ANTI - BULLYING
“We’re better
without bullying”
Dear Parents/Carers,
Bullying is not acceptable at Dubmire Primary School.
We have a clear stated policy which includes
information on bullying. We do not expect children to
take part in the bullying of ANYONE. However this
does happen from time to time and we do our best to
stop it.
NO CHILD DESERVES TO BE BULLIED!!
This booklet is part of our effort to make Dubmire
BULLY FREE. By working together we can hopefully
change bullies’ attitudes.
Remember—NO ONE deserves to
be a victim of Bullying!!!
WHAT IS BULLYING?
It is important that everyone understands what we mean by bullying.
Bullying is the premeditated or conscious desire to frighten, threaten or hurt
someone else.
The children have compiled this list:
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name calling and malicious teasing
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spreading lies and rumours
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forcing people to do things against their will
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ganging up on individuals or weaker groups
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deliberately hurting younger or weaker individuals
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hitting, kicking, punching etc.
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throwing stones at people
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taking things from other people - sweets, toys etc.
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deliberately damaging someone’s property
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threatening victims if they tell
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showing up and embarrassing people
To sum up:- Can it say something about mental strength? E.g.It is an imbalance of
power.
Bullies use STRENGTH, THREATS AND FEAR as their weapons.
BULLYING - SOME POSSIBLE SIGNS
Some children who are being bullied may be:

frightened or unwilling to come to school

be frightened to go on their own to school when they are old
enough

change their journey to school

make up reasons for staying off school

come home with books or clothes destroyed or missing

become withdrawn or start to stammer

stop eating properly
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have bad dreams or cry themselves to sleep
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have unexplained cuts and bruises

have their possessions go missing

ask for money or begin to take money (to pay the bully)

refuse to say what is wrong
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make unlikely excuses to explain any of the above
Bear in mind that these signs do not always indicate
bullying.They can be a part of growing up but if you are worried
about your child please please discuss it with school.
Any child can go through a
phase of displaying bullying
behaviour.
In Dubmire School we aim to
help all children - those who
may be being bullied and
those who may be bullying.

There is no such thing as a typical bully but sometimes
a bully may be:
bigger and stronger than the victim

often involved in disruptive behaviour in and out of school

eager to enjoy the attention of the people around them

often aggressive towards parents, brother and sisters,
teachers and other adults

too scared or frightened to do things on their own

sure that he/she is tough and strong

very selfish
Why do they bully?
Some bullies :

become bullies following a domestic event

enjoy feeling powerful

are spoilt children who expect everyone to do what they want

are bullied at home and think it is an acceptable mode of
behaviour

are under too much pressure to succeed

don’t fit in with other children

cannot achieve success any other way
WHAT PARENTS CAN DO TO HELP
If you think your child is being bullied or bullying someone ask him/
her directly.
Be aware of the signs of both being bullied or using bullying
behaviour towards others.
Take bullying seriously and check the facts carefully.
Talk with a teacher or someone at school if it is a school problem
Help children practice coping strategies - like shouting “NO”,
walking with confidence and running away.
Arrange to meet your child from school if necessary.
Talk to your child about self defence classes, if you think it would
help.
Keep a written diary of incidents of bullying.
If necessary or if bullying occurs out of school inform the police or
consider seeing a solicitor.
Try to understand that the school will not condone fighting back;
it can be difficult for a child to be given mixed messages from home
and school. We need to work in partnership to help children.
WHAT CAN CHILDREN DO TO HELP?
If you are being bullied:
tell an adult or someone you can trust

tell a grown up if you see bullying or know someone is being
bullied

get your friends together and say “NO” to the bully

practice saying “NO” loudly

stay away from places where bullying happens

stay with groups of people; there is safety in numbers

try to look confident and walk away
TELL, TELL, TELL!

keep away from trouble; don’t get involved

don’t let the bullies threaten you; they must
be stopped

don’t fight back, even to save your things. It will probably make
this things worse

leave important possessions at home and don’t brag about them

keep a diary if things go on. It might help later.
TELL, TELL, TELL!
IF YOU FIND OUT THAT YOUR CHILD IS BULLYING:

remain calm and try to find out why

talk to school staff or anyone who can give you more
information

if the situation is not too serious give it some time to sort
itself out

if it is serious please seek help

set your child realistic guidelines and rules

ensure that your child apologises either in person or in writing
to the victim and the parents

talk to your child about it

please back us up in our efforts to stop bullying
REMEMBER
NO-ONE
DESERVES TO BE A VICTIM OF
BULLYING
SCHOOL POLICY
All staff are committed to stamping out bullying.
All staff will look out for signs of bullying.
Staff will make sure that all areas are patrolled at break times.
Teaching staff will record all incidents of bullying and check out all
the different stories. These records are kept in the children’s
individual files until they leave the school and may be sent to the
receiving schools.
Children will apologise in writing or verbally to the victim(s). We will
continually emphasise the unacceptable nature of bullying.
Teaching on bullying, its causes and the way to combat it, is part of
the Personal, Social and Health policy.
Parents will be informed if their child is involved in a serious case of
bullying and invited into school to discuss this.
Sanctions and punishments will be imposed upon children who
infringe school policy.
In the case of serious physical assault a child may be excluded from
school.
Don’t suffer in silence
What is Cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is the use of ICT, particularly mobile phones and the
internet, deliberately to upset someone else.
Cyberbullying may consist of threats, harassment, embarrassment,
humiliation, defamation or impersonation. general insults, or prejudice-based bullying.
There are reported cases of cyberbullying involving:
email
Virtual Learning Environments
chat rooms
websites
social networking sites
mobile and fixed-point phones
digital cameras
games and virtual world sites.
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Make sure that you and your child know what to do if they or someone
they know are cyber bullied e.g. how to block the bully
Parental control software can limit who your child sends to or receives
emails from and block access to chat rooms which are not moderated
For primary age children it is important to consider both the location of
the computer in your home so that you can supervise internet access and
what your child is viewing on line.
Cyber Bullying and the law
Cyber bullying activities can be offences under a range of different civil and
criminal laws, related to harassment, threatening behaviour and malicious
communications.
DUBMIRE SAYS
NO
TO BULLIES