1. No category

Reporting and Dealing with
Identity Based Bullying in
North Somerset Schools
“Schools are where we can do the most positive preventative action
because young people don’t stay in school forever. They come out into
society and they should come out tolerant, respectful and valuing all
differences in all types of people.”
Parent’s thank you letter to EACH (Educational Action Challenging Homophobia), June 2011
Version: July 2012
Purpose of this guidance................................................................................. 1
The Equality Act 2010 and schools ............................................................. 1
Overview of the procedure .............................................................................. 3
1
Identify incident as identity based bullying ............................................... 4
Categories of bullying .................................................................................. 4
Identity based bullying ................................................................................. 4
Who can report an incident of identity based bullying?................................ 5
When should you report an incident of identity based bullying? .................. 5
Understand the issue................................................................................... 5
2
Initial response......................................................................................... 7
Notifying others............................................................................................ 9
What is the impact of identity based bullying ............................................... 9
3
Investigate.............................................................................................. 10
4
Further response.................................................................................... 11
5
Monitoring and Recording ...................................................................... 12
RHINS (Reporting Hate Incidents in North Somerset)............................... 12
6 Follow through............................................................................................ 14
Staff professional development ................................................................. 14
Governor support....................................................................................... 14
Working with other agencies...................................................................... 14
Anti-bullying strategies............................................................................... 14
References.................................................................................................... 15
Appendix One Identity Based Bullying Form ................................................. 16
Appendix Two Protected characteristics ....................................................... 19
Appendix Three Satisfaction survey for parents............................................ 20
Appendix Four Local support agencies ......................................................... 22
Appendix Five National support agencies ..................................................... 24
Appendix Six Toolkits.................................................................................... 27
Purpose of this guidance
This guidance is available to all schools within North Somerset. The aim is
to provide schools with clear guidance on how to identify, tackle and report
identity based bullying.
It is important to have a consistent approach throughout North Somerset
which will benefit both pupils and staff moving between schools.
This guidance should be read in conjunction with existing schools antibullying policies and behaviour policies.
The Equality Act 2010 and schools
All schools in England, Wales and Scotland, irrespective of how they are
funded or managed, have obligations under the Equality Act 2010.
The responsible body for a school is liable for the actions of its employees
and agents of the school unless it can show that it took ‘all reasonable
steps’ to prevent the discrimination, harassment or victimisation from taking
place.
EHRC guidance for schools
There is a guide available which has been written by the Equality and
Human Rights Commission to explain what you must do to meet the
requirements of equality law. This supports the introduction of the Equality
Act 2010. This Act brings together lots of different equality laws, many of
which we have had for a long time. By doing this, the Act makes equality
law simpler and easier to understand.
Available from: www.equalityhumanrights.com/advice-and-guidance/guidance-foreducation-providers-schools/
Ofsted guidance
Ofsted Inspections should consider “types, rates and patterns of bullying
and the effectiveness of the school’s actions to prevent and tackle all forms
of bullying and harassment”. Ofsted grade descriptors for Behaviour and
Safety state:
Outstanding – Instances of bullying, including cyber-bullying and
prejudice-based bullying related to special educational need, sexual
orientation, sex, race, religion and belief, gender reassignment or
disability are extremely rare. Pupils are acutely aware of different forms
of bullying and actively try to prevent it from occurring. The school has
an active and highly effective approach to identifying and tackling
bullying. All groups of pupils feel safe at school at all times.
Good – Instances of bullying, including cyber-bullying and prejudicebased bullying related to special educational need, sexual orientation,
sex, race, religion and belief, gender reassignment or disability, are
rare. Pupils have a good awareness of different forms of bullying and
take active steps to prevent it from occurring. The school swiftly and
successfully addresses any incidents of bullying that do occur, thus
1
gaining the full confidence of pupils, parents and carers. Pupils feel
safe at school.
Satisfactory - Instances of bullying, including cyber-bullying and
prejudice-based bullying related to special educational need, sexual
orientation, sex, race, religion and belief, gender reassignment or
disability, are infrequent and pupils are aware of different forms of
bullying and the importance of preventing them. The school generally
deals with any incidents of bullying promptly and effectively thus
gaining the confidence of pupils, parents and carers. Pupils feel safe at
school.
Inadequate - Incidents of bullying overall or specific types of bullying
including cyber-bullying and prejudice-based bullying related to special
educational need, sexual orientation, sex, race, religion and belief,
gender reassignment or disability, are frequent or pupils have little
confidence in the school’s ability to address bullying successfully.
