yourselves or think your child may be more vulnerable to bullying. The good news is you are not alone! Horley Infant School, as well as many other charities and organisations, are here to work with children, families, and others to help keep children safe.
We recognise that children at Horley Infant School have a right to feel safe. Article 3 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) states that “the best interests of the child must be the primary consideration in all actions that affect children”. It is this right that guides us through our policies, practices and decision making in relation to Anti-Bullying at Horley Infant School.
One of the main things that we need to do is to identify what bullying is. This can be a difficult concept for children (and adults!) to understand. The Anti-Bullying Alliance and its members have an agreed shared definition of bullying based on research from across the world over the last 30 years. It is: “the repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power. Bullying can be physical, verbal or psychological. It can happen face-to-face or online.”
We always want to ensure your child feels safe and listened to here at Horley Infant School. Every November, we take part in Anti-Bullying Week. This is an opportunity to spotlight bullying and consider the steps we can take together to stop it. Anti-Bullying Week will look at lots of different types of bullying including emotional, physical and cyber. In addition, it focuses on how kindness and friendship can combat bullying and how by following our school’s values and rules, we can help create a safe learning space at our school.
As a parent or carer, you are a vital piece of the puzzle in tackling bullying. You have a unique role to play in guiding and supporting your child through their school years and there are many positive steps you can take to help keep your child safe from bullying and harm. One of the main things that really helps, is to guide children’s understanding of what conflict is, when children are being mean, when they are being rude, and when they are being bullied. This poster is a useful guide to help families differentiate between these different contexts and to provide children with the necessary tools to respond to these situations.
Unfortunately, even as adults, there will be times where we come across conflict and where people are rude or mean. We teach children how to manage these situations and to ensure they remain assertive, rather than passive or agressive. We use our school values, our school rules and also our Zones of Regulation to help children acknowledge this. We know that everyone is allowed to be in different zones in different contexts. For example, it is normal to be in the yellow zone in the morning of your birthday! It is also normal to be in the blue zone when somebody we love dies. It is normal to be in the red zone when someone breaks your favourite toy. it is our actions that come as a result of being in these zones that really matter. We know that for some children, managing their feelings in the blue, red and yellow zone is tricky. Just like we support with handwriting, mathematics, art and creativity, we also support children (and adults!) in managing these big feelings.
Please find below some useful websites for you in relation to bullying. The first website is a link to our Anti-Bullying Policy. Please note, we have both a parent policy and a pupil policy.
Policies
The ABA
Family Lives
Childline
NSPCC
CONTACT US
FOLLOW US
If you would like paper copies for any of the information on our website, please contact the school office
