Bullying Policy

“BRINGING THE SILENT NIGHTMARE ONTO CENTRE STAGE”

It is an unfortunate reality that bullying occurs in all schools. We believe that at Georgiana Molloy Anglican School it is essential that we continue to work with families to establish a student culture that rejects bullying in all of its forms and that this culture says that bullying has no place at Georgiana Molloy Anglican School. Students are entitled to walk through the Georgiana Molloy Anglican School gates each morning and participate fully in the life of our school free from humiliation, oppression and abuse.

In recent times the use of the internet has enabled bullying (cyber bulling), to take on the form of subtle, or often no so subtle, inferences on Face Book, MySpace, or mobile phone text messages. GMAS has software placed on the system that does not allow students the access to Face Book and MySpace while the students are at school.

Bullying in all its forms has no place in the Georgiana Molloy Anglican School community. Georgiana Molloy Anglican School is committed to a zero tolerance of bullying and our anti bullying culture, embedded throughout the school from the start, bares testimony to our proactive stance on this most important issue. Once an act of bullying at school is reported to the School the School acts swiftly. 

The School policy is that we inform parents of the action taken on the offender to the innocent. It is important that justice not only has to be done, but has to be seen to be done.

Students who are the victims of bullying, beatings or any other inappropriate behaviour that is reported to the school need to know that:

1. They were right to have made the report, and are supported for having done so,
2. The report is always taken seriously and acted upon, and
3. That something has been done to try and ensure that the problem does not recur, or the damage repaired as best as possible in the circumstances.
4. All parties are informed of the action taken by the school.

We are proud enough to say that, although our school (like all others) will find incidents of bullying from time to time, we have the policies, procedures and systems in place to deal with these incidents quickly and professionally, allowing the students to move forward positively. Overlaying these systems is a culture amongst the students, embedded from day one, that promotes the exposure of bullies rather than propelling the code of silence and anti “dobbing” cultures that permeate some other institutions allowing bullying to run riot undetected through the power of fear of retribution. Cross curriculum studies K-12 allows for bullying issues to be integrated into the academic programme of our school, paving the way for a proactive rather than a reactive approach to educating students in the issue of bullying.

Education in the broadest sense is a partnership between the family and the school. If communication is an open two way process, then bullying issues can be “nipped in the bud” before they become major. As a school we never bury our heads in the sand and pretend that issues are not there to be dealt with. Complacency allows bullying to thrive. It is important that all families understand our stance on this issue, and feel able to confidently bring issues of concern to our immediate attention at any time.

Bullying by Definition

Bullying at school is different from the ordinary “rough and tumble” of children growing up in the classroom or the schoolyard. What makes it different is that there is usually a power imbalance between the perpetrator and the victim and that the incidents are usually persistent and deliberate.

Bullying is the act of intimidating a weaker person to make them do something; feel afraid, timid, act differently. It is an act that is detrimental to students’ well-being and development. It has a psychological impact on the victim. Bullying can take the form of verbal taunts and exclusion / intimidation tactics, along with the more obvious forms such as physical abuse.

Signs of Bullying

Bullying may be very hard to detect as perpetrators rarely “perform” in view or ear shot of Staff. The people who are most likely to know what is going on first hand are other children. Our school outlines some general behavioural signs that parents and staff should look for:

The Big Picture

“No matter how thinly you slice the bread there will always be two sides.”

Whereas our school totally rejects bullying at all levels, families must realise that the victim as well as the perpetrator can be educated to reduce the incidence of bullying. When incidents of bullying occur, it is important for all concerned to understand that they each can play a role in bringing about a resolution to the problem rather than merely digging in their heels and self righteously casting blame towards the other party.

DEYTA research shows that victims often may already be experiencing difficulties in socialising with their peers. This can often be the catalyst for the bullying through the eyes of the perpetrator. Research also shows that perpetrators often suffer personal insecurities and low self esteem which they mask through overt bullying behaviour towards others.

An open and honest communication channel is the key to the resolution of bullying issues.

Speaking Out

Children who are being bullied are often initially reluctant to speak out for fear of Staff and / or parents making the issue worse, or possible retribution from the perpetrator. This situation gives the perpetrator the confidence to continue the actions undetected, creating a no-win downward spiral for the victim.

Although our school culture will reject this myth of retribution, Our school encourages the following ways through which children can be encouraged to speak out and how parents can assist:

Children need to:

Feel believed and listened to.