Pupils or specific groups of pupils do not feel safe.
Ofsted, 2011, p.15
2
Overview of the procedure
1 Identify incident as identity based bullying
Can the behaviour be categorised as bullying?
Is it perceived to be based upon a protected characteristic?
Understand the issue.
2 Initial response
Treat the issue seriously.
Respond immediately.
Reinforce the school’s behaviour and anti-bullying policies.
Focus on the perpetrator’s behaviour (rather than the person).
Connect with pupils feelings.
Support and affirm the victim.
3 Investigate
Senior Manager to lead.
Listen to all parties.
Address underlying issues and make sure discriminatory issues are covered.
Be able to explain why it is identity based bullying.
4 Further response
Inform and involve tutors / class teachers.
Follow through with both victim and perpetrator.
Address the perpetrator’s discriminatory behaviour and correct
misconceptions.
Consider mediation between all parties.
Inform the carers of the victim and the perpetrators.
5 Record and report
Complete a Identity Incident Reporting Form and:
•
Keep one copy in the designated folder
•
Send one copy to the Identity Based Bullying Officer.
6 Follow through
Present monitoring returns to staff and governors to ensure regular discussion
and development of good practice.
Work with other agencies to promote good relations.
Consider anti-bullying strategies.
3
1
Identify incident as identity based bullying
Identity crimes and incidents are taken to mean any crime or incident where the
perpetrator’s hostility or prejudice against an identifiable group of people is a factor
in determining who is victimised.
The victim could be a child or an adult.
Any criminal behaviour should be reported to the police in line with normal
procedures. The reporting form in Appendix One should also be used.
Categories of bullying
Bullying can encompass a variety of behaviours. These can be categorised in the
following ways:
1. Verbal, such as name-calling, teasing, threatening.
2. Physical, such as hitting, punching, kicking, inappropriate touching.
3. Relational, such as ignoring, leaving out, spreading rumours.
4. Indirect, such as stealing, damaging belongings, targeted graffiti.
5. Cyberbullying, that is victimisation or harassment carried out through
electronic forms of communication e.g. social networking sites, email, text
messages etc.
EHRC (2010a)
(This is not an exhaustive list and new types of incidents regularly emerge).
Identity based bullying
Bullying can be identified as identity based if the perception is that it is based upon
a protected characteristic (see Appendix Two).
The Equality Act 2010 informs us that the protected characteristics for the schools
provisions are:
Figures indicate that children in
• Disability
England who reported being bullied
• Gender reassignment
did 15% worse at GCSE and were
• Pregnancy and maternity
twice as likely to be NEET at aged
16.
• Race
• Religion or belief
(EHRC, 2010b)
• Sex
• Sexual orientation
Age and being married or in a civil partnership are not protected characteristics for
the schools provisions.
EHRC (2010c)
Definition of an identity based bullying incident
In the publication of the report of the inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence,
Recommendation 12 was that the definition of a racist incident should be:
4
“any incident which is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person”.
“…this definition is not to prejudge the question of whether a perpetrator’s motive
was racist or not... The purpose of the definition is rather to ensure that
investigations take full account of the possibility of a racist dimension to the
incident and that statistics are collated on a uniform basis.”
Source: Code of Practice on Reporting and Recording Racist Incidents, Home Office.
(May 2000).
An identity based bullying incident is defined as: “Any incident, which is perceived
to be discriminatory by the victim or any other person (that is directed to impact
upon those known or perceived to be). This includes verbal abuse, property
damage, threats and actual assaults.”
This definition is also designed to take account of the fact that there is underreporting of identity based bullying incidents and provides a starting point for
schools in addressing the wide range of behaviours which could be motivated by
discrimination.
If there is any doubt whether an incident should be recorded as identity based
bullying please contact the Identity Based Bullying Officer for guidance:
Peter Noble
Tel: 01275 888303
Fax: 01275 884821
Email: [email protected]
Who can report an incident of identity based bullying?
Reports can be made by the person who has experienced the bullying, by anyone
who has witnessed the bullying or by anyone who has had an incident disclosed to
them. This can include a pupil, parent or carer, teacher or a member of the nonteaching staff.
When should you report an incident of identity based
bullying?
