St. Augustine's Catholic Primary School takes bullying extremely seriously. We will endeavour to tackle bullying straightaway to safeguard all members of our school community. As parents/guardians, please take time to listen and talk to your child and communicate concerns/information as soon as possible. Please continue reading for further support.
What is bullying?
Bullying is defined as "behaviour by an individual or group, usually repeated over time, which intentionally hurts another individual or group either physically or emotionally" (DfE definition –Preventing and Tackling Bullying: Advice for Headteachers, Staff and Governing Bodies).
Anyone has the potential to be a target or perpetrator of bullying.
The four main types of bullying are:
- Physical – such as, hitting, kicking, shoving, theft;
- Verbal – such as, threats, name calling, shouts of abuse or insults, using threatening language;
- Emotional – such as, spreading rumours, being excluded from groups, intimidation;
- Cyber-bullying – such as nasty text messages, emails, phone calls, via social media and the wider use of technology.
Bullying can be fuelled by prejudice based on any of the following:
- Race (racist bullying);
- Religion or belief;
- Culture or class;
- Gender (sexist bullying);
- Sexual orientation (homophobic or biphobic bullying);
- Gender identity (transphobic bullying);
- Special educational needs or disability (SEND);
- Appearance or health conditions;
- Related to another vulnerable group of people.