Luton Primary School

CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

As a school that respects the rights of the children and adults in our school family, community and beyond, we aim for each school policy and rationale to adhere to articles from UNICEF’s Convention on the Rights of the Child. In this policy, we are working towards the following articles:

Article 15 - We aim for all members of the school community to treat each other with respect.

Inappropriate behaviour/bullying

Rationale

Bullying both verbal and physical will not be tolerated at Luton Primary School. It is everyone’s responsibility to prevent it happening and this policy contains guidelines for all members of the school community.

In our school we believe that children have a right to feel welcome, safe and happy. In our school we do not tolerate any unkind actions or remarks even if these were not intended to hurt. It is our responsibility to ensure that everyone is treated the same.

Bullying is a deliberate hurtful behaviour that is repeated often over a period of time, making it difficult for the people concerned to defend themselves. Bullying can take many forms but the three main types are:

1. Physical: hitting, kicking, taking others’ belongings etc.
2. Verbal: name calling.
3. Indirect: spreading unpleasant stories.

Aims

At Luton Primary School we aim to:

1. Prevent bullying through encouraging respect for everyone and their belongings.
2. Raise pupils’ awareness that bullying will not be tolerated.
3. Challenge attitudes about bullying behaviour, increasing understanding for bullied pupils and by establishing an anti-bullying ethos in our school.
4. Provide play facilities in the playground in order to provide an interesting and stimulating environment and also quiet places to work and play.

We believe that prevention is better than cure so at Luton Primary School we will:

1. Be vigilant for signs of bullying.
2. Take reports of bullying seriously and investigate them thoroughly.
3. Encourage an ethos of respect and tolerance through a planned use of circle time.

Children will be encouraged to report all incidents to an adult. These will then be reported to the class teacher to deal with appropriately.

Staff on duty should:

1. Ensure that pupils are supervised at playtimes and lunchtimes.
2. Limit numbers visiting the toilet.
3. Observe pupils’ play patterns and relationships, noting children who appear isolated or unhappy. Encourage the child to join in a game and if necessary inform the class teacher.
4. Listen sympathetically to a child’s allegations. Implement appropriate action.
5. Encourage children to play together by instigating playtime activities, where appropriate.

Informing parents

When an incident is thought to be a concern, parents of both the alleged perpetrator and the child to whom the incident allegedly took place will be informed. We believe involvement of the parents at an early stage is essential.