An incident report form (Appendix One) must be completed by the school if the
incident is deemed serious enough to notify the parents. It is up to the individual
school if they wish to complete a report form in all instances.
The form should be completed at the time of the incident and returned to the
Identity Based Bullying Officer.
Understand the issue
There are many situations you may not be familiar with and it is a good idea to find
out more. Below are examples of issues that are less well understood.
“Living in a male body hurts beyond
Transgenderism
belief. I sometimes feel as if I will go
“Although schools may think that
crazy with the sadness and
they have no transgender people to
desperateness of it,” extract of a letter
worry about, that is statistically
by a young transgender woman.
(GIRES, 2008)
5
unlikely. In any school of 1,000 pupils there are likely to be 6 who will experience
transgenderism throughout their lives. There are likely to be others who have a
transgender parent or close relative. Among pre-pubertal pupils, there are likely to
be 60 in 1,000 who will experience atypical sexual orientation that may be difficult
to distinguish from atypical gender identity. There is likely to be one transgender
person in 170 members of staff.”
GIRES, 2008
Gypsies and travellers
A group has an ‘ethnic origin’ if it has a long shared history and a cultural tradition.
Other relevant characteristics are a common geographical origin or descent from a
small number of ancestors, a common language, a common literature, a common
religion and being a minority or in an oppressed or dominant group in a large
community.
Gypsies, Roma and Travellers are examples of ethnic groups according to the
courts and are covered by the Equality Act 2010 under its provisions for Race.
“Although there is some evidence of growing economically and educationally
successful Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities (Ryder and Greenfield,
forthcoming), there is still concern that Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils are
reported to be amongst the lowest achieving ethnic groups within schools in
England, are more likely to be identified as having special educational needs
(SEN), and are four times more likely than any other group to be excluded from
school as a result of their behaviour”
DfE, 2010a
Homophobia
“Homophobic bullying can be hard to identify because it may be going on in secret.
Sometimes, pupils may not want to tell anyone about it in case teachers/staff or
other adults assume they are gay. A recent study found that three in five gay
pupils never tell anyone (either at home or school) when they are being bullied.
The fact that young people are particularly reluctant to tell is a distinctive aspect of
homophobic bullying. ..
…Casual homophobic language is common in schools but, if it not challenged,
pupils may think that homophobic bullying is acceptable. It is therefore important to
challenge homophobic language when it occurs”
DCSF, 2007
“I was coming out of the toilets when a
group of girls started giving me grief for
being a lesbian. I told them to leave
alone, and then one punched me in the
face. I reported it to the teachers but they
didn’t sort out the problem completely so I
went to the police.” 16 year old girl
DCSF, 2007
6
2 Initial response
It is vital that schools create a climate in which pupils and carers feel able to report
identity based bullying and to expect prompt, appropriate and consistent
responses from all members of staff.
Figure 1: Allport's scale of prejudice
Allport’s scale describes 5 stages
of escalation. If behaviour at the lowest level is not addressed adequately then
problems could occur at the higher levels.
“While many people would never move from antilocution to avoidance; or from
avoidance to active discrimination, or higher on the scale, still it is true that activity
on one level makes transition to a more intense level easier.”
Allport (1979)
Reporting systems
A range of easy to access, confidential reporting systems should be made
available for pupils and parents/carers to use, these could include:
•
Bully Boxes, which are emptied daily
•
Confidential web-based reporting systems
•
Text or email systems
•
Confidential phone numbers
•
Buddies
•
Adult counsellors
DCSF (2007)
7
Dealing with pupils who have experienced bullying
Pupils should be confident that:
•
Their concerns are taken seriously and will be acted upon promptly.
•
Any action taken will not make their situation worse.
•
Actions will happen to an agreed timescale.
•
Actions taken will be in accordance with the school’s anti-bullying and
behaviour policies.
•
They know how to take further action if they are not happy with the
outcome.
•
Any malicious reporting could incur sanctions.
•
There are local and national agencies they can be referred to for support see Appendices Four and Five for details.
“Pupils should not have to face situations where they could be alone with the pupil
who has bullied them. Any disruption to their learning should be kept to a
minimum, as much as possible they should remain with their friendship groups.
Finally, it is recommended that they are informed of the penalties that the pupil
who bullied them will receive.”
DCSF (2007) p.27
Engage with parents promptly when issues of identity based bullying come to light.
Schools are legally required to have a complaints procedure and to make parents
aware of this procedure.
