Purpose: To protect students from bullying and foster a school culture where bullying is unacceptable

Definition: Bullying is repeated repression, physical, verbal or psychological, of a less powerful individual by a more powerful individual or group

Rationale:

1. Students have been victims or perpetrators of bullying at SBHS
2. Staff and students need to be aware of strategies to identify and respond to incidents of bullying
3. Meet Department requirements

Aims

1. To implement and maintain a whole school approach to address the problem of bullying
2. To increase self esteem and to build self-efficacy
3. To enhance learning readiness and the learning environment
4. To empower students to be proactive in problem solving associated with bullying
5. To heighten awareness at a whole school level

Outcomes:

• Identify the needs of our students and develop strategies to meet these specific needs
• All students to have strategies to deal with bullying, whether a victim or witness, and these will be proactive
• All bullies to have strategies to curb bullying tendencies
• To maintain and expand on the Living Skills program which identifies types of bullying behaviour and appropriate strategies for teachers and students to combat it
• Students to accept and value difference as a fact of life
• Regularly survey students to elicit feedback about their perception of the prevalence of bullying, where it occurs and general satisfaction with school life [QSL survey, Living Skills surveys]
• Maintain a peer mediation scheme which assists students to resolve minor conflicts and to heighten students' awareness of this process through student diary, High Notes, teachers
• Publish a student grievance procedure in Student diaries and Living Skills lesson material
• Produce a decrease in bullying incidents
• Staff to recognise that all incidents of bullying are unacceptable and to be proactive in addressing this issue

Policy in Action

Student Program:

• All students will be made aware that bullying is unacceptable behaviour and that there are procedures in place for dealing with this problem [student diary/ living skills/ assemblies/ high notes/ performances]
• All students will adhere to school rules about bullying
• All students will participate in surveys on the occurrences of and opinions about bullying
• All Year 10 students will participate in phase 1 Peer mediation training [living skills] and volunteer Year 10 students will participate in the school peer mediation program intensive training
• Prefects will participate actively in identifying and reducing the incidents of bullying and setting a role model
• All Year 7 students participate in Peer Support, aimed at building friendships, challenging stereotypes and encouraging assertive behaviour

Staff Program:

• Staff should be active in identifying and eliminating bullying behaviour while on playground supervision, in the corridors, in the classroom, at sport venues.
• Teachers should report suspected victims of bullies to Year Advisers for early intervention and monitoring.
• Teachers should support and participate, where possible, in welfare programs designed to assist the elimination of bullying [eg. Peer mediation, peer support, peer tuition/mentoring, Living Skills etc]
• Staff will be inserviced on anti-bullying policy and become aware of different strategies for combating bullying

Procedures for staff dealing with bullying incidents:

1. Teachers respond to all incidents of bullying
2. All incidents to be reported on Yellow cards and passed to relevant person [outside class to Deputy Principals, within class to Faculty Head teacher or Deputy Principal]
3. Perpetrators and victims to be reported to relevant Year Adviser for follow up/monitoring
4. Deputy, HT Welfare or Year Adviser to inform Counsellor of all major concerns. All referrals, apart from self referrals, need to go through the Year Adviser
5. If a pattern of bullying emerges through RISC system [yellow cards] parents are interviewed and a plan of action implemented
6. All physical forms of bullying will result in detention/s and possible notice of intention to suspend and go through the Deputy Principals.

Procedures for students:

1. Believe that any form of bullying is not acceptable
2. Two options are available for victims and witnesses - 
   1. report the incident of bullying to your class teacher, teacher on playground duty, Year Adviser or Head Teacher Welfare
      OR
   2. Peer Mediation is an alternative if preferred. You can request a mediation through the Peer Mediation Co-ordinator. The incident is not reported on the RISC system and remains confidential.

Procedures for Parents:
If you suspect your son is a victim of bullying please :

1. Contact Year Adviser and they will liaise with counsellor and HT Welfare to address your concerns
2. The school will liaise with parents on a regular basis until your son feels safe.