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See Table A (6.1.5.Procedures): Key elements of a positive school culture and climate, and also Appendix 2: Practical tips for building a school culture and climate.

General  behaviours which apply to all

• Harassment based on any of the nine grounds in the equality legislation e.g. sexual harassment, homophobic bullying, racist bullying etc.
• Physical aggression
• Damage to property
• Name calling
• The production, display or circulation of written words, pictures or other materials aimed at intimidating another person
• Offensive graffiti
• Extortion
• Intimidation
• Insulting or offensive gestures
• Invasion of personal space
• A combination of any of the types listed.

Cyber

• Denigration: Spreading rumors, lies or gossip to hurt a person’s reputation
• Harassment: Continually sending vicious, mean or disturbing messages to an individual
• Impersonation: Posting offensive or aggressive messages under another person’s name
• Flaming: Using inflammatory or vulgar words to provoke an online fight
• Trickery: Fooling someone into sharing personal information which you then post online
• Outing: Posting or sharing confidential or compromising information or images
• Exclusion: Purposefully excluding someone from an online group
• Cyber stalking: Ongoing harassment and denigration that causes a person considerable fear for his/her safety
• Silent telephone/mobile phone call
• Abusive telephone/mobile phone calls
• Abusive text messages
• Abusive email
• Abusive communication on social networks
• Abusive website comments/Blogs/Pictures
• Abusive posts on any form of communication technology

Identity Based Behaviours

Including any of the nine discriminatory grounds mentioned in Equality Legislation (gender including transgender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race and membership of the Traveller community).

Homophobic and Transgender

• Spreading rumours about a person’s sexual orientation
• Taunting a person of a different sexual orientation
• Name calling
• Physical intimidation or attacks
• Threats

Race, nationality, ethnic background and membership of the Traveller  community

• Discrimination, prejudice, comments or insults about colour, nationality, culture, social class, religious beliefs, ethnic or traveller background
• Exclusion on the basis of any of the above

Relational

This involves manipulating relationships as a means of bullying. Behaviours include:

• Malicious gossip
• Isolation & exclusion
• Ignoring
• Excluding from the group
• Taking someone’s friends away
• Spreading rumours
• Breaking confidence
• Talking loud enough so that the victim can hear

Sexual

• Unwelcome or inappropriate  sexual comments or touching
• Harassment

Special Educational Needs,

Disability,

High Achievers

• Name calling
• Taunting others because of their disability or learning needs
• Taking advantage of some pupils’ vulnerabilities and limited capacity to recognise and defend themselves against bullying
• Taking advantage of some pupils’ vulnerabilities and limited capacity to understand social situations and social cues.
• Mimicking a person’s disability
• Setting others up for ridicule

The Relevant Teachers in this school are:     The Year Heads

                                                                               Class Tutors

                                                                              Care Team/Student Support

Any teacher may act as a relevant teacher if circumstances warrant it.

School-wide approach

• A school-wide approach to the fostering of respect for all members of the school community.
• The promotion of the value of diversity to address issues of prejudice and stereotyping, and highlight the unacceptability of bullying behaviour.
• The fostering and enhancing of the self-esteem of all our pupils through both curricular and extracurricular activities. Pupils will be provided with opportunities to develop a positive sense of self-worth through formal and informal interactions.
• Whole staff professional development on bullying to ensure that all staff develops an awareness of what bullying is, how it impacts on pupils’ lives and the need to respond to it-prevention and intervention.
• Professional development with specific focus on the training of the relevant teacher(s)
• Regular communication between Tutors, Year Heads and students.
• School wide awareness raising and training on all aspects of bullying, to include pupils, parent(s)/guardian(s) and the wider school community.
• Supervision and monitoring of classrooms, corridors, school grounds, school tours and extra- curricular activities. Non-teaching and ancillary staff will be encouraged to be vigilant and report issues to relevant teachers. Supervision will also apply to monitoring student use of communication technology within the school.
• Involvement of the Student Council, Meitheal Team and Leadership Team in contributing to a safe school environment that can help to support pupils and encourage a culture of peer respect and support.
• Development and promotion of an Anti-Bullying code for the school-to be included in student journals, school web site (www.presbandon.ie)  and displayed publicly in classrooms and in common areas of the school.
• Involvement in Peer teaching on Bullying.
• The school’s anti-bullying policy is discussed with pupils and all parent(s)/guardian(s)s are given a copy as part of the Code of Behaviour of the school.
• The implementation of regular (e.g. per year/per term/per month/per week) whole school awareness measures e.g. antibullying presentation communicated to all stakeholders, lunchtime activities, annual Friendship Week and parent(s)/guardian(s) seminars; regular year group assemblies by Principal, Deputy Principal, Year Heads etc.
• Encourage a culture of telling, with particular emphasis on the importance of bystanders. In that way pupils will gain confidence in ‘telling’. This confidence factor is of vital importance. It should be made clear to all pupils that when they report incidents of bullying they are not considered to be telling tales but are behaving responsibly.
• Ensuring that pupils know who to tell and how to tell, e.g.:

• Direct approach to teacher at an appropriate time, for example after class.
• Hand note up with homework.
• Make a phone call to the school or to a trusted teacher in the school.
• Get a parent(s)/guardian(s) or friend to tell on your behalf.
• Ensure bystanders understand the importance of telling if they witness or know that bullying is taking place.