Staff should be confident in dealing with issues such as race, sexuality etc.
Training on relevant issues should be available to all staff.
If schools would like more information
about training opportunities they can
contact the council’s Equality and
Diversity Manager.
Louise Roberts
Tel: 01934 634 832
Email: [email protected]
Dealing with pupils who bully
Disciplinary penalties have three
main purposes, namely to:
Pupils being bullied may demonstrate
emotional and behavioural problems,
physical problems such as headaches
and stomach pains, or signs of
depression. Bullying is a deeply
damaging activity, for both the person
being bullied and the person
conducting the bullying, and its legacy
can follow young people into
adulthood.
DCSF (2007)
1. Impress on the perpetrator that
what he/she has done is unacceptable;
2. Deter him/her from repeating that behaviour; and
3. Signal to other pupils that the behaviour is unacceptable and deter them
from doing it.
Sanctions for bullying are intended to hold pupils who bully to account for their
behaviour and ensure that they face up to the harm they have caused and learn
8
from it. They also provide an opportunity for the pupil to put right the harm they
have caused.
DCSF (2007) p.27
It should be made clear that failure to deal with what can be a minor incident,
could be seen as condoning identity based bullying and may well lead to more
serious incidents in the future.
Engage with parents promptly when issues of identity-based bullying come to light.
Schools are legally required to have a complaints procedure and to make parents
aware of this procedure.
Notifying others
Classroom teachers and tutors of all involved parties should be informed of the
incident.
Parents of involved parties should be given information on:
•
support agencies available (victim)
•
school’s complaint procedure (both victim and perpetrator)
•
school policy on behaviour (perpetrator)
•
school policy on anti-bullying (both victim and perpetrator)
What is the impact of identity based bullying
Stonewall notes that bullying can cause permanent damage to young people and
blights the schools and colleges where it takes place.
Anti-bullying campaigns need to understand and address this. Making all young
people feel included and valued is a major opportunity for our educational system
to transform the lives of a significant number of pupils and students.
Hawker and Boulter (2000) found that outcomes caused by bullying included
loss of self-esteem, anxiety, depression, difficulties with school work,
reluctance to attend school, and, in more extreme cases, self-harm and
suicide.
9
3 Investigate
A designated member of the Senior Management Team should have responsibility
for identity based bullying. This person should be informed of all incidents and coordinate any investigation.
There may be incidents of identity based bullying that have occurred outside of the
school. These may need to be investigated and tackled by the school if any of the
involved parties are, or have been, involved in the school. It is very important to
gain a clear picture of all the incidents that have occurred.
An investigation may be needed if the reported incident is linked to other incidents
– this could indicate that there are further underlying causes which need to be
identified and dealt with.
10
4 Further response
Schools should review over two or three months whether the action has prevented
recurrence of the bullying and ensure that the pupil being bullied feels safe again
(DCSF, 2007, p.31).
An Ofsted inspector would consider how safe pupils and groups of pupils feel
(Ofsted, 2011, p.17).
An example of best practice would be to conduct a simple interview with the pupils
involved or the school could engage the parents using a standard review letter to
gather judgments on their satisfaction with how the bullying was dealt with (a
sample letter is included in Appendix Three of the guidance document).
If the response indicates the bullying has not stopped or the pupil does not feel
safe, then this would lead to further discussions or actions.
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5 Monitoring and Recording
An important aspect of actions to address identity based bullying is the monitoring
of identity incidents. It is a legal requirement that schools record all racist incidents
and inform the local authority (LA) regularly.
The Identity Based Bullying Form (see Appendix One) can be used for reporting
to the LA and also for internal use. If schools currently use a book to record
incidents, this can be replaced by a loose-leaf folder with completed forms.
It is important that all schools record and monitor all identity based bullying for the
following reasons:
•
To manage individual cases effectively;
•
To measure the effectiveness of measures taken by schools in responding
to identity based bullying incidents;
•
To obtain a full picture of the frequency, trends and nature of identity based
bullying and to gather intelligence to inform preventative measures;
•
To target resources to combat identity based bullying;
•
To identify repeat victims or perpetrators of identity based bullying;
•
To provide schools and the LA with a statistical base for analysis of identity
based bullying and inform future action planning with schools;
•
To celebrate the anti-bullying work of the school;
•
To demonstrate defensible decision making in the event of complaints
being made.
Consistency in recording and monitoring of identity based bullying in schools will
be a significant element of fulfilling the requirements within the legal framework. All
of the above should be dealt with in accordance with Data Protection Act and
confidentiality should be maintained at all times.
A separate form should be completed and returned promptly to the Identity Based
Bullying Officer for every identity based bullying that occurs in a school. Please
remove the names of the involved parties before sending the form to the LA.
Peter Noble
Tel: 01275 888303
Fax: 01275 884821
Email: [email protected]
The LA will produce statistics and give feedback on overall data to schools on an
annual basis. The reports are included in the data considered by the RHINS
partnership and are useful to see what is happening throughout the county.
RHINS (Reporting Hate Incidents in North Somerset)
This is a partnership group which consists of a variety of organisations:
•
Alliance Housing
•
Avon and Somerset Police
12
•
Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership
•
Avon Fire and Rescue
•
Educational Action Challenging Homophobia (EACH)
•
NHS North Somerset
•
North Somerset Citizens Advice Bureau
•
North Somerset Council
•
Registered social landlords representatives
•
Somerset Racial Equality Council (SREC)
•
Support Against Racist Incidents (SARI)
•
Knightstone Housing
•
Victim Support
•
Weston College
The group meet regularly to discuss identity based trends and issues that have
been identified within North Somerset and the group’s resources are used to
tackle identified issues.
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6 Follow through
Staff professional development
All staff, including temporary staff and volunteers, should have access to the
advice, training and development opportunities appropriate to their needs. These
needs may be identified at induction or through self-evaluation and individual
performance management reviews.
Governor support
Every governing body must ensure that its schools pursues policies designed to
promote good behaviour and discipline among pupils, where everyone can
participate and has the opportunity to fulfil their potential. The following information
provides a useful framework for school governors to identify their role in providing
an environment which promotes positive and responsible attitudes:'Tackling Bullying in Schools - a governors guide' - www.antibullyingalliance.gov.uk
'Ensuring Good Behaviour in Schools' http://www.education.gov.uk/publications DfE-00059-2011
Please contact North Somerset Governor Services for any further support and
guidance.
Governor Services Helpline
Tel: 01934 427381
Working with other agencies
The RHINS partnership includes a range of organisations that can offer specialist
support and training to schools or individuals in dealing with identity based
bullying. Please refer to Appendix Four for more information.
The RHINS partnership exists to record identity-based incidents throughout North
Somerset. Figures are received from many organisations, including schools, which
are used to produce regular reports. The partnership uses these reports to
effectively target and manage resources.
Anti-bullying strategies
The data gathered from the reports should be used to evaluate the effectiveness
of anti-bullying strategies. Some of the areas you may consider are:
•
How incidents are reported;
•
How comfortable are students with reporting incidents;
•
Are incidents being dealt with consistently;
•
Are reports being analysed to identify trends;
•
How is the information being used in discussions with staff and students.
14
References
Allport, G. (1979). The Nature of Prejudice. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Department for Education (2010). A review of the Longitudinal Study of Young
people in England (LSYPE) recommendations for a second cohort. Available
from www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DFE-RR048.pdf.
Accessed 27 Jun 2011.
Department for Education (2010a). Improving the outcomes for Gypsy, Roma
and Traveller pupils: final report. Available from
https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/RSG/SchoolsSO/Page6/DFE-RR043.
Accessed 05 Aug 2011.
Department for Children, Schools and Families (2007). Safe to Learn:
Embedding anti-bullying work in schools. DCSF Publications.
EHRC (2010a). Prevention and response to identity-based bullying among
local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales. Available from:
www.equalityhumanrights.com/publications/our-research/researchreports/research-reports-61-70. Accessed 27 Jun 2011.
EHRC (2010b). How fair is Britain? The First Triennial Review Executive
Summary. Available from: www.equalityhumanrights.com/key-projects/how-fair-isbritain. Accessed 29 Jun 2011.
EHRC (2010c). What equality law means for you as an education provider:
schools. Available from: www.equalityhumanrights.com/advice-andguidance/guidance-for-education-providers-schools/ Accessed 29 Jun 2011.
GIRES (2008) Transphobic bullying toolkit. Available from
http://www.gires.org.uk/transbullying.php. Accessed 05 Aug 2011.