• Identify clear protocols to encourage parent(s)/guardian(s) to approach the school by contacting the class teacher /Year Head if they suspect that their child is being bullied.
• An Acceptable Use Policy in the school that ensures the access to technology within the school is strictly monitored.
• Weekly meetings of Care-Team and of Middle Management (Assistant Principals & Year Heads) with Principal and Deputy Principal.
• Supports and resources available to the school may be found on the SPHE website- www.sphe.ie.

Implementation of curricula

• The full implementation of the SPHE and CSPE curricula and the RSE Programme.
• Continuous Professional Development for staff in delivering these programmes.
• School wide delivery of lessons on bullying from evidence based programmes.
• School wide delivery of age-appropriate lessons.
• Delivery of the Garda SPHE Programmes at post- primary level. These lessons, delivered by Community Gardaí, cover issues around personal safety and cyber-bullying
• The school will specifically consider the additional needs of SEN pupils with regard to programme implementation and the development of skills and strategies to enable all pupils to respond appropriately.
• The school will refer to “Sexual Orientation advice for schools”.
• Guidance and Counselling Service provided. First Year students met regularly to assess how they are settling into school.
• Informal curriculum, e.g. extra-curricular activities.

               Links to other policies

• The following school policies, practices and activities are particularly relevant to bullying: Code of Behaviour, Child Protection Procedures policy, Supervision of pupils, Acceptable Use policy, Attendance, Sporting activities, Changing Rooms Policy, Safety Statement, Critical Incident Policy, RSE Policy, Guidance and Counselling Programme, Admissions Policy, Induction for new staff and students, Dignity in the Workplace.

6. The school’s procedures for investigation, follow-up and recording of bullying behaviour and  the established intervention strategies used by the school for dealing with cases of bullying  behaviour are as follows (see Section 6.8 of the Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and

Post-Primary Schools):

6.8.9.      Procedures for Investigating and Dealing with Bullying

The primary aim in investigating and dealing with bullying is to resolve any issues and to restore, as far as is practicable, the relationships of the parties involved (rather than to apportion blame);

The school’s procedures must be consistent with the following approach.

Every effort will be made to ensure that all involved (including pupils, parent(s)/guardian(s)) understand this approach from the outset.

Reporting bullying behaviour

• Any pupil or parent(s)/guardian(s) may bring a bullying incident to any teacher in the school.
• All reports, including anonymous reports of bullying, will be investigated and dealt with by the relevant teacher.
• Teaching and non-teaching staff such as secretaries, special needs assistants (SNAs), bus escorts, caretakers, cleaners, canteen workers must report any incidents of bullying behaviour witnessed by them, or mentioned to them, to the relevant teacher.

6. The school’s procedures for investigation, follow-up and recording of bullying behaviour and  the established intervention strategies used by the school for dealing with cases of bullying  behaviour are as follows (see Section 6.8 of the Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and

Post-Primary Schools):

6.8.9.      Procedures for Investigating and Dealing with Bullying

The primary aim in investigating and dealing with bullying is to resolve any issues and to restore, as far as is practicable, the relationships of the parties involved (rather than to apportion blame);

The school’s procedures must be consistent with the following approach.

Every effort will be made to ensure that all involved (including pupils, parent(s)/guardian(s)) understand this approach from the outset.

Reporting bullying behaviour

• Any pupil or parent(s)/guardian(s) may bring a bullying incident to any teacher in the school.
• All reports, including anonymous reports of bullying, will be investigated and dealt with by the relevant teacher.
• Teaching and non-teaching staff such as secretaries, special needs assistants (SNAs), bus escorts, caretakers, cleaners, canteen workers must report any incidents of bullying behaviour witnessed by them, or mentioned to them, to the relevant teacher.