Hawker, D.S.J. and Boulton, M.J. (2000) Twenty years’ research on peer
victimization and psychosocial maladjustment: A meta-analytic review of
cross-sectional studies. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 41, pp.441455
Ofsted (2011) The draft evaluation schedule for the inspection of maintained
schools and academies. Available from:
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/draft-evaluation-schedule-for-inspection-ofmaintained-schools-and-academies-january-2012. Accessed 12/10/11.
Stonewall (2005) Education for All. Available from:
http://www.stonewall.org.uk/education_for_all/resources/education_professionals/
563.asp. Accessed 10 Oct 2011.
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Appendix One
Identity Based Bullying Form
This form collects personal data, including some regarded as ‘sensitive’ under the
Data Protection Act 1998.
The information should be treated in strictest confidence.
Allegations of incidents as well as recognised incidents should be recorded.
Table 1: Ethnic monitoring codes to be used
ABA
AIN
APK
BLB
Any other Asian
background
Bangladeshi
Indian
Pakistani
Black Caribbean
BLF
Black African
AAO
BLG
CHE
MBA
MOT
MWA
MWB
NOT
OEO
OEA
REF
WHA
Any other Black
background
Chinese
Mixed White and Black
African
Any other Mixed
background
Mixed White and Asian
Mixed White and Black
Caribbean
Info not obtained
Any other ethnic group
Arab
Refused
Any other White
background
WHB
White British
WHR
White Irish
WHT
Traveller – Irish Heritage
WRO
Gypsy/Roma
Please complete and send this form to:
Peter Noble
Identity Based Bullying Officer
Weston Court, Oldmixon Crescent, Winterstoke Road,
Weston-super-Mare BS24 9AU
Email: [email protected]
16
IDENTITY BASED BULLYING REPORT FORM
Date of incident:
Nature of incident:
□
Racist
□
Homophobic
□ Gender based
□
Disabilist
□
Other (please write in)
Name of school:
Incident reported by (name):
Pupil
□
Parent or carer
Non-teaching staff
□
Teaching staff
□
□
Non-teaching staff □
□
Non-teaching staff □
□
Victim’s name:
(Please remove name from LA copy)
Pupil
□
Teaching staff
Perpetrator’s name:
(Please remove name from LA copy)
Pupil
□
Teaching staff
Nature of incident (please tick):
□
□
□
□
□
Verbal (e.g. name-calling, teasing, threatening)
Physical (e.g. hitting, punching, kicking, inappropriate touching)
Relational (e.g. ignoring, leaving out, spreading rumours)
Indirect (e.g. stealing, damaging belongings, targeted graffiti)
Cyberbullying (victimisation or harassment carried out through electronic forms of
communication e.g. social networking sites, email, text messages etc)
□ Other (please write in)
Please give brief details of incident:
Did incidents always take place at school?
Yes
□
No
□
Has there been a previous incident involving this victim?
Yes
□
No
□
Has there been a previous incident involving this perpetrator?
Yes
□
No
□
17
Action taken by school (please attach copies of any anonymised documentation e.g. letters)
Victim:
Has the victim been given details of support agencies?
□
□
□
□
□
Avon and Somerset Police
SARI (Support Against Racist Incidents)
Victim Support
EACH (Educational Action Challenging Homophobia)
Other (please detail) __________________________
Have the parents been informed?
Yes
□
No
□
Have the parents been advised of the school’s complaint procedure?
Yes
□
No
□
Have their teachers / tutors been made aware of the incident?
Yes
□
No
□
Have the police been informed of this incident (only need to do this where criminal activity
has occurred)? Yes □
No
□
Perpetrator:
Have the parents been informed?
Yes
□
No
□
Have the parents been advised of the school’s complaint procedure?
Yes
□
No
□
Have their teachers / tutors been made aware of the incident?
Yes
□
No
□
Diversity monitoring information (of victim)
Gender
:
Male □
Female
□
No
□
Age:
Disabled:
Yes
□
Ethnic origin code:
Headteacher:
Date:
(signature)
18
Appendix Two
Protected characteristics
Throughout the guidance you will see reference to 'protected characteristics'. This
page gives you more information on each of the nine protected characteristics.
Age (not a protected characteristic for the schools provision)
Where this is referred to, it refers to a person belonging to a particular age (e.g.
32 year olds) or range of ages (e.g. 18 - 30 year olds).
Disability
A person has a disability if s/he has a physical or mental impairment which has a
substantial and long-term adverse effect on that person's ability to carry out normal
day-to-day activities.
Gender reassignment
The process of transitioning from one gender to another.
Marriage and civil partnership (not a protected characteristic for the schools
provision)
Marriage is defined as a 'union between a man and a woman'. Same-sex couples
can have their relationships legally recognised as 'civil partnerships'. Civil partners
must be treated the same as married couples on a wide range of legal matters.
Pregnancy and maternity – including pupils at school
Pregnancy is the condition of being pregnant or expecting a baby. Maternity refers
to the period after the birth, and is linked to maternity leave in the employment
context. In the non-work context, protection against maternity discrimination is for
26 weeks after giving birth, and this includes treating a woman unfavourably
because she is breastfeeding.
Race
Refers to the protected characteristic of Race. It refers to a group of people
defined by their race, colour, and nationality (including citizenship) ethnic or
national origins.
Religion and belief
Religion has the meaning usually given to it but belief includes religious and
philosophical beliefs including lack of belief (e.g. Atheism). Generally, a belief
should affect your life choices or the way you live for it to be included in the
definition.
Sex
A man or a woman.
Sexual orientation
Whether a person's sexual attraction is towards their own sex, the opposite sex or
to both sexes
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Appendix Three
Satisfaction survey for parents
Dear Parent / Carer
Two months ago your child was subjected to identity based bullying behaviour. I
am writing to seek your views on how well the school dealt with the problem. We
will use this information confidentially within the school to inform our review of
policy and practice. The individual details will not have any wider use unless we
ask, and you give, your specific permission.
How easy was it for your child / you to report the bullying? (circle one)
1
2
3
4
5
(not easy)
(very easy)
Comment if we could improve:
How satisfied are you with what we did to make your child feel safe? (circle
one)
1
2
3
4
5
(not easy)
(very easy)
Comment if we could improve:
How satisfied are you with the support your child has had from the school
since the bullying incident? (circle one)
1
2
3
4
(not easy)
5
(very easy)
Comment if we could improve:
20
Overall how satisfied are you with the way in which the school deals with
bullying incidents? (circle one)
1
2
3
4
(not easy)
5
(very easy)
Comment if we could improve:
Thank you for your help in completing this. We will use this information to think
about what we do to tackle bullying and make our school one where pupils and
parents are confident that we are honest about problems which happen, confident
that we do not tolerate identity based bullying behaviour and confident that our
systems support children.
Yours sincerely
Head teacher
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Appendix Four
Local support agencies
EMTAS (Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service)
EMTAS works in partnership with Traveller parents, mainstream schools and other
professionals in order to provide children with access to and a continuity of
education. They offer a support service to schools and Traveller families and also
offer a range of educational resources.
Tel: 01454 862 620 or 621
Email: [email protected]
EACH (Educational Action Challenging Homophobia)
EACH is an award-winning charity for adults and young people affected by
homophobia or transphobia. It is also a not-for-profit training agency for
employers and organisations committed to realising an equal and safe working
environment for all regardless of age, sex, ability, ethnicity, faith, gender identity or
sexuality.
Consultancy and expert support is provided to schools. Their free phone Actionline
for young people affected by homophobic or transphobic bullying in England is
available 9.00am to 4.30pm weekdays. It gives callers the opportunity to receive
confidential help and support.
Tel: 0808 1000 143
Website: http://eachaction.org.uk
SARI (Support Against Racist Incidents)
SARI provides casework support for pupils, parents and staff suffering racial
harassment. They undertake assemblies, staff training, classroom sessions,
workshops and one-to-one sessions with pupils to raise awareness of racism and
to help young people challenge racism. They facilitate one-to-one or group work
with perpetrators and approach education agencies to examine their response to
racist incidents.
Tel: 0117 942 0060
Website: www.sariweb.org.uk
SREC (Somerset Racial Equality Council)
Somerset Racial Equality Council (SREC) is an independent voluntary sector
organisation based in Weston-super-Mare.
They work in partnership with individuals and organisations for a fair and just
society which values diversity and gives everyone an equal chance to work, learn
and live free from prejudice, discrimination and racism across the whole of North
Somerset.
Tel: 01934 414 455
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.srec.org.uk
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Supportive Parents
Supportive Parents is a parent-led organisation providing the Parent Partnership
Service for Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset. This service is
confidential and provides independent parental support to parents of children with
special educational needs.
Information & Support Line: 0117 9897725
This service is available 10am - 2pm, Mon, Wed and Fri during term time only.
Answer phone at all other times.