Investigating and dealing with incidents: Style of approach

• In investigating and dealing with bullying, the relevant teacher will exercise his/her professional judgement to determine whether bullying has occurred and how best the situation might be resolved;
• Parent(s)/guardian(s) and pupils are required to co-operate with any investigation and assist the school in resolving any issues and restoring, as far as is practicable, the relationships of the parties involved as quickly as possible;
• Teachers should take a calm, unemotional problem-solving approach.
• Where possible incidents should  be investigated outside the classroom situation to ensure the privacy of all involved;
• All interviews should be conducted with sensitivity and with due regard to the rights of all pupils concerned. Pupils who are not directly involved can also provide very useful information in this way;
• When analysing incidents of bullying behaviour, the relevant teacher should seek answers to questions of what, where, when, who and why. This should be done in a calm manner, setting an example in dealing effectively with a conflict in a non-aggressive manner;
• Each member of a group should be supported through the possible pressures that may face them from the other members of the group after the interview by the teacher;

It may also be appropriate or helpful to ask those involved to write down their account of the incident(s)

• In cases where it has been determined by the relevant teacher that bullying behaviour has occurred, the parent(s)/guardian(s) of the parties involved should be contacted at an early stage to inform them of the matter and explain the actions being taken (by reference to the school policy). The school should give parent(s)/guardian(s) an opportunity of discussing ways in which they can reinforce or support the actions being taken by the school and the supports provided to the pupils;
• Where the relevant teacher has determined that a pupil has been engaged in bullying behaviour, it should be made clear to him/her how he/she is in breach of the school’s anti-bullying policy and efforts should be made to try to get him/her to see the situation from the perspective of the pupil being bullied;
• It must also be made clear to all involved (each set of pupils and parent(s)/guardian(s)) that in any situation where disciplinary sanctions are required, this is a private matter between the pupil being disciplined, his or her parent(s)/guardian(s) and the school;

Follow up and recording

• In determining whether a bullying case has been adequately and appropriately addressed the relevant teacher shall, as part of his/her professional judgement, take the following factors into account:

– Whether the bullying behaviour has ceased;

– Whether any issues between the parties have been resolved as far as is practicable;

-Whether the relationships between the parties have been restored as far as is practicable;

-Any feedback received from the parties involved, their parent(s)/guardian(s)s or the school Principal or Deputy Principal

• Follow-up meetings with the relevant parties involved may be arranged separately.
• Where a parent(s)/guardian(s) is not satisfied that the school has dealt with a bullying case in accordance with these procedures, the parent(s)/guardian(s) must be referred, as appropriate, to the school’s complaints procedures.
• In the event that a parent(s)/guardian(s) has exhausted the school’s complaints procedures and is still not satisfied, the school must advise the parent(s)/guardian(s) of their right to make a complaint to the Ombudsman for Children.

Recording of bullying behaviour

It is imperative that all recording of bullying incidents must be done in an objective and factual manner.

The school’s procedures for noting and reporting bullying behaviour are as follows:

       Informal- pre-determination that bullying has occurred

• A Student Record Form (Appendix 2) is completed by the staff member reporting the behaviour and placed in the student’s file. All incidents must be reported to the relevant teacher.
• The relevant teacher must inform the Deputy/Principal of all incidents being investigated.

       Informal-determination that bullying has occurred

• If it is established by the relevant teacher that bullying has occurred, the relevant teacher must keep appropriate written records Appendix 1 which will assist his/her efforts to resolve the issues and restore, as far as is practicable, the relationships of the parties involved.
• Any incidents of bullying will be recorded and filed.

         Formal- (From DES Procedures)

    The relevant teacher must use the recording template at Appendix 2 to record the bullying

    behaviour in the following circumstances:

a) in cases where he/she considers that the bullying behaviour has not been adequately and appropriately addressed within 20 school days after he/she has determined that bullying behaviour occurred; and

b) in certain circumstances where bullying behaviour must be recorded and reported immediately to the Principal or Deputy Principal as applicable.

When the recording template is used, it will be filed in the office.

Established intervention strategies

• Teacher interviews with all pupils
• Negotiating agreements between pupils and following these up by monitoring progress. This can be on an informal basis or implemented through a more structured mediation process
• Working with parent(s)/guardian(s)s to support school interventions
• No Blame – No Anger Approach
• Restorative interviews
• The traditional disciplinary approach
• Counselling both parties
• Mediation
• Targeted educational intervention

• All in-school supports and opportunities will be provided for the pupils affected by bullying to participate in activities designed to raise their self-esteem, to develop friendships and social skills and build resilience e.g. 

         – Pastoral care system

         – Buddy / Peer mentoring system

         – Tutor/Year head system

                        – Care team / Student Support Team

• If pupils require counselling of further supports the school will endeavour to liaise with the appropriate agencies to organise same. This may be for the pupil affected by bullying or involved in the bullying behaviour.
• Pupils should understand that there are no innocent bystanders and that all incidents of bullying behaviour must be reported to a teacher.

Pupil concerned

Other pupil

Parent

Teacher

Other

Playground

Classroom

Corridor

Toilets

School Bus

Other

Physical Aggression

Cyber-bulling

Damage to Property

  Intimidation

Isolation/Exclusion

  Malicious Gossip

Name Calling

  Other (specify)

Homophobic

Disability/SEN related

Racist

Membership of Traveller Community

Other