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.supportiveparents.org.uk
Victim Support
They are the national charity giving free and confidential help to victims of crime,
witnesses, their family, friends and anyone else affected across England and
Wales. A crime does not have to have been reported to the police to get their help.
Tel: 0845 456 6099
Support line: 0845 30 30 900
Website: www.victimsupport.com
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Appendix Five
National support agencies
Equality and Human Rights Commission:
The Equality and Human Rights Commission is the independent advocate for
equality and human rights in Britain. It aims to reduce inequality, eliminate
discrimination, strengthen good relations between people, and promote and
protect human rights. The Equality and Human Rights Commission helplines
advise both individuals and organisations such as employers and service
providers.
Website: www.equalityhumanrights.com
Helpline – England
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 0845 604 6610
Textphone: 0845 604 6620
Fax: 0845 604 6630
08:00–18:00 Monday to Friday
Acas – The Independent Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service
Acas aims to improve organisations and working life through better employment
relations. It provides impartial advice, training, information and a range of problem
resolution services.
Telephone: 0845 747 4747
Website: www.acas.org.uk
The Alliance for Inclusive Education (Allfie)
Allfie is a national network led by disabled people to promote inclusive education
for all students. It provides a range of resources and training for educators and
parents.
Telephone: 020 7737 6030
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.allfie.org.uk
Bullying UK
BullyingUK is part of Family Lives a national charity providing help and support in
all aspects of family life. They offer advice to parents, young people and schools
and have a range of resources available.
Telephone: 0808 800 2222 (free)
Web: www.bullying.co.uk/
Changing Faces
Changing Faces is a UK charity that supports and represents people who have
disfigurements of the face or body from any cause. They offer expert advice,
resources and training programmes in education to enable teachers to understand
and respond to the challenges facing children and young people with
disfigurements.
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Telephone: 0845 4500 275
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.changingfaces.org.uk
Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP)
You’ll find films, presentations, games, lesson plans and posters that you can use
with young people to cover a wide range of online issues. There is also a wealth of
information about keeping safe online aimed at children of all ages and parents
and carers.
Web: http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/
Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE)
CRAE is a charity working in England to protect the human rights of children by
lobbying government, bringing or supporting test cases, and using regional and
international human rights mechanisms. They provide free legal information and
advice, raise awareness of children’s human rights, and undertake research about
children’s access to their rights.
Telephone: 020 7278 8222
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.crae.org.uk
Microsite: http://equalitymattersforchildren.crae.org.uk
The Council for Disabled Children (CDC)
The Council for Disabled Children provides an information service to parents and
professionals on the needs of disabled pre-school children, pupils and students.
Telephone: 020 7843 1900
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.ncb.org.uk/cdc
Gender Identity Research and Education Society (GIRES)
GIRES provides a wide range of information and training for trans people, their
families and professionals, including a Home Office-funded toolkit for education
professionals to combat transphobic bullying.
Telephone: 01372 801 554
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.gires.org.uk
Irish Travellers Movement in Britain (ITMB)
The ITMB seeks to raise the profile of Irish Travellers in Britain and increase their
say in decision-making processes and forums. The ITMB seeks to challenge
discrimination and develop national policies that ensure the inclusion of Irish
Travellers in all levels of society.
Telephone: 020 7607 2002
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.irishtraveller.org.uk
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Runnymede
Runnymede is the UK’s leading independent race equality think tank. Their work in
education covers race equality policy which is brought together through the
Transitions Programme and includes analysis of school choice, cohesion,
segregation, achievement and exclusions from school, and support for schools to
include greater ethnic diversity in the school curriculum which includes a range of
curriculum-based resources.
Telephone: 020 7377 9222
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.runnymedetrust.org
Stonewall
Stonewall is the UK’s leading lesbian, gay and bisexual charity and carries out
campaigning, lobbying and research work as well as providing a free information
service for individuals, organisations and employers. It offers a range of resources
including information for primary and secondary school teachers, youth workers,
parents, local authorities and young people on homophobic bullying.
Telephone: 0800 050 2020
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.stonewall.org.uk
26
Appendix Six
Toolkits
Anti-bullying Alliance toolkit
www.anti-bullyingalliancetoolkit.org.uk/default.aspx
Homophobic bullying toolkit
www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/HOMOPHOBIC%20BULL
YING.pdf
Transphobic bullying toolkit
www.gires.org.uk/transbullying.